“We mostly spend [life] conjugating three verbs:
to Want, to Have and to Do.
Craving, clutching and fussing,
on the material, political, social,
emotional, intellectual, even on the religious plane,
we are kept in perpetual unrest:
forgetting that none of these verbs have any ultimate significance,
except so far as they are transcended by and included in,
the fundamental verb, to Be:
and that Being,
not wanting, having and doing,
is the essence of the spiritual life.”
~Evelyn Underhill in The Spiritual Life via Inward-Outward
In the stillness,
Sandy
Welcome to the Still Saturday Community where we pause after a busy week, move in quiet pilgrimage, maybe linger a while in some still place, and soak in the beauty of images and reflect on the depth of sparse words. We’d love for you to join us. Grab the button and link up below. We all love to hear if something especially speaks to your heart, but please don’t feel pressured to comment. Simply take some time to be still together, to gaze long and drink deep.
Exquisite photo this week (!) to pair with Underhill’s wise truths.
Isn’t that teasel in the photo? I had to look it up to be sure–teasel was used as a comb or brush to “clean and align the fibers” in wool, to “raise the nap.” It changes the state of being of the wool. Cleverly hidden metaphor, Sandra!
Being . . . it is so hard to do in this world of busyness. I’m trying to learn the art of waiting on Him. Thanks for sharing and for hosting.
Blessings,
Patti
Your photo and that quote! Beautiful.
Stunning words! They remind me that when my kids were all little people and I felt overwhelmed by tasks, there were days when I would write the word “BE” in large letters in my planner. This is the most important thing. Now that I think of it, maybe it’s time for me to return to that practice now and then . . .
Wonderful quote & graphic! Just beautiful!
Beautiful photos, Sandra – and to just “be” – be still and be present. Yes!!!
Sending a bushel and a peck of love to you this weekend, my beautiful friend. xoxox
Sandra…Great thought today. Thank you for that and for hosting.
Lovely! Thank you for posting it – I think I needed just this message, now.
Thank you for the reminder that we need to remain ever aware of our “perpetual unrest” and the insatiable drive to master that which has no “ultimate significance”. It is a sober but much needed reminder.
Blessings to you and yours, Sandra!
In Him we live and move and have our being. Thanks for the beautiful post and for hosting & God bless.
How enlightening. We strive to have and to want and forget to just be. Such a wonderful reminder in today’s busy world.