I am an introvert and over the years I have learned what that really means.  For me I need to have alone time so I can shut down and renew myself internally.  I need to be able to shut off the world around me – that means shutting off my phone, putting down social media and letting my mind reset.  This doesn’t have to happen daily, but I know when I am in need of rebooting.  Once I’ve “rebooted” I have the physical, and emotional, energy to go again!  I explain this because I don’t believe that entering into silent prayer with God is about being an introvert or extrovert. 

For me, this time of shutting down and renewal is very different from spending quiet time in prayer.  I know some people who fear the idea of an hour of silence.  I love this hour so much it is how I start my day.  I climb out of bed before the sun, get something to drink, go to my prayer chair and set my timer for one hour.  This hour each morning has more impact than a cup of coffee for getting me up and going!  But I have to be honest, it’s taken a long time and a lot of trial and error to find how to make this work and to truly realize the gift that comes from it! It’s a journey you have to take one step at a time with trust and commitment to your relationship with God. Although I will share my journey, and the author will share hers, your journey is just that - yours - it will be unique to you!

“Rest assured of this: God desires a true and intimate relationship with you.” (page 6)     

What is your relationship with God like? Have you ever had the realization, like the author, that what you thought was your faith was really you living your parents’ faith?

I came to that realization, but a little differently. It wasn’t a slap in the face but a natural progression where I eventually looked up and saw my faith differently.  Like many Catholics my parents chose Baptism for me.  They raised me in the Catholic faith and sacrificed to send me through 12 years of Catholic school, then another four years at a Catholic college, and eventually I went through another 3 years for a Master’s Degree in Ministry.  My parents talked about faith in the home and we prayed together as a family. Faith was always important to me.  After college, I started to go deeper into my faith life. I joined the choir, taught Confirmation classes, helped with the Generations of Faith program and began reading and reading. It was during this time that I went from living the faith my parents Baptized me into, to living MY FAITH.  I had taken ownership of faith in my life and that was empowering.  The Sacraments became more meaningful, prayer was deepening, and I was developing a relationship with God.

How do you spend time with or get to know God?

Over the years I would continue to grow in relationship with God.  Getting to know God meant going deeper into who I am and finding the source – the source of my desires, my emotions, my choices.  What I found was that God wasn’t always the source, and so I needed to search for God in my life so that He would be the source of everything in my life. 

As we journey through this book we will search for God in our busy lives, search for the source that is the “missing peace” of our day. 

What’s your story?

Patty Mayer, Director of Adult Faith Formation
My reflections based on the book: “Busy Lives & Restless Souls: How Prayer Can Help You Find the Missing Peace in Your Life” by Becky Eldredge given out to OLIH parishioners at Christmas 2018