Meditation

Many Christians are wary of practicing meditation because of  its association with Eastern religions. Yet, meditation in the form of contemplative prayer,  has always been part of the Christian tradition.

“At the heart of the Gospel is Jesus saying, "I and the Father are one."  The early Christians understood this as a call to enter into Christ's divine oneness with the Father...And they sought to experience this through meditation and prayer. Christian meditation is way of experiencing God beyond what the ego can grasp or attain. It's beyond thought, beyond memory, beyond the will, beyond feeling.” (James Finley)

My attempts at meditation have not been very successful as of yet. My mind wanders, or I fall asleep. I haven’t  learned to stay in a meditative state for very long. Yet, even the few moments of calmness I have experienced make me want to keep trying.

I’ve tried the age-old techniques of repeating a word while focusing on my breathing. I have also tried to meditate while keeping my body moving--during running, crocheting, or practicing yoga. None of these have worked well for me.  

What has worked? Being still and silent--body and mind.

I warm up by focusing on a word or phrase--(I like to use short snippets of scripture, or simply the word: Jesus.)   Then, I stop completely and just listen for God. I go through a variety of emotions--agitation, contrition, awe. Occasionally, I have a feeling of being lifted up into a oneness with God--followed by an overwhelming desire to stay in this state of being forever. Sometimes, I get a nudge to do something specific or write something down.

Here is what I have discovered about meditation from my limited experience: It allows us to go beyond the clutter of our superficial mind and access our higher consciousness--where our spirit comingles with God’s Spirit in a state of deep intimacy.