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Sunday, March 04, 2007
WHAT IS THE CONTEMPLATIVE TRADITION?
Reflection Question: Think of a moment in your life when you felt very close to God. Can you describe the setting (what were you doing and your surroundings) as well as the experience?
Most of my closest intimacies with God have occurred while praying or ministering to someone else. Once when I was working a shift during Clinical Pastoral Education, I was praying for a woman who had cancer. I didn't know how to pray, but I just tried to open to God and attune to her need, and I started praying something about Gardens, and I don't garden or talk about gardening or know anything about it, other than the satisfaction of weeding my mother's garden as a child. And when I opened my eyes, the woman was crying because she loved gardens, and my prayer was a comfort to her. How would I have known that? So in God answering that woman through me, I felt very intimate with God.
One afternoon I was studying for a group research paper and an idea began working in my mind. I stopped working and started just meditating. In the midst of this, God just met me. I spend about an hour in that spot. It was...amazing.
Most of my more intense encounters with God have been during times of prayer and meditation. However, a recent memory I have is a wonderful example of God's closeness to me.
I had taken a weekend to contemplate the potential "feminine wounds" to my soul caused by patriarchy. I had written a poem and done some drawing to explore what God had revealed to me as a "loss of night vision". I took a break to stop at a friend's shop where he sells his stained glass art and some awesome jewelry. I was thinking I would look for a moonstone necklace as a symbol of my wound and healing...I have some moonstone ear rings and thought a necklace would be perfect. I was chatting with the owner as he was showing me some changes he had made to the store. Meanwhile, I checked out his offerings in moonstone but nothing had caught my eye. I was standing over another case while he was showing me something he had altered when I looked down and immediately noticed a ceramic sculpture with a card entitled "Night Vision"! It was a mother and fledgling owl. Of course, I freaked and then shared with my friend what I had been up to and we had the most excellent conversation about patriarchy in the church and he was totally empathetic and supportive. Just a sweet, sweet encouargement from God. I call this sort of thing a "Divine Fingerprint" and I pay close attention to them.
Every once in a while I find that as I wake up in the morning, when I am in that 'tween stage when full consciousness has not come but I'm not really asleep either, I become acutely aware of God's presence. It's as if I feel Love hovering very close. In a wordless kind of way I feel that God and I whisper to each other about how we feel for one another. I think those mystical moments are some of my closest to God moments.
yea, it's too bad i can't make these moments happen. i would want them more often but there doesn't seem to be any way that i induce them. i feel close to God at other times, but those are really precious times... my favorite times.
Lisa, that is a beautiful image. It would be nice if we could influence when God meets us in such special ways. Like you, though, I'm profoundly grateful for these special moments.
I have found God to be most tangibly near during "dramatic moments"--under stress, in pain, etc. (of course, that's also when he's most tangibly absent...) Anyhow, I do sense God's presence often throughout the day (especially when it's sunnny!) but I tend to notice it less when it's part of the routine of life. I'm trying to practice gratitude, and in that space, where I'm continually thanking him, I find I've become increasingly aware of his presence in the mundane days of life.
Memorial Day weekend 4 years ago, I think, I spent the weekend with a close friend at a lake cottage. On Sunday a small group of people from home joined us, one of them brought a guitar. That afternoon we played - like children- wiffle ball, swinging on swings, it was wonderful fun. Then we went out on a pontun (?) boat for a few hours and we sang worship songs in the middle of the lake. It was perfect atmosphere where my heart has been so open to GOD.
9 comments:
Most of my closest intimacies with God have occurred while praying or ministering to someone else. Once when I was working a shift during Clinical Pastoral Education, I was praying for a woman who had cancer. I didn't know how to pray, but I just tried to open to God and attune to her need, and I started praying something about Gardens, and I don't garden or talk about gardening or know anything about it, other than the satisfaction of weeding my mother's garden as a child. And when I opened my eyes, the woman was crying because she loved gardens, and my prayer was a comfort to her. How would I have known that? So in God answering that woman through me, I felt very intimate with God.
One afternoon I was studying for a group research paper and an idea began working in my mind. I stopped working and started just meditating. In the midst of this, God just met me. I spend about an hour in that spot. It was...amazing.
Most of my more intense encounters with God have been during times of prayer and meditation. However, a recent memory I have is a wonderful example of God's closeness to me.
I had taken a weekend to contemplate the potential "feminine wounds" to my soul caused by patriarchy. I had written a poem and done some drawing to explore what God had revealed to me as a "loss of night vision". I took a break to stop at a friend's shop where he sells his stained glass art and some awesome jewelry. I was thinking I would look for a moonstone necklace as a symbol of my wound and healing...I have some moonstone ear rings and thought a necklace would be perfect. I was chatting with the owner as he was showing me some changes he had made to the store. Meanwhile, I checked out his offerings in moonstone but nothing had caught my eye. I was standing over another case while he was showing me something he had altered when I looked down and immediately noticed a ceramic sculpture with a card entitled "Night Vision"! It was a mother and fledgling owl. Of course, I freaked and then shared with my friend what I had been up to and we had the most excellent conversation about patriarchy in the church and he was totally empathetic and supportive. Just a sweet, sweet encouargement from God. I call this sort of thing a "Divine Fingerprint" and I pay close attention to them.
Of course, I bought the little sculpture. : )
Every once in a while I find that as I wake up in the morning, when I am in that 'tween stage when full consciousness has not come but I'm not really asleep either, I become acutely aware of God's presence. It's as if I feel Love hovering very close. In a wordless kind of way I feel that God and I whisper to each other about how we feel for one another. I think those mystical moments are some of my closest to God moments.
Lisa, that's profoundly lovely.
yea, it's too bad i can't make these moments happen. i would want them more often but there doesn't seem to be any way that i induce them. i feel close to God at other times, but those are really precious times... my favorite times.
Lisa, that is a beautiful image. It would be nice if we could influence when God meets us in such special ways. Like you, though, I'm profoundly grateful for these special moments.
I have found God to be most tangibly near during "dramatic moments"--under stress, in pain, etc. (of course, that's also when he's most tangibly absent...) Anyhow, I do sense God's presence often throughout the day (especially when it's sunnny!) but I tend to notice it less when it's part of the routine of life. I'm trying to practice gratitude, and in that space, where I'm continually thanking him, I find I've become increasingly aware of his presence in the mundane days of life.
Memorial Day weekend 4 years ago, I think, I spent the weekend with a close friend at a lake cottage. On Sunday a small group of people from home joined us, one of them brought a guitar. That afternoon we played - like children- wiffle ball, swinging on swings, it was wonderful fun. Then we went out on a pontun (?) boat for a few hours and we sang worship songs in the middle of the lake. It was perfect atmosphere where my heart has been so open to GOD.
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