Cultivating the Heart: Presence

In my email to our church this week, I wrote about the interior life of devotion. You would think this would be a given in The Christian life, but I have witnessed myriad of people wondering why they aren’t thriving or enjoying life and it is largely due to not nourishing and caring for the heart.

Yes, there are times when you sit down to pray and feel numb. When you open your Bible and every word seems blurry or going right past you. In these cases, it’s good to take 3-5 minutes to simply breath. After all, spending time with God is not about just reading and writing and praying. These are tools to true communion. And what is true communion but true presence. Being present in the moment. Not thinking about the next thing or the past thing. Breathing. Listening. Receiving.

I remember when I first started a relationship with God, I was very concerned with the how-tos: how to read the Bible, how to pray, how to have a devotional time. These are good to know. How can you build a building, or a life, without knowing how?

But it is the laying of the brick. It is the covering of the mortar. It is the moment-by-moment existence that the building is actually made. Not in the knowing how. True engagement with the things of God is not taught. It is practiced. It is a longing. A desire so deep to be with God that you carve out the time and you simply learn to be.

I recommend first thing in the morning before the demands of the day hit you and your mind is clear. I recommend at lunch time to set some time to reflect on how the morning has gone. I recommend at night on your bed as you reflect on the intricate ways God met you in conversation, in challenge, in fears and anxieties, in mercy and grace.

Today. Learn the beauty of being. Savor the moment. Not to learn something. But to simply be fully present with the Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.