Sunday Reflections

By the Rev. Ben Black

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is one of my all-time favorite movies. 

I enjoy the carefree attitude that is a constant with everything that Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) does, but there is also an important message to be had in the movie. Taking a break is a good and necessary thing to do. 

That being said, it’s clear that Ferris may have crossed a line or two throughout his day off when he skipped school, faked the death of his girlfriend’s grandmother, stole the Ferrari, weaseled his way into exclusive restaurants and then paid tribute to Wayne Newton and the Beatles by singing on the float parade in downtown Chicago. 

I am always struck by the last line in the movie: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

If your life is anything like mine, then you have trouble slowing down. It’s hard!

By the end of any given month a single page on my calendar is covered in more ink than what is stored in a Xerox machine. We have appointments, and meetings, evening activities and other commitments that take over our lives. 

I am learning that time never slows down—it only seems to get faster. We find ourselves with more responsibilities, more things on our plates, our minds constantly consumed with how to solve this problem or that issue, what bills might be coming due that we haven’t given thought to for too long.

It is easy to become overwhelmed by the chaos of life! It is a discipline to cut time out of our busy and important schedules for a day off, just to unwind. 

It is hard to believe that the summer is almost over and fall will be upon us shortly and with it the busiest time of the year. Schools are gearing up, fall programs are beginning, sports practices for kids are launching into action, businesses are already crunching the numbers for the final quarter. 

The fall can be a nutso time!

My point is that we all have more than enough to keep us busy. With fall bearing down on us and the activity that comes with it, it would be easy to find ourselves overwhelmed with the busyness of life. 

Being busy is not a bad thing. In fact, if your schedule is filled with the right stuff it can be a great thing! But, how much time do we take in the midst of our activity to take a break and just “be?” I mentioned my calendar earlier, it seems like I have to schedule a five minute coffee break three weeks in advance or it will never happen—and I know I am not alone in being busy. 

However, we do need to remember to cut out some time for ourselves to get away.  We need to take some time to unplug and get rejuvenated, mentally and spiritually.  It’s not just my word, but the Bible (which I follow as best I can) also prescribes this.  It was as true for the Israelites wandering in the desert as it is for us flying down the parkway. We need to take time to break away from the craziness of life.  For me, it can be hard to hear God over the roar and din of activities that fill every day.  Taking some time helps me to get focused on where the priorities of my life need to be and helps me discern what things are just getting in the way and making me a frantic and distracted person.

The bottom line is, if we don’t stop every now and then we WILL burn out and we WILL miss what God is trying to show us.  I believe that just like in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off there are some spectacular things happening all around us that we can and should be involved in.  However, we get so wrapped up in our routines that we miss the bigger picture that is right in front of us.

I would encourage you to take some time to ‘unplug’ weekly.  Break up the routine. Allow  yourself to be renewed and refreshed.  Make a place where you can have peace and quiet.  For me, I love to be outdoors and in nature any chance I can get.  Nothing helps me clear my head and put my world back into perspective like a walk in the woods.  But that is what works for me.  Make getting away a priority.  It doesn’t have to be long or far, but it does need to be regular. 

On the surface, cutting out “quiet time” or “reflection time” might seem unnecessary, but I have never been disappointed when it was a priority. In fact, it always seems to make the chaos less chaotic and more manageable. The schedule is still full, but I always seem to have more energy and clearer thinking as I tackle the challenges of life.

Try something new this week and schedule a break. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

The Rev. Ben Black is pastor of

_______________________

Forest Hills-Regent Square Patch is on Facebook and on Twitter. Don't forget to sign up for our daily email newsletter by clicking here.