BE STILL DOES NOT MEAN BE STALLED
Contributor Kathy Sporre found herself adrift in her sailboat. Rather than panic, she quieted down and the solution came to her. Taking advantage of a slight, ephemeral breeze she would otherwise have missed, she was carried safely back to port.
Kathy writes: “Being calm, aware and present in the moment was absolutely necessary to receive this blessing. And the ability to master this calm presence is one of the gifts I have received through the refinement that only age can bring.
In other words, I no longer thrash about like I did as a child when learning to swim now that I know I can float. How many magical moments have you missed while in the midst of an outburst over a change in circumstances or a misfortune of some kind? Did a breeze pass you by without notice and leave you stranded?”
“Smooth Sailing” from the website “Refined By Age.”
- See more at: http://fiercewithage.com/digest-of-boomer-wisdom-inspiration-and-spirituality-28/#sthash.AQeA0jYN.dpuf
I met the creator of Fierce with Age at a prayer workshop in Nashville, TN. I follow her blog and this entry reminded me of my explanation of centering prayer. Perhaps it will add some clarity to this contemplative practice that seems - well, mysterious or at least, not "evangelical". (Whatever that means anymore!)
Kathy Sporre relates her calm presence of mind with knowing how to float, as opposed to thrashing around. I like that word picture. And I have a similar word picture for centering prayer.
People of faith pray. Most who claim to be spiritual but not religious, pray. Invoking a higher power seems natural to a large segment of the population. For Christians, we pray to communicate with the God who came into the world he created, to join in our humanity. We want to tell him our needs, express our love and adoration, even remind him of his actions on earth that revealed his character. We have a relationship and we cultivate it through prayer.
I admire people with deep prayer lives and I use deep for a reason. I want to be like them. They're the deep sea divers of prayer with special resources, similar to real divers with the cumbersome equipment of scuba. I've done scuba diving- in total fear and trembling. Deep water triggers fear and insecurity in me. While scuba was on one hand a source of wonder and delight, even surface snorkeling on the surface unnerves me. I'd forget about my snorkel and as soon as I relaxed, the tube would dip below the water and I'd be drowning.
With prayer, I saw extraordinary "prayer warriors" or intercessors who, like deep sea divers, seemed equipped out of the ordinary; seemingly fearless, skilled and appreciative of the deep places they went when they prayed. In contrast, I thrashed on the surface making noise but not much progress, let alone gliding in the deep. I prayed but it rarely felt like I was breaking through the surface. I was never in my natural environment but always gasping for air as waves of distraction broke over my concentration.
In my mind, you could either thrash on the surface of prayer or you had to be equipped with cumbersome rituals or expectations. "Can you not tarry for an hour?"Jesus asked his disciples. "Well, no. What am I supposed to DO for an hour?" No wonder the disciples fell asleep.
All Jesus said was, "Wait".
In diving there is an alternative, a hybrid between swimming and scuba. It's called SNUBA. It involves an air source but it isn't attached to your back but floats above you on a buoy. You wear a mask and a breathing mouthpiece. You can experience that glorious glide through the water with the fish and the coral without smacking into the reef with your tanks. You are free from the difficulty of entering the water with weights and tanks. You experience the sea without all the encumbrances.
http://www.snuba.com/about-snuba/
So how does this relate to prayer?
For me there is a way that gives me the experience of the deep places of God without the distracted thrashing on the surface of my soul. This month I spent ten days on a prayer retreat and spent more time in deep prayer than I ever have in my life. It was in silence, which is also referred to as God's first language. I didn't come with an agenda or expectations of what I would accomplish or a list of what I would learn. I just intended to sit with God and love him and let him love me.
I ended up sinking deep under the surface of my busy mind, my incessant inner dialog. The days were calm and ordered. I sat in a circle of people I didn't know and didn't speak to and we all loved one another. It was amazing.
This is my picture of centering prayer. You leave behind the surface of the soul with the pull of the waves of responsibilities, worries, sorrows, even joys. You forget the past and you dismiss the future, for just a small space of time. In Snuba you slip beneath the surface, secure with your lifeline of air and focus on the wonder before you. In centering prayer, you chose to consent to God's work in your life, in your spirit, in the deep places in your soul and you relax into his love.
It isn't easy. When you dive underwater you have to keep your eyes open. In centering prayer you deliberately ignore the junk thoughts and distracting commentaries that float by, like debris on a river. Let it go. But the reward for both activities is similar.
You end up seeing more than you expected.
You learn to be comfortable in an environment that once seemed alien.
In diving you are for a moment, part of the sea.
In centering prayer,
you are reminded that you are eternally in the center of God's love.
