Being Still Enough
“Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord,
and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.”
--An ancient song
Psalm 25: 6
This week we are looking at a primary aspect of spiritual development – the recognition of mercy and grace. We are using the above verse from scripture for starting the meditations.
Working in the health care field can be particularly stressful. In fact many of us (myself included) tend to be rather attached to the high tension/high demand role of caregiving. Within many of us (myself included) we recognize the spirit working in and through us. One difficulty we can face is the cultivation of good spiritual disciplines which, if not used, can lead to the feeling of being “spent”. Spiritual development happens best when spending time in quiet, receptive openness and meditation.
Gerald May writes, “Even mild addiction to stress becomes rapidly evident for many modern spiritual pilgrims. The mind can generate wondrous excuses to do something instead of just being open and present. … we might rather avoid the self-knowledge that comes to us in quiet. Now, increasing numbers of us are discovering that we would rather not experience the discomfort of being peaceful.” (P.89, Addiction and Grace)
A merciful God accepts you at the very point where you are in your pilgrimage. Why not be still enough to at least experience the embrace of steadfast love. AND THEN, get back to – whatever!
Prayer: God, slow me down, allow me to experience a couple of moments of quiet. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
08.13.09
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