Being OK with Doing Less
As I often say, flexibility is key when trying to live as a modern monastic.
A few months ago, my family visited from overseas and lived with us in our home for several weeks. It was wonderful to be with family that I haven't seen in so long and to share life together once again. At the same time, having family over will naturally cause some disruption to whatever daily routine was originally in place. This is to be expected. I've had to learn to embrace unique times like these rather than be frustrated at the changes to my regular routine. It's also an opportunity for personal growth and to learn to be flexible and adjust appropriately to the changing circumstances. As I often say, flexibility is key when trying to live as a modern monastic. As much as possible, I want to avoid all-or-nothing type of decisions so that I can appropriately accommodate both the modern lifestyle that I have and the monastic posture I'm cultivating in my life.
Since my family wanted to spend time with each other, we arranged for a short trip to a local resort area. During this trip, I really had to learn to be flexible with how I do my "quiet time" (time with God). Obviously, I wouldn't be able to spend the usual three to four hours each day with the Lord during the trip. We had a number of things planned and the primary purpose was to spend some time with each other. In unique situations like this, I've had to learn to be OK with doing less with my spiritual disciplines for the duration of it. I've learned to not be so caught up with trying to get everything exactly the way I want them to be all the time. So, throughout the trip, I must have spent only a couple of hours with the Lord in prayer and meditation as it was hard to find the time to do so. I'm sure God understood. And I can honestly say that it wasn't for lack of effort. It was just a unique and temporary situation to be in. I have to remember that it's OK to do less than what I hope for to accommodate unique circumstances that will only last for a short period of time anyway.
When I got back home, I simply went back to my regular prayer habit. Anticipate that you will have unique situations like this where you must adjust or you could get frustrated at any disruption to your routine. Accept and embrace unique circumstances and don’t worry too much about it. When the unique situation is over, just go back to your usual routine.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
