Tune out. Tune in.
What do I need to tune out in order to focus on God?
sifting
Cause to flow or pass through a sieve
Descend or float down lightly or sparsely as if sprinkled from a sieve
These are the definitions of gentleness yet sometimes more is needed.
Like
Examine thoroughly so as to isolate that which is most important or useful
Sift something out
INVITATION.
Begin with silence
Quiet settling in
A deep breath, slowly let it out
Prayer
Lord, O show me Your truth
For today, in this circumstance, in this relationship…
within my own heart. Help me, to know You more. amen.
READING.
So Much
(meaning: words, information, details, images speaking words to us)
In your daily life, do you often find yourself sifting through your own thoughts to find what is?
Real. Clear. Hopeful. Helpful. Engaging. Life-giving.
What about sifting through others' spoken words or phrases offered to you?
How about opinions? Responses? News? Reels?
We live in a time of So Much coming at us.
When it used to be only a newspaper, magazine maybe, or radio program where we received So Much yet in today’s world this has increased exponentially in the age of technology and its consistency of faster and quicker. Every time I get in the car the thought comes “what’s the fastest way to…?”
We have been so swept up by this rotation of faster and quick fixes that sifting through our own thoughts, others’ words, our own and others opinions, responses and news, reels or Tik Tok–it is so stinking hard to Sift!
Does any of this hit you like it hits me?
Everyday if I don’t take moments to slow down, be still or pause, I can easily be swept up into the faster, quicker momentum leaving me feeling emotionally drained and/or confused, maybe even restless.
Is slowing down in order to sift worth considering?
What comes to mind when I think of sifting is gold panning. Growing up in California near the gold mining towns of the central valley in Columbia, and the Sacramento area, gold panning remnants still linger. A school field trip or family outing was often made to see what gold mining was all about— a hands-on history lesson.
One of the things I remember is that if you were going to try gold panning it was a lengthy commitment of your day to sift through the sand, rocks and mud and just maybe find a tiny gold nugget. As a young person, a tiny gold nugget was like winning the lottery–the biggest smile you ever saw.
Tiny nuggets can brighten our hearts. So how can we put to practice sifting in our time of So Much and hear the most important golden truth of God’s love and care for us and allowing Him to illuminate what is— Real. Clear. Hopeful. Helpful. Engaging. Life-giving.
This week consider just one more time the story of Jesus’ birth allowing it to linger with us.
In Luke 2:19 we are told:
“Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart”
“Mary treasured all these things, giving careful thought to them and pondering them in her heart.”
These were the true and good, beautiful things of God coming to Be among us.
O How encouraging God’s words are to us.
How about beginning a practice of sifting moment(s) in our day?
What do we do when the So Much comes in and moves us away from what is true, good and beautiful?
When the false and negative narratives begin to creep in?
Let us pause and begin “sifting” for the true golden nuggets.
What do I need to tune out in order to focus on God?
Offer these by name and leave them at the altar.
Name the true and good, the beautiful things of God that come to mind.
Open your hands and receive them as gifts from the Lord.
