Tag: Solitude

Unforced Rhythms of Grace

Leave a comment

The year is gradually coming to a close. We’ve welcomed Fall, a time that invites us to slow down, to reflect and reset. However, as we all can attest, Fall brings on its own measure of hurriedness, striving and fatigue. Furthermore, in addition to this natural change of time and season, we find ourselves, unexpectedly, grappling with devastating world events that touch us to our core and which bring on another layer of emotional unrest. 

We are standing at the precipice of a new year, a new start, hauling along the weight of emotional baggage from previous months, possibly previous years and certainly from today’s turmoils — longing for relief, for peace.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” – Matthew 11:28-30

I find solace in this translation of the Matthew passage, in Jesus’ invitation. He calls us into a space where we can bring our weariness, where we can enter as we are, without any agenda or tasks.

Jesus’ directives for living in the unforced rhythms of grace are simple and clear: get away with me, walk with me, work with me, watch how I do it, learn, keep company with me. Simply start by pulling away – for a few hours, a day, a weekend – making space for your truest self to safely emerge in His transforming and healing presence. He promises to keep it light, to show you how to live freely and to give you rest for your soul. 

“If you don’t come apart for awhile, you will come apart after awhile.” —Dallas Willard

In His grace,
Christine

Click on image to find out more!
Click on image for details

Christine A. Dorvil is Founder and Director of Sabătica. She is a certified Contemplative Retreat Leader, trained for two years at the Shalem Institute of Spiritual Formation in Maryland. She also holds a certificate in Spiritual Transformation from the Transforming Center in Chicago where she studied and have been guided by Ruth Haley Barton. Christine is passionate about Contemplation, spiritual formation and life restoration. She desires to help others prioritize the care of their soul.

There is Something I Wanted to Tell You

Leave a comment

As we start this new work week, I wanted to share this prayer as a reminder [to us all] to be mindful of how we spend our days, to be consciously aware of life’s daily distractions and to be intentional about scheduling regular time alone with Abba — the one sure way to remain true to our divine identity, to renew our strength and to find sustaining peace.

Holy One,
there is something I wanted to tell you
but there have been errands to run,
bills to pay,
arrangements to make,
meetings to attend,
friends to entertain,
washing to do…
and I forget what it is I wanted to say to you,
and mostly I forget what I’m about,
or why.
O God,
don’t forget me, please,
for the sake of Jesus Christ….

O Father in Heaven,
perhaps you’ve already heard what I wanted to tell you.
What I wanted to ask is
forgive me,
heal me,
increase my courage, please.
Renew in me a little of love and faith,
and a sense of confidence,
and a vision of what it might mean
to live as though you were real,
and I mattered,
and everyone was sister and brother.

What I wanted to ask in my blundering way is
don’t give up on me,
don’t become too sad about me,
but laugh with me,
and try again with me,
and I will with you, too.

What I wanted to ask is
for peace enough to want and work for more,
for joy enough to share,
and for awareness that is keen enough to sense your presence
here,
now,
there,
then,
always.

Ted Loder, Guerrilas of Grace
As adapted and reprinted in Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton

Do you emotionally feel heavy and dejected?
Are you weary, in need of lasting rest and peace?
Please join us this coming September for our Fall 2016 Retreat, as we seek sweet rest and enduring peace to sustain through the layers of fear, global chaos and uncertainties.

Peace that Endures
Friday, September 23rd – Saturday, September 24th
Dolce Conference Center in Norwalk, CT
Registration is Open

The fee has been reduced and you are now able to register for both or either day.
Take advantage of the multiple options, register today
Review Schedule: HERE
Register: HERE

We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God. –Thomas Merton

How is it with you today?

Leave a comment

Wanderlust-MariaErnst.dkIf you are wired the same way I am, it is highly probable that you often find yourself going from one thing to another, from one project to the next, forging ahead like the Energizer bunny. However, while such practice may propel us to get things done, uncontrolled, it can also be detrimental, causing us to overlook the state of our emotional, physical and spiritual well-being.

So, how is it with you today? Do you find yourself feeling anxious, fearful and emotionally tired? Are you aware of the causes? How do you feel in your skin? Are you comfortable? Are you feeling exhausted, unable to walk up one flight of stairs without running out of breath? Or are you generally excited, sleeping through the night and deeply rooted in a place of joy and hope?

I believe it was Socrates who said “The unexamined life is not worth living.” That is quite a strong statement! One that also points to the necessity and importance of self-awareness.

Socrates wasn’t the only one with such conviction. In the book of Luke in the New Testament, we encounter Jesus near the town of Jericho where He was approached by a blind man who cried out for mercy. Jesus paused and responded by asking him, “What do you want me to do for you?”, prompting the blind man to acknowledge his current situation and to voice out his most cherished desire.

That day, just as in other similar instances, the emotional, physical and even spiritual state of the man were fully known to Jesus who is omniscient, but I believe there was an element of self-awareness and personal involvement that needed to be made evident in the man’s healing process.

Too many of us walk around disconnected to our emotions and unconscious of the signs that are screaming out for help, all-the-while longing for a change. If you need inner peace from your anxiety, if you long for stronger health and deep-seated joy, it is imperative that you first take a conscious and honest look at yourself; that you self-evaluate and fully comprehend what it is that you want and need.

So, how is it with you? What are the burning desires of your heart?

Sola gratia,
Christine