Be Still and Know - Day 10

[If you're just now joining in, you may want to read my introduction first.]

Top 10 reflections on the last 10 days...

10. There is nothing new under the sun.
New things I am learning are things that have been true since the beginning of time. When I have an "Ah ha" moment, it's me discovering something that many who have gone before me already knew. This is a collective, communal connection that stretches throughout history... What an awesome thing to acknowledge!

9. My experience in meditation is different every day.
Different lengths of time. Different things surface during it. Sometimes it's easy; sometimes more difficult. Sometimes it is emotional; sometimes it isn't. Sometimes it leaves me with a spiritual high; sometimes it just calms and centers me.

8. Prayer and Meditation are in fact very different practices.
Prayer is mostly talking to God, while meditation is mostly listening to and being with God. There is a dimentional difference. Prayer is like using a direct phone line to God... while meditation is like being in the middle of God's symphony. (Yes I know those two similes do not relate... I tried, but that's just how different they are.)

7. My connection with God is getting stronger and more tangible.
As most of us know, the more time you spend focusing on God - in scripture, prayer, worship, etc.- the closer you feel to Him. So this is no surprise. Although, I do sense a difference in the depth or dimension of this connection that was not there before. I surmise that this is because I'm accessing a different part of myself in order to meditate - a creative, feminine part - as opposed to a cerebral, masculine part.

6. It has been easier to exhibit self-control in the moment (which is when I usually lose it).
I find that I am recognizing when anger begins to rise, and I'm starting to be better able to put it in it's proper context with clearer perspective, and can let go of it. I would like to start to do this with other vices, like eating when I don't need to.

5. I feel more calm, peaceful and relaxed.
Definitely I feel this way right after meditation, but also it is becoming easier to recall that feeling and return there throughout the day. Even though I have a long way to go, I just notice that I'm recognizing when I start to feel stressed or tense, and then I am able to remind myself that the situation is going to be whatever it is going to be, and I can only control how I respond to it. So, I allow myself to relax and just do what I can to make the situation better.

4. People can be so supportive.
As you may know, or can guess, opening myself up in this way - blogging about personal experiences in a deeply personal practice, like meditation - was a frightening thing for me. But I was compelled by Something greater than myself to walk through the fear. And so, it has been so nice to receive comments, phone calls, "likes," and positive feedback from so many of you, encouraging me and engaging in conversation. And even if we don't agree or connect with everything, I think dialog is so healthy to keep us all in check, so I welcome any discussion you may have. Thanks everyone for the support!

3. Being guided by God is the only way to go.
Meditating every day (when you're not already in the habit of it) is a challenge, but blogging about it every day is even more of a challenge. It's a good kind of exhausting. I've stopped thinking ahead about what I will say when I blog, and so when I sit down to start typing, it's been really cool how God just gives me the direction to go and the words to say. I don't have it in me alone. I've been a bit sleep-deprived lately, which usually that means no ideas, no words, no energy to write anything. So I know that its is He who is guiding me and giving me energy through the Holy Spirit to do this. It was His idea anyway; I might as well let Him do the hard stuff. :)

2. Scripture can be new and fresh every moment.
When I am open to the Spirit inside me, I find myself seeing things with new eyes and a new perspective. And when it comes to the Bible, God's Word comes alive! Verses, stories, and people I've read and learned about all my life pop off the pages in different ways, and speak directly into my heart. That has definitely happened to me in the last 10 days. I am experiencing what Paul writes in Hebrews, that the Word of God is living and active!

1. God is so, so good.
Through meditation I am continually reminded of God's goodness, His blessings, and His love. I am so very, very blessed. I love my life, and love the journey God is taking me on. My spirit finds rest in Him, and I am loved beyond measure.