My journey with Christian Meditation has led to many gradual, but constant changes in my life. The two most incredible ones have to do with “time and space.”
Time: The first time I heard Father Laurence talk about Christian Meditation I honestly thought to myself, “How could anyone ever find 30 minutes, twice a day to meditate?” My life was so overwhelmingly busy between family, work, studies, and responsibilities that I couldn’t imagine finding time. Yet I left that first retreat convinced that I would serve WCCM from that day forward. There were no doubts in my mind that this was my calling. Father Laurence had said time would work itself out and, sure enough, it did. Somehow all my tasks simply began to rearrange themselves on my list of priorities and I found myself meditating and teaching others to meditate as the main tasks of my day. Painlessly, tasks were left behind and others simplified. It was as if once I had put myself at His service, God took over my time management issues.
Space: I’ve come to believe that we tend to react because we don’t take a step back. We don´t give ourselves the space needed to listen and be present to others. I cannot claim that now I always listen with my heart. No, I am afraid I am still me, impatient and with too many things on my mind. But Christian Meditation has made me more available to the Lord. It has given me the space needed to be receptive to the messages God is constantly sending. This morning, for instance, I was running late and I felt impatient with the driver in front of me who kept stopping at every corner as if unsure of what he wanted to do. Thoroughly irritated, I thought to myself sarcastically, “Hurry up! Or are you just learning to drive?” Before the thought had actually finished forming in my mind, my eldest grandson popped into my head. He is, in fact, just beginning to drive and he would probably be stopping at every corner, just like the driver in front of me was doing. And I saw my brother who is currently visiting the city and wouldn’t know which street to turn at…and just like that, all the impatience, all the irritation was gone. A warm compassionate calm filled my heart. I was instantly filled with gratitude that the Lord keeps taking the time to try to teach me and that once more I had just been touched by His grace. I guess that is how I would describe my journey — constantly being touched by His grace in the most everyday circumstances. Whenever an unkind, impatient, or unnecessary thought, word or action begins to take form in me, He sends a message. He makes it personal and wipes it clean — makes me clean. Christian Meditation gives me the time and space I need to hear God and see the Other
All my tasks simply began to rearrange themselves on my list of priorities and I found myself meditation and teaching others.
Mary Meyer
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