Today’s scene is geared up for multitasking. Grabbing a bite to eat while searching for the best iPhone app and keeping up with hundreds of friends on social networking sites asks for divided attention. Demands of the fast life can be hard to ignore, and even harder to understand. In the world full of time-savers and 15-minute meals, have you ever found yourself wondering where all this saved time goes? Do you ever feel like the promise of all this leisure time is a little empty? Humans are marked by an ability to adapt to different surroundings, and as the world speeds up, people do too—well most of them. A growing number of twentysomethings, however, are taking time to slow down, to savor the beauty of life and meet Jesus through contemplative prayer.
How to find time in the rat race to be in meaningful stillness with the Lord is no easy task. Through weekend prayer retreats or local Taizé services, seekers are finding lasting stillness woven into even the smallest daily task. Deep contemplative prayer and meaningful communion in stillness don’t happen only in monasteries. It can be practiced in the midst of daily life by anyone. It is a rhythm of life beyond a collection of moments. It is not easy to find the time for reflection and meditation, but “ordinary” believers are learning to make time despite the costs. In a generation marked by its desire for authenticity, a hunger is growing for an increasingly meaningful walk with Christ. This depth of meaning is emerging through a number of contemplative traditions.
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