Push Play

Lately I've been thinking about technology and the impact it has around the world and in our personal lives. Actually, it's the buttons on the remote control as my housemates and I watched TV that started it all. Suddenly the buttons had a larger dimension and meaning. Think about it: POWER, PLAY, PAUSE, REWIND, FAST FORWARD, STOP.

Here before me was a perfect description of our spiritual life! Each day, rising from sleep, we push the POWER button. We are awake because "In God we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). We are awake because of the breath of life given to us by God, who gives us another day to become all that God desires for us.

And we begin to PLAY out our day, making connections with the world around us to fulfill God's dream for us and for the world. It wouldn't hurt if we really did take some time to PLAY in this world, recognizing that the world around us holds amazing surprises and miracles.

It's a good thing to PAUSE during the day. Get up and look out the window to get a bigger view of life. Take five for a cup of tea and count your many blessings. For one minute, simply breathe in peace and breathe out tension; breathe in trust and breathe out fear. The PAUSE gives us a small moment to REWIND our being human in the world, before we FAST FORWARD to the completion of the day.

Ah, before we lay our heads on the pillow at night, we STOP and recall what this day has held for us. We call it the "Examination of Consciousness." Here are the easy steps.

Place yourself in the presence of God. Look at your day with gratitude. Ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to look over your day, not to find fault with yourself but to gain wisdom and understanding of your own gifts and limitations. How did I find God today and how did God find me? How did I gain freedom to cooperate with God's desire for me? End with your favorite prayer, confident that tomorrow you will be ready to push the POWER button with inner peace and inner freedom.