Are You "Out of Alignment"?

If you have ever driven a car that needed an alignment or pushed a grocery cart with a crooked wheel, you know how difficult it is to go forward while being pulled to the left or to the right.  From the moment we wake up until we fall asleep, there are demands for our time and attention—responsibilities, social media, technology, a job, or school. Is it any wonder that we often feel like we are "out of alignment"?
 
When your car is "out of alignment," tires wear out prematurely, it causes extra stress and fatigue to the driver, and it is a safety concern. An alignment will make sure all four wheels point in the same direction.
 
Just as Bible reading and prayer, silence and solitude are much needed spiritual disciplines. Jesus spent time alone with God, making sure His will and life was in alignment with His Father's.
 
In this age of technology, we seem to be addicted to noise. Times of silence can be unsettling. Often, we are uncomfortable being alone with our thoughts. We would rather keep busy so that we can push aside our true needs. In silence and solitude, distractions are removed, and God can bring to the surface inner problems and needs that we have been ignoring.
 
Today, let us create a space where we STOP (talking, doing, socializing, being entertained) and START (listening to what God has to say). It might be painful as God reveals what is out of alignment in our life, but when we allow God to do His perfect work in us, we will find true rest and peace.

We are silent at the beginning of the day because God should have the first word, and we are silent before going to sleep because the last word belongs to God.
—   ​Dietrich Bonhoeffer