Is God's Law On Your Mind at Work?
Is God's law on your mind at work? It is? Good for you. You're a better man than I. I have enough trouble keeping my mind on the task right in front of me sometimes when I'm at work. Especially if I'm doing something tedious or boring.
But God's law? That's about the farthest thing from my mind.
Then again, maybe I need to reconsider. Maybe God's law should be on my mind at work. Just look at Psalm 1 and you'll see what I mean.
Well, it's right there isn't it? And it's not like this verse is buried somewhere deep in some obscure chapters of the Bible. Those are the very first words of Psalm 1. They jump right out at you.
You want to be blessed, don't you? So right off the bat the Psalm's tell you what the blessed person does: "on his law he meditates day and night."
Notice it doesn't say "once in a while." And it doesn't say "early in the morning, or late at night, but not when you're busy at work during the day." It says "day and night."
So how am I supposed to do that today? I've got a day ahead of me like you wouldn't believe. I'm getting a headache just looking at my calendar now. It's packed from the minute I start up my laptop until I shut down - I hope - sometime before 7 PM. And I'm supposed to be meditating on God's law while I'm at work? Impossible.
So who's right here - me or the Word of God? Got to be God, right? What am I not getting here? Maybe I can figure this out by looking over my typical day.
I get up early so I can spend some time meditating and reading. After I say my Morning Offering when I wake up, I try to spend 10 minutes or so meditating. Then I try to read some Scripture (about 10 - 15 minutes), some spiritual reading (10 - 15 minutes) and study some of the Church's teachings (doctrinal study, about 10 - 15 minutes).
(Listen, I'm not all that pious or even that good. It's just that I've had a couple of good spiritual directors - good, solid priests - who've helped my to understand why this morning time with God is really, critically important.)
So wait. I do study "his law" in my doctrinal studies I suppose. And, of course, when I'm reading the Bible - even my spiritual reading - you get a deeper understanding of God's law in your life, don't you?
Well, I guess I'm kind of geared up at the beginning of my day - before I start any work. I'm reading, thinking, even meditating on God and His Word. I'm gearing my mind and my heart to follow Him - oh, right - to follow His Law.
So when I actually start working - even if I don't give Him a second thought during some super-busy days (a sad but true fact), I've got His Law imprinted on my mind and heart because of the way I start every day - or at least most days. (Hey, no one's perfect!)
Then even though I'm not literally sitting and meditating on His Law throughout the day, I'm still being guided by His Law in my thoughts, words and actions because of how I start every day (at least I hope and pray I am).
And then if I can manage to get to Mass during the day, examine my conscience sometime during or at the end of the day, say my rosary - well, you know the drill - then throughout the day I get these bits and pieces of time just dedicated to Him. And those bits and pieces kind of spill over into my thoughts, words and actions throughout even the busiest days.
Sure, I could spend more time recollecting myself during the day. And I really do try to work on that every day. I hate it when the whole day goes by and all of a sudden I realize I didn't give a single thought to God from the morning until the end of the day. But I'll work on this.
So that's at least this man's way of keeping God's law on my mind at work. And I guess I'm a blessed man because of it. Hey, I didn't say it. Just read Psalm 1.
But God's law? That's about the farthest thing from my mind.
Then again, maybe I need to reconsider. Maybe God's law should be on my mind at work. Just look at Psalm 1 and you'll see what I mean.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Well, it's right there isn't it? And it's not like this verse is buried somewhere deep in some obscure chapters of the Bible. Those are the very first words of Psalm 1. They jump right out at you.
You want to be blessed, don't you? So right off the bat the Psalm's tell you what the blessed person does: "on his law he meditates day and night."
Notice it doesn't say "once in a while." And it doesn't say "early in the morning, or late at night, but not when you're busy at work during the day." It says "day and night."
So how am I supposed to do that today? I've got a day ahead of me like you wouldn't believe. I'm getting a headache just looking at my calendar now. It's packed from the minute I start up my laptop until I shut down - I hope - sometime before 7 PM. And I'm supposed to be meditating on God's law while I'm at work? Impossible.
So who's right here - me or the Word of God? Got to be God, right? What am I not getting here? Maybe I can figure this out by looking over my typical day.
I get up early so I can spend some time meditating and reading. After I say my Morning Offering when I wake up, I try to spend 10 minutes or so meditating. Then I try to read some Scripture (about 10 - 15 minutes), some spiritual reading (10 - 15 minutes) and study some of the Church's teachings (doctrinal study, about 10 - 15 minutes).
(Listen, I'm not all that pious or even that good. It's just that I've had a couple of good spiritual directors - good, solid priests - who've helped my to understand why this morning time with God is really, critically important.)
So wait. I do study "his law" in my doctrinal studies I suppose. And, of course, when I'm reading the Bible - even my spiritual reading - you get a deeper understanding of God's law in your life, don't you?
Well, I guess I'm kind of geared up at the beginning of my day - before I start any work. I'm reading, thinking, even meditating on God and His Word. I'm gearing my mind and my heart to follow Him - oh, right - to follow His Law.
So when I actually start working - even if I don't give Him a second thought during some super-busy days (a sad but true fact), I've got His Law imprinted on my mind and heart because of the way I start every day - or at least most days. (Hey, no one's perfect!)
Then even though I'm not literally sitting and meditating on His Law throughout the day, I'm still being guided by His Law in my thoughts, words and actions because of how I start every day (at least I hope and pray I am).
And then if I can manage to get to Mass during the day, examine my conscience sometime during or at the end of the day, say my rosary - well, you know the drill - then throughout the day I get these bits and pieces of time just dedicated to Him. And those bits and pieces kind of spill over into my thoughts, words and actions throughout even the busiest days.
Sure, I could spend more time recollecting myself during the day. And I really do try to work on that every day. I hate it when the whole day goes by and all of a sudden I realize I didn't give a single thought to God from the morning until the end of the day. But I'll work on this.
So that's at least this man's way of keeping God's law on my mind at work. And I guess I'm a blessed man because of it. Hey, I didn't say it. Just read Psalm 1.
Comments