Replenishing My Spiritual Reserves

As I talked with my friends one day about maintaining personal spirituality, each one voiced the same lament: “I don’t have time!” Later, my husband commented, “We find time to do that which we really want to do—that which we love.” I realized then that desire is what motivates each of us to take the time to replenish our spiritual reserves.

Once I learned to recognize my own symptoms of spiritual thirst, I began to seek time in my busy schedule to drink from a spiritual well. Instead of trying to find time, however, I discovered that first I had to remove some of the “time gluttons” from my day, thus creating time. Here’s what I did:

Television. Watching television not only takes time but also can adversely affect my thoughts and feelings, robbing me of precious spiritual reserves. Inappropriate pictures, words, and music that come unbidden to mind require extra effort to resist. By curtailing my viewing and being more discriminating in program selections, I have fewer worldly images to combat and more time for activities that fill my spiritual reserves.

Waiting time. I have found ways to turn waiting time into a spiritual filling station. One morning while waiting in a dentist’s chair and listening to distasteful music, I closed my eyes and mentally walked myself through the temple. This took effort and concentration, but I felt relaxed and refreshed by the time the dentist arrived.

I also carry a book bag nearly everywhere, with scriptures, lesson manuals, paper and pencils, and a good book inside. I always have something uplifting to read while I wait.

Telephone calls. The telephone, as wonderful as it is, can really eat up time. While visiting with a friend for a few minutes can be refreshing, lengthy calls made just to chat or to discuss subjects that are not uplifting or necessary take precious time out of the day.

After “creating” more time in my day, I began using it to sip often from my well of spiritual refreshment and occasionally drink deeply from it in these ways: spending a full hour reading the scriptures, praying during long walks, pondering the problems of the day, and passing a whole day in spiritual renewal (for example, reading scriptures and playing hymns on the piano while setting aside all other concerns as in Sabbath-day observance).

In addition, great natural and artistic beauties are to be found in the world that can help build our feelings of reverence for our Creator. By seeking time to sip from the well of spiritual nourishment often, we can be spiritually full, better prepared for the droughts and dry spells in life.—Deborah S. Kent, Moberly, Missouri