When I was in middle school, our French teacher took us on a field trip to Washington, D.C. One of the stops was a French monastery. It was my first exposure and I found it fascinating. Over the years, I have had an opportunity to visit other monasteries, including a Greek Orthodox one. For me, the fascination with the monastic way of life revolves in part around how many hours a day they spend in prayer, reading scripture and chanting.
While monks may also participate in ministry in certain orders, their lives are often very different from the lives of those in children’s and youth ministries. We tend to start planning the next Bible class or activity as soon as the current one ends. There is often little time for reflection or contemplation. Some may even find they are beginning to have a marginal prayer life and only read scriptures to prepare a lesson they will teach others.
There is some benefit to the idea of silent reflection and contemplation. We live in a noisy world. Sometimes we even listen to music or other noises to drown out the noises we don’t want to hear. All of that noise can make it difficult to hear what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell us. Personally, I have never heard God literally speak, but I do know that when I have spent time in quiet reflection, contemplation and prayer, God has often supplied the answers I needed.
There is no perfect way to do this. Even the various monasteries practice it in different ways. My personal suggestion is that you combine it with a long walk to benefit your physical and emotional health as you work on your spiritual health. To start, put down the music. The only noises you should hear are from the environment around you. I particularly enjoy walking in our neighborhood nature center, hikes to waterfalls and walks on the beach.
Before you begin walking, pick a scripture or two to reflect upon and even pray as you walk. The Psalms are always great, as they were meant to be sung and prayed and often reflect many of our experiences and emotions. You might want to start with something short and simple, like Psalms 50:7 or 69:2. As you walk and reflect on the verses you have chosen, begin praying. Tell God everything including what’s happening in your ministry, your concerns or issues you are facing, your emotional state, how your ministry is impacting your family, etc. Don’t hold back. Don’t worry if this brings tears. They are a release God created. It’s healthy to cry and honestly, I’ve never had anyone say anything to me as I walked with tears streaming down my face.
Now here’s the really hard part. You can t just do this once. Just like exercise, to stay healthy, you need to do this regularly. Daily is great, but even two or three times a week can start to make a positive difference. Listen to the things that come into your head. Examine them. Are they your ideas, a temptation from Satan, or the Holy Spirit giving you the counsel you need?
Contemplative walks may feel selfish at first, but in reality they can help you stay strong physically, emotionally and spiritually. They are essential for not only your own health, but also the health of your ministry.