Rector’s Daily Reflections: No.129 Monday 28th September 2020

Thought for Today

Do you enjoy listening to music? Earlier today, I was listening to a recording of the hymn, “Be still, my soul”. Perhaps you know the hymn. It’s set to a tune known as Finlandia, from Sibelius’ symphonic poem of the same name. The tune is profoundly moving, and the words of the hymn speak powerfully of the comfort that can be drawn from trusting God’s faithfulness and love. What struck me about this particular recording was that the music was deliberately taken at a very slow pace. There is often pressure to play a piece of music at a fairly brisk pace, especially when it comes to hymns, and it must have taken a very confident conductor to play this hymn at such a slow pace. But the decision was entirely correct. The slow and measured pace of the music created a performance which was quite remarkable for its insight and intensity.

As I listened to this music, I was reminded of just how busy we all are. We seem to be living life in a rush, constantly rushing from one thing to another, anxious about all the things we need to get done. I’m sure this isn’t good for us. Yes, there will always be times when life is fast paced. But there also need to be times when we allow ourselves to live life in the slow lane. We need to give ourselves time for rest.

I think we’re living through particularly stressful times, and the need for rest becomes more imperative than ever. We need to find time to allow ourselves to slow down a bit. One way we can do this is by becoming less demanding, on ourselves and on others. So, we haven’t got a particular job done? Well, so be it - it can wait. So, someone else hasn’t done what we wanted them to do? Well, so be it – it can wait. And if something doesn’t get done? Well, it’s unlikely to be the end of the world!


Prayer for Today

Lord, help us to slow down;
Calm our anxieties and help us to savour our times of rest. Amen.

View the 'Daily Message' for this month