October 31: Day 123

STONE FIVE CONTINUED
 
Connect: Not only will I try to discern through mental activity, but I will also discern by connecting with The Divine through prayer, meditation, and contemplation.

Instruction: Keep it simple.

Connecting with our Higher Power doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it should be quite simple. In a good parent/child relationship, communication isn’t difficult. The child wants to be heard, and the parent wants to hear what they have to say, no matter how old the child or the parent is. At a young age, the child/parent relationship is based mostly on the needs of the child. When that child is too young for language, they communicate in other ways. Spiritual babies seem to also have trouble vocalizing their needs, but somehow The Divine hears our groans and makes perfect sense of it. Sometimes, even people who have grown spiritually revert back to nonverbal forms of communication. This happens especially when the pain we face is too great for words, and tears, anger, and immense sorrow overpowers us. In a healthy relationship, the parent makes allowances for these types of behavior.

Prayer, meditation, and contemplation become adult ways of communicating with our Divine Parent, and just like a child having a conversation with a parent, it isn’t difficult. We don’t have to repeat a set of words or phrases, we don’t have to memorize prayers, and we don’t have to sit, lie prostrate, kneel, or stand on our heads to get The Divine’s attention. These acts may prove useful to us in order to help us focus, but they are not required by The Divine. In prayer, we speak to God; in meditation, we listen for God to speak to us; and in contemplation, we combine both and carry on a dialog with God about the events of our day and the pressing matters we think need to be solved. Often in our sharing and listening, we are given ideas about how to work things out. Connecting to The Divine is simple and available to everyone. Spiritual leaders who think they have a monopoly on The Divine ear are mistaken.

Consider the practice of contemplation. If you’ve never tried this spiritual exercise, make an effort today to spend a few minutes in contemplation. Think of it as problem solving. Instead of worrying about a situation, look for solutions. Talk about it with your Higher Power. Listen for suggestions.