Last week I asked the question How faithful have I been to the disciplines to which I committed myself, not just in my spiritual life but in all of life? I then commented: I realize that before I can take this question seriously, I need to be more intentional about the practices that will shape my life in this coming season.
This week has been a good time for me to grapple with this as I have struggled to remember my new resolutions and be faithful to the disciplines I believe I need in my life at the moment. One of my important daily disciplines is my morning meditation times, which often give rise to these meditations. I start with a centering prayer, a time of quiet reflection and a pause in which to listen to God.
The prayer above has been my centering prayer this week. I sit quietly at my desk with my feet firmly planted on the ground and my eyes closed. In my mind I imagine those roots that grow deep towards God’s life giving river. I drink from it and am nourished by it. I watch the filaments that spread out connecting me to all God has created, like the mycelial network that connects plants and through which they communicate with each other. So amazing yet so fragile and easily disrupted. I imagine the nutrients that flow from me to others through this conduit, and I sit in awe of the incredible circle of creation of which I am a part.
What is your response?
Read slowly through the prayer above several times. Sit with your eyes closed between each reading and allow your imagination to be stirred. What imagery comes to mind for you? How does it encourage a deepening of your relationship to God, to God’s people and to God’s creation.
Now watch the video below, showing one of Denny Dyke’s beautiful walkable art pieces . Imagine yourself walking this labyrinth in the sand – such a beautiful way to connect to God and to the people we journey with. Yet this too is very ephemeral. It is designed to be appreciated and learned from now, for this moment. Then it is washed away with the next high tide.
I am reminded that all connections – to God, to others and to God’s creation – are fragile, so often designed to give us nourishment for a few short moments only. They move us further on our journey towards God and our neighbours and then are washed away. Each moment, each day we must reforge the disciplines we need for further nourishment and progress.
What is your response?
What images come to your mind as you watch this video? What response is God asking of you?