Nourishing Life

A live body is not one that never gets hurt, but one that can to some extent repair itself.

In the same way, a Christian is not a man who never goes wrong, but a man who is enabled to repent and pick himself up and begin over again after each stumble -- because the Christ-life is inside him, repairing him all the time, enabling him to repeat (in some degree) the kind of voluntary death which Christ Himself carried out.  (C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity)

Even the best Christian that ever lived is not acting on his own steam---he is only nourishing or protecting a life he could never have acquired by his own efforts (ibid).

Yesterday, I read the words written by the founder of a religious order:  "Prayer is our life; we live as we pray."  The words struck me as true.  For two weeks, I had been traveling with friends, and although it was a wonderful, magical, trip that I will always cherish, with the constant schedule of activity, I had no time for prayer.  And when I returned home, I saw and felt the difference.  It has been a week and a half since I returned, and I still feel lost, unanchored, in chaos.

I think our lives tend toward chaos.  We struggle to keep afloat in a sea of concerns: we are "busy about many things."  But Jesus said of Mary, sitting at His feet: "Only one thing is necessary."  I think He was speaking about prayer, listening, absorbing the Divine Energy and direction for our lives.  When we go for any length of time without doing this, we lose our bearings and begin to drift.  We can begin again to pray, but it seems to take a little time for the "body" -- or, in this case, the soul -- to repair itself. 

If we cannot find the time to take deep drinks from the fountain of life, we must learn to take small sips throughout the day to continue nourishing the life within.