The Power of Meditation

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalms 46:10

Today’s Reading: Psalms 46-48; Acts 28

I had a conversation recently with a friend about meditation. We were talking about how powerful it is, how when we are able to reach that place where we can let go, we are connected to something that is wonderfully powerful, beyond measure.

This brought me back to the time where this blog was born; the ten day fast that I did in September of 2007.

Many years had passed since I had really spoken to God. Sure God was around and maybe I hollered at him every now and then when I thought I needed him, but I was in an utter state of confusion. I couldn’t see anything clearly.

Then I decided to do the master cleanse and unplug from the TV and Internet for 10 days.

The experienced changed my life.

When I look back on it I see that the power of that experience wasn’t in the lemon drink or the salt water flushes. The power was in the silence. When everything was shut off my spirit was able to shake off the burden of the noise in my mind and finally exercise its wings again. In the silence I was able to hear what God wanted me to hear. I was able to listen.

The times that I spent meditating and reconnecting with God were so powerful and so comforting. It was like going back home and realizing that I never left.

For several years prior to this I spent so much time trying to solve all of the spiritual problems of the universe that I had forgotten what my position was. In the attempt to understand God, I gradually started trying to do his work. I tried to answer the questions that only He can answer. I tried to solve the puzzles that only he can solve.

But when I became quiet I was able to see clearly and know without a doubt that He is God. Not me.

Often times we don’t know the next step we are supposed to take in life because we spend too much time talking and not enough time listening. Give listening a chance sometime. Find a quiet place where you will not be interrupted and just close your eyes and sit there. No music. No soothing meditation sounds. Just silence.  If your mind starts racing about random topics, let it race. Listen to what it is saying without trying to control or judge it. Let it talk freely and observe what it has to say. Eventually it will tire itself out and go silent.

This is when the miracle begins.

From this silence the spirit will burst forth. It will sing the songs that God wants to speak into your life. This is what inspiration is for me. It is when we are blessed with ideas and visions and dreams that are bigger than our small minds. They are so big and beautiful for our lives that it is clear that they are not ours.

Then when you open your eyes you will see what I saw and continue to see. What once was foggy is now clear. And in that clarity you will know the next steps to take to make your dreams come true.

The only question is… do you have the courage to take the first step?

If you don’t have some crazy, miraculous epiphany the first time, that’s cool. Keep trying. Having the patience to reach a state of quiet is very difficult. It takes work and patience.

But I promise that if you put in the work, you will reap the fruit one hundred fold. 

Unplugged

"No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you." Luke 11: 33-36

A couple of months ago my roommate and I cancelled our cable service. To be quite honest with you I was concerned.

I LOVE TV.

Some of my favorite memories of my childhood were of me and my family sitting, around watching TV. At my mom’s house we used to eat dinner and then watch TV together after homework was done. During the mornings and the weekends I was all about the cartoons. I loved Fresh Prince, Seinfeld, The Cosby Show, Voltron, He-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles… I could go on and on.

For several months before finally canceling cable I felt the urge to cut it out of my life. I thought that I would be more productive and of course save some cash. But I was scared to do it. It was like I couldn’t let go.

But finally we pulled the trigger.

And something pretty amazing happened. Once I got through the first week’s withdrawal I felt ten pounds lighter! I had no idea that I was consuming so much junk from the tube. It wasn’t just the mindless programming and movies that disappeared. It was also all of that advertising.

As time passed these images of consumerism, sex, and greed were replaced with what I decided to fill my time with; books, quality time with friends, Bible reading for this blog, and various other projects.

I started feeling brand new.

In short… TV was one of the lamp shades covering my inner light. Once I removed it, I had more energy to burn hotter, shine brighter, and move faster toward my dreams.

Yes I have still watched some things and this is not an argument suggesting that TV is inherently bad or evil or something. Most things are fine in moderation.

But it did make me think more about what I choose to look at and what I choose to consume. It reminded me that the desires and focus of my heart and mind really are affected by what I allow myself to see and experience.

So here’s the food for thought for today...

Is there anything in your life casting a shadow over your light? If so… is it something you can let go of?

So far I’m still going strong… WHEW…

From my limited experience I can tell you this… If you can let go, you won’t have to wait long to see the magic happen.

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 19-21; Luke 11:29-54