I have a particular fondness for George MacDonald, the 19th century Scottish author and poet. The strength and wisdom of his words caused renowned author C.S. Lewis to proclaim, "I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself."
It's remarkable to me, being the philosopher and minister that he was, that he was raised in an atmosphere of Calvinism, and yet he never accepted some aspects of this doctrine, such as predestination and atonement.
A few favorite quotes/excerpts from George MacDonald:
The Birth of Persecution
"Clara's words appeared to me quite irreverent... but what to answer here I did not know. I almost began to dislike her; for it is often incapacity for defending the faith they love which turns men into persecutors." -Wilfred Cumbermede, Chapter 18
Sacred Idleness
"Work is not always required of a man. There is such a thing as a sacred idleness, the cultivation of which is now fearfully neglected." -Wilfred Cumbermede, Chapter 55
With regard to this sacred idleness, I am wondering, what do you, dear reader, do to cultivate this quiet time? The bane of our age is busyness and relationships suffer for it. For my own part, I'm aware of it, but struggle with knowing how to slow down, how to jump off the cycle and cultivate silence. Disconnecting from the internet maybe?
I'd love to hear from you.
3 comments:
I don't think I'll disconnect from the net, but I have slowed down considerably in the amount I use it. There's just too much going on to keep feeding the time-eating beast!
I think the remedy to over-crowded lives is to take that schedule and write into the schedule some down-time, so that a break is just as immovable in the schedule as going to work.
I don't think the Sabbath is meant to be a legalism-and-guilt thing; I think it's meant to be a blessing.
Have you ever read A.J. Heschel's book, The Sabbath?
Take care & God bless
Anne / WF
Anne,
No, I haven't read The Sabbath, but after your comment, I'll have to look it up. Thank you!
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