Praying and meditating out of duty is better than no prayer or meditation, but misses the true nature of why we do it. Understand this truth: Prayer and meditation is not for God, it is for us, for God is prayer and meditation incarnate. When we pray by rote, reciting them as a parrot, we reap as the parrot reaps, though fed and cared for; we remain caged, caged in the bondage of self, a cage constructed by our own hand.
If your prayers have become stale, your meditations tedious, take a break from what you have been doing. Simplify your prayers to the point of asking only to be shown His will this day. A prayer of “Father, guide my hands, my heart and my mind today, so that I may best serve you and my fellows, Amen” said earnestly carries more weight than a dozen memorized prayers recited impatiently.
Concerning meditation, open any spiritual book that appeals to you and read a line or two, never more than a paragraph. Take a few cleansing breathes and then quietly consider what was just read. When your mind begins to wander, gently bring it back to the reading. When your mind starts to wander again, end the session and thank God for the time spent. There is possibly no more powerful prayer than “Thank you God”, said form the heart. Keep it simple.
In time, your prayers will change as your consciousness rises and you will begin to look forward to your quiet meditative moments. Always remember: Do not struggle. This is not work, a chore, something to “get done” so you can do something seemingly more important, for there is nothing more important.
So learn to pray with the lightness of a feather and meditate with joy, remembering you are not merely in the Presence of the Infinite, you are connected in Spirit, an integral part of all creation.
© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit
All Rights Reserved
The Secret, Wayne Dyer, Serenity,
Enlightenment, Zen, Emmet Fox, How To Be Happy, Golden Key, Pope Francis,
Chopra, Jesus, Einstein, AA, McRaven, Healing Path
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