Monday, March 4, 2013

Time and the Spiritual Person



"Stress is a perverted relationship to time." --John O'Donohue

I'm somewhat in awe of this statement that I heard listening to this wonderful interview of the Celtic philosopher and poet, by Krista Tippett.

But isn't it true? It's not the "lack of time" that stresses us out, but our perception of time, that we don't have enough of it. It's the way we are viewing our lives.

Strangely, the more I sink into being who I am, spending time with my Creator (that is, just thinking about my Creator), and following my inner desires, the less I worry about how much time I have or don't have. I do believe this: I do have plenty of time.

And even for John O'Donohue, who had this calm sense of abundant time--he died some months after the recorded interview. Should he have been frantic to spend his last minutes, trying to be more productive? I don't think so. I think he has transcended time, now, permanently.

And you and I can use our days on earth to practice.

John O'Donohue completes his above statement: "So that rather than being a subject of your own time, you become its target and victim."

In what ways are you letting time victimize you, instead of spending your life doing what is most important to you?