I saw a young man going for a lunchtime run the other day as I was driving. Nothing remarkable in that, except it was a very warm and humid Auckland day, and he was clad in two layers of long-sleeved black and had no sunhat or sunnies on. Each to their own. Do some people have their own antarctic micro-climate?
'Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun' Noel Coward once sang. Not this Englishman. My run today began at 6.30am. The photo above was taken shortly after that because I found the skies to be in rather a peaceful and pleasant state. There is a time for everything, but lunchtime in a sticky Auckland December is not time for running in my humble opinion. One would need the rest of the day to recover and rehydrate with multiple cold beverages.
Timing is important. We Christian's talk about 'God's timing'. Indeed one of my favourite preachers, the teacher of Ecclesiastes advises; 'There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens.' (Eccl 3:1)
Our spiritual life requires both speech and silence. Speech comes as we discern a need to witness, connect, encourage or admonish. Silence comes as we need to pray, prepare, replenish and reflect. Ideally significant speech is preceded by silence. The silence of the long run is akin to a spiritual practice for me. I stay fit and find my peace in one go. Killing two birds with one stone as the saying goes.
This Covid season is taxing in some way for nearly everyone I talk to, so let me encourage you to be kind to yourself as the Christmas rush is upon us. Seek God's timing in both silence and speech, and deal patiently with the sister or brother who comes across your path. Be at peace.
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