The Practice of Presence


One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect
only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few. -Anne Morrow Lindbergh


If you are determined to stick to what is really important in life, then from day to day you will see that the unimportant pastimes, the distractions that lead you away from your purpose, will gradually weaken their hold.


On the list of priorities, first and foremost is your daily prayer time[quiet time, silence, practice of presence,meditation].


This focus has the capability to reveal your True Self, the Sacred Essence within, the Holy Spirit who dwells in your heart*. The Spirit will clear your eyes and bring the detachment and discrimination that one needs in order to make wise choices. So right at the top of your list should be the resolution to Practice the Presence of Christ, aka Christian Meditation, and not to let anything come in the way.


Not even the greatest of worldly achievements will satisfy us completely. Nothing finite can ever satisfy us. Sooner or later, all the vitality that has gone into pursuing countless goals in the outer world must flow into one huge desire to discover the divine presence within.


That is why Jesus made it clear by instructing: "Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these [other] things shall be added to you."


This supreme discovery is what matters most in life.


We are all born with this inherent homing beacon--to seek the supreme truth.


So, what is the practice that enables us to get in sync with the Source within our hearts?

Setting aside a 20 minute time each day for meditation, for stillness and quiet, where the Spirit within us can nurture our souls and bring about freedom from anxiety, worry and fear. It is not a "heaven- in the sweet by and by" hope, no, it is a "heaven in the real world" life. Quiet in the midst of the storm. Being grounded in the Truth that is the Holy Spirit, living in one's heart.

That is my daily quest, and more and more this is becoming my "practice", or "habit". My goal is not to become "more spiritual", but to become authentic, integral, and real and able to deal with the realities of the day-to-day circumstances, stresses and pains that compose one's life.
*"heart" requires further definition. Heart is not just the muscular organ that sustains our life flow physicially, but the way we relate to the spiritual realm all around us.

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