Tag: meditation

  • Where’s your solitary place?

    C.S. Lewis wisely points out that no one was busier than Christ. “Our model is the Jesus … of the workshop, the roads, the crowds, the clamorous demands and surly oppositions, the lack of all peace and privacy, the interruptions. For this … is the Divine life operating under human conditions.”

    Our lives don’t consist of raising people from the dead, casting out demons, or healing the multitude. We manage challenging schedules while shuttling children back and forth from school, lessons, or sporting events. And then there’s our own schedule … where do we fit into this crazy chaos? Some days it feels like the four-wheel vehicle is your home. It’s easy to think, there’s nowhere to go where I can really be alone. Someone always wants something from me. If only I had a few more hours in the day. If only my spouse would be more helpful or my children behaved?

    If Jesus felt it necessary to carve a piece of His day aside for meditation and prayer, how much more I need this sacred time of renewal.

    “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”—Mark 1:35–37.

    Reflection: Where do you go to be isolated and silent before God?  What keeps you from going there? Jot down several concrete ideas.

  • Love is …

    “Love is a fruit, in season at all times and within the reach of every hand. Anyone may gather it and no limit is set. Everyone can reach this love through meditation, the spirit of prayer, and sacrifice” —

    Mother Teresa, Her Essential Wisdom.

  • Heart check

    “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14/KJV).

    Ever want to say something so badly that you almost need to bite your tongue in order for the words not to spew out uncontrollably? I have. In fact it happened yesterday. I wanted to verbalize a few choice words so much that I obsessed over just the right presentation and choice of words. I rehearsed them over and over again in my mind to make sure I got it right the first time. Yet when I saw this person, I froze. I chose to clam up and say as few words as possible in order to maintain peace.

    This morning, I second guessed my actions of not telling the person what I thought of their past behavior. Was I right or was I wrong not to speak? I came to the conclusion (after a discussion with my husband) that yesterday was not the proper venue to verbalize my disappointments. There may come a time in the future where I can sit down with the individual and speak the truth in a loving manner.

    In Jesus’ short time on earth, there were plenty of times he chose not to speak when he had every justification to defend his actions. Yet, he chose to be silent. David’s words in the 19th Psalm came to mind as I pen these thoughts. Before I go spewing my anger out on others, I need to be sure those words are appropriate and acceptable in God’s sight. It’s not just about me.

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