Silent Day

Today, the bosses are gone for their corporate mid-year retreat, leaving the office in one of the most tranquil states I remember from my first year here. People are taking slightly longer breaks to walk about and chat with one another, catch up at the ‘Chill Out’ area, do their long overdue filing, etc. There is an interesting serenity to this scene. It’s healthy practice. And then I recalled something from my days as a Graduate Trainee. 

In our corporate calendar, the last Friday of every month is blocked out as ‘Silent Day’ which, strictly speaking, prohibits internal meetings to be scheduled. That never works – at least not in this fast-paced Investments division. ‘Silent Day’ was an effort to allow teams to rest from the never-ending cycle of work, recollect their thoughts and reflect on their work. That, to me, meant that at the end of every month, an individual would have the time to reflect about his contribution, his purpose (taboo word?) at work. Our boss is a hardworking and brilliant person, respected by many of us and others. But surely he had instilled this concept of ‘Silent Day’ for a good reason (see above). Where are we now? 

I’ve said a lot. So what have I learnt from this? 

How often do I have ‘Silent Days’ in my Walk with God? When was the last time I took a breather just to rest in His arms and encounter His Love? Something amazing happens when I pour my heart out to Jesus. He takes the load off my shoulders because He has already borne the burden, and He has already overcome it. This cannot just be a monthly affair; it must be daily, lest my heart gets too heavy.

Maybe this would sound familiar if we call it ‘Quiet Time’ (Christian Lingo 101). Up to last week, my Quiet Time was monthly or at least bi-weekly. Not enough. Every day, I must relax and reflect so that I remember that I am fighting for Jesus (and you), that I need to stand strong for Jesus (and you), and that Jesus is honoured in every decision I (and we) make. 

And then I’m just thinking… 

In our corporate life, it is vital to be objective, well-informed, organized, productive, ready to counteract, and ultimately be in control of any situation. Interactions happen to achieve some goal, personalities are sometimes faked, trust is sometimes exploited, and as for second chances – not a chance.  

But, isn’t there more? 

In our Christian life, the objective is to worship God, be well-informed of His Word, organize our lives around God, productive in our ministry, ready to stand for our faith, and ultimately let God be in control of any situation. Interactions happen out of love, personalities grow to be more like Jesus, trust is never betrayed when you trust in God (and only God), and as for second chances – forgiveness abounds when we look to the Cross.

There is MORE. There is Jesus – and that’s ALL I need, really. 

P.S. I hope this doesn’t qualify as “disclosing non-public information”.