savor life being contented

i hear many bloggers often say that they don't want to write something for the sake of posting something on their blog, which i agree with. but gosh for me it's the case of lack of abundant time for relaxation and comp to use compared to the many things i have to write about. so whenever i'm posting something, it would mean that i'm having a day to myself and a laptop to use. like now.

i came back from a wonderful 2nd silent retreat last week. seriously, i still highly recommend this to anyone. the solitude's great and you engage in wonderful conversations with God a lot better without the media noise and distraction around you on normal days. and please, it's not at all like being locked away in a monastery and not being allowed to utter a word.

anyway, during the retreat i was given a book to read - the contented soul: the art of savoring life, by lisa graham mcminn, who is a german christian sociologist living in america. it was a wonderful book! for the first time in my life, i finished a whole book from cover to cover in just 2 days. (well, it was only abt 173 pages).

in a nutshell, the message was a reminder that we were not created by a loving God to live frantic, frenzied, striving and gasping-for-air type of lives in this ever-more materialistic and consumerism-driven world. it reminds us of the fundamental truth that we belong to God, belong to one another, and belong to this earth he's entrusted us to live in and steward in this lifetime. and when we understand that, we will hold our life, possessions and relationships loosely, instead of with a tight fist. and that will help us to stop chasing after unmeaningful things to consume and try to satisfy our unsatiable hunger and thirst for something that we're not even very clear of. being contented is not the same as being satisfied, which can be shortlived. but being contented is far better, more sustaining and and is what God wants to teach his children. (and i'm sure there are verses in Proverbs that speaks of this, go look it up)

as a sociologist, lisa's writing brought in a lot of perspectives from the lifestyles, current trends, ideology and cultures of life. and also issues of social injustice, fair trade and ecological and environmental issues. it was very informative for me, one who is not well read nor keeps herself abreast with the news. firstly it made me look at myself and examine what are truly my values regarding how i live my life. one shocking and rather shameful discovery is that i'm actually still very much influenced by the media messaging re image and status, and not know it! one e.g., while i cannot afford and therefore don't indulge in designer wear or popular "branded" products, i do specifically seek out and purchase them from factory outlets stores. yes, they are much more affordable, but why really do i seek to have them? is it really because they are far superior in design and quality? maybe partly but only a tiny part, but to be totally honest with myself, to me i had this false sense of my having a better image or status if i were adorn with these. which i now realise is utterly unneccesary and unmeaningful. like a good friend said to me the other day, unknowingly (hopefully), most christians live no different than those who don't know God, they just do it in the christian context. no wonder people don't take notice of christians, there's nothing to look at! sounds quite funny actually. and meanwhile, the rich corporations who spur us on to chase after their products, keep getting richer, and the poor who are just begging for a chance at a better life, keep getting poorer. injustice. no, i'm not suddenly condoning piracy, nor will i give the evil eye to someone wearing an mng tshirt. i'm just starting with myself and realigning my own soul to God and learning to live my role as a responsible sister among my brethren of humanity.

the other interesting thing i learnt is a little about ecological issues. it reminded me of romans 8 and what l.t. jeyachandran recently talked to us about all of creation groaning for the full redemption of God. am i walking gently on this earth that God loves and created beautifully, not to serve our ever increasing appetites and take it for granted and drain it of it's resources, but rather to enjoy it moderately, simply and contentedly, sharing the pleasures of it with our fellow brethren in harmony? no, i'm not an overnight tree hugger nor am i turning strangely animistic. to me it's learning to be a participant of God's glory and given pleasures, instead of standing tall and proud as a consumer and consuming senselessly and discarding irresponsibly. i learnt about ecological footprint, which is (roughly) how much of the planet i need as an individual to sustain my life. i did the ecological footprint quiz and found out little old me needs a whopping 6.8 global hectares or 3.8 planets to sustain the rate i'm living. check out http://www.myfootprint.org/ or http://www.ecofoot.org/ now i don't know if these tests are accurate, neither have i studied about ecology or whether these people's intentions are genuine and even totally right, but hey, don't you feel like it's getting hotter every year and sometimes it feels like we're about to be snuffed out in this heat? perhaps us christians need to stop saying "no" to evils and start saying more "yes" to good. i wouldn't mind doing my part, however small it may seem. funny, our mothers were right after all when they would recycle every container they come across, when we would just throw them out. (just don't heat food in plastic tho, toxins are released into the food).

anyway, after all that, the point is, to learn to slow down, be still, and learn to sip and savor the good in life that is very much present, and very much has God in it, when otherwise in our frantic chase, we so easily focus on the lack that is still unreal, and totally miss the good that is real.