The Coffee Shop: sifting
sifting
Cause to flow or pass through a sieve
Descend or float down lightly or sparsely as if sprinkled from a sieve
Examine thoroughly so as to isolate that which is most important or useful
Sift something out
So Much
(words, information, details, images all speaking so much to us)
In your daily life, do you often find yourself sifting through your own thoughts to find what is—
Real. Clear. Hopeful. Helpful. Engaging. Life-giving.
What about sifting through others' spoken words or phrases offered to you?
How about opinions and responses? News and reels?
We live in a time of so much coming at us.
When it used to be only a newspaper, maybe a magazine, or radio program where we received so muchyet in today’s world this has increased exponentially in the age of technology and its consistency of faster and quicker. Every time I get in the car the thought comes “what’s the fastest way to…?”
We have been so swept up by this rotation of faster and quick fixes that sifting through our own thoughts, others’ words, our own and others opinions, responses, news reels or Tik Tok–it is so stinking hard to Sift!
Does any of this hit you like it hits me?
Everyday if I don’t take moments to slow down, be still or pause, I can easily be swept up into the faster, quicker momentum leaving me feeling emotionally drained and/or confused, maybe even restless.
Is slowing down in order to sift worth considering?
What comes to mind when I think of sifting is gold panning. Growing up in California near the gold mining towns of the central valley in Columbia, and the Sacramento area, gold panning remnants still linger. A school field trip or family outing was often made to see what gold mining was all about— a hands-on history lesson.
One of the things I remember is that if you were going to try gold panning it was a lengthy commitment of your day to sift through the sand, rocks and mud and just maybe find a tiny gold nugget. As a young person, a tiny gold nugget was like winning the lottery–the biggest smile you ever saw.
Tiny nuggets can brighten our hearts. So how can we put to practice sifting in our time of So Much and hear the most important golden truth of God’s love and care for us and allowing Him to illuminate what is— Real. Clear. Hopeful. Helpful. Engaging. Life-giving.
How about beginning a practice of sifting moment(s) in your day?
What do I do when the So Much comes in and moves us away from what is beautiful, good and true?
When the false and negative narratives begin to creep in?
Let us pause and begin “sifting” for the true golden nuggets.
What do I need to tune out in order to focus on God?
Offer these by name and leave them with God.
Name the beautiful and good, the true things of your life that come to mind.
Open your hands and receive them as gifts from the Lord.
