Today starts the Lenten journey. For me, I am working on finding my quiet. Life is way too hectic. Society is brutal. Schedules are crammed. To do lists are a mile long. Time is always short. Life is too loud.

As you know, we are also starting the first ever Champlin United Methodist Church Lenten Photo Challenge for other people to join in on finding their quiet through photos taken after daily reflections on a word and scripture. I am super excited to be part of that. Anyway, I digress…today’s scripture:

Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place : Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Mark 1:35

I am learning new ways to find solitude within my crazy days. As I get older I realize that I need this more and more each day. I need to take that time away from people, stuff, media, news, and just breathe. In. Out. Slowly taking deep breaths. This is where I find solitude. This is where I can start thinking clearly. This is when I hear what God has to say to me. This is when my shoulders relax and the stress and tension starts to melt right off.

I do this in many different ways depending on where I am or what I am doing. At home, I find my quiet place at night when everyone has gone to bed and it’s just me. I can get ready for the next day, prepare thoughts, lists, and reflect on what needs to be different the next day. Once I get all of that done, I can relax and take in the peace around me. At work, I shut my classroom door, turn on my favorite Pachelbel’s Canon in D (by Anastasi), turn off the lights, write out my list of things to do, and just power through it. By the time I am finished, I can breathe. I have that stress and tension all melted away. I can no safely enter the next part of my day.

I used to feel guilty when I would shut my classroom door. I used to think I’d appear as anti-social, but I find that I need this time during my day to reset. If I don’t take this time, I leave work stressed out, my mind racing in a million different directions, and my fuse is short. Nobody needs that… least of all my poor family who I have to spend the remainder of my day with!

As we saunter through this season of Lent looking for the quiet places, I hope to find more spots I can recharge and refresh myself each day. With all the craziness and insanity that is our current world, it is important to remember that life really is too short to not be in a good spot each day. Yes, life is hard. Yes, challenge come in all different forms, but God helps us through all of that if we just let Him and if we just take that time alone to sit with Him.