“If we are constantly being swept off our feet with frantic activity, we will be unable to be attentive at the moment of inward silence. A mind that is harassed and fragmented by external affairs is hardly prepared for meditation. The church Fathers often spoke of Otium Sanctum: “holy leisure.” It refers to a sense of balance in the life, an ability to be at peace through the activities of the day, an ability to rest and take time to enjoy beauty, an ability to pace ourselves.”

This is an excerpt from an amazing book from Richard Foster, “The Celebration of Discipline”. This is a must read for anyone who wants to get closer to God. This book for me has completely kicked my butt. It’s not a deep read, but there is just so much great stuff in there. It is a great refresher on the Spiritual Disciplines.

That one phrase has bothered me so much… actually it has impacted me and bothered me. OTIUM SANCTUM… holy leisure… balance, be at peace, rest, enjoy beauty, pace ourselves. My life has been out of balance for so long, always running, doing, attempting, creating… instead of being. Today I actually just sat outside and watched a bee gather pollen from flowers… and it made me realize that life is happening and I’ve missed a lot of it. This isn’t supposed to be a downer but hopefully will inspire you, me, us to make changes for us to just enjoy the seemingly mundane, “everyday”. Everyday is a day that was created for us to enjoy. So let’s take some holy leisure and build some balance in our lives.

BTW, there will be a sweet tatt to come in the very near future referring to Otium Sanctum… lookout for pics!