Frank Laubach's Great Experiment

In the winter of 1930 Frank Laubach, a missionary to the Philippines, went up to the top of Signal Hill, and came down a changed man.  At that time he was in his early 40's and had been a successful missionary using teaching the gospel by teaching Philippinos to read.  His pioneering literacy methods are still used today.  Despite his success he wanted more in and from his walk with God though - so - he went up Signal Hill.  It's impressive that though he had already achieved measures of success in his career - what he wanted was more of God.  The question he became fixated on was this:  "Can we have that contact with God all the time?  All the time awake, fall asleep in His arms, and awaken in His presence?  Can we attain that?"

And so with those words began Laubach's great experiment of ordering his life in such a way that he would be able to stay focused on God - all the time.  If this experiment sounds vaguely familar to you - it may be because there have been a few books recently released on this idea - but invairably they tackle a scaled down version of Laubach's goal - which was in fact to reflect on God every minute of every waking hour.  

And so the experiment began.  On March 9th, 1930's Laubach's journal entry read:  "For the first time in my life I know what I must do off in lonesome Lanao.  I know why God has left this aching voic - for Himself to fill ... I must pursue this voyage of discovery in quest of God's will."  His collegues discouraged him - as did his superiors and many others - all were sure - not based on their own attempts - but on their collective guess - that to do so would even be psychologically deliterious.

Two months in, however, Laubach does not record psychosis in his journal - but rather writes a quote that I first read in Altamont, NY on August 1st 1998 in Discipleship Journal - and which immediately struck me as describing a spiritual existence I'd always longed to experience and remains to my mind - one of the most inspiring quotes on anyone's personal walk I've ever read.  On May 34th, 1930 Frank Laubach wrote in his journal:  "This concetration upon God is strenuous, but everything else has ceased to be so.  I think more clearly, I forget less frequently.  Things which I did with a strain before, I now do easily and with no effort whatever.  I worry about nothing, and lose no sleep.  I walk on air a good part of the time.  Even the mirror reveals a new light in my eyes and face.  I no longer feel in a hurry about anything.  Everything goes right.  Each minute I meet calmly as though it were not important.  Nothing can go wrong excepting one thing.  That is that God may slip from my mind if I do not keep on my guard.  If He is there, the universe is with me.  My task is simple and clear."

May we all be so inspired in our walks with God!