A world-renowned anthropologist who spent several years among the natives of the upper Amazon in South America once described leading a rapid march through the jungle to the nearest settlement. The group pushed through the undergrowth for two days with great success, but the third morning, rather than preparing to start, the natives, it was reported, were “sitting on their haunches, looking very solemn.” No one was moving. “They are waiting,” the chief explained to the explorer. “They cannot move farther until their souls have caught up with their bodies.”1
The natives understood the importance of spiritual renewal.
Nature too seems to follow this principle. After a vigorous summer of life, growth, and activity, winter finds nature at rest. By spring she is refreshed, ready to display her buds, blossoms, fields of growth, and bursting streams. Every spring testifies to the promise of renewed life, and the entire cycle serves as a reminder that life is eternal.
In our jam-packed work weeks and over-programmed lives, many struggle to find time for spiritual renewal. We all know there’s more to life than endless streams of busyness, but we need to pause, think, watch, and listen to give our souls time to find it. In fact, the “more” we’re searching for is most often found when there is less pressure, less cost, even less structure.
An exotic location or quiet mountaintop isn’t necessary; a morning walk will do. Playing sports, planting petunias or carrots, taking a side trip on the way to a pressing appointment will not make worries go away, but the change of pace and scenery can bring renewal. And we soon will grasp the power that comes from sitting still and letting our souls catch up with us.
1 In James Truslow Adams, The Tempo of Modern Life (1931), 93.
Program #4152