Writings of a Beholder 🌿 11.18.22
An invitation into the attentive life
Weekly writings of a beholder 🌿
An invitation into the attentive life
I look out my window and ever so softly, snow falls to the ground. Not the kind that comes all at once, fast and furious, piling up on the ground in a panic. But the kind that falls slowly, sporadically, gently landing on the ground for a moment before silently melting away.
The sky is a bit gray, but evidence of the sun and patches of blue sky are beginning to poke through. The brilliant color of the cold dawn sky and the slow descending of the snow mix together to form a holy hush that covers the morning in stillness, quieting everything around and within me.
I’ve always encountered the presence of God much like this; a slow, gentle, tender descent over my soul that hushes my worries and quiets my insecurities, leaving traces of Love everywhere as He reaches out to hold my empty hands.
For my Abide Spiritual Formation program, I’m reading a book by Leighton Ford called The Attentive Life. Using the monastic tradition of praying the hours, Leighton Ford helps you pay attention to God's work in you and around you throughout each day and in different seasons of your life. The book invites you on a beautiful journey of learning to be attentive to the presence of God in all things and in all seasons.
In his book, Leighton writes that before we were ever attentive to God, God was and always will be attentive to us. Not forcefully, demanding our all, but warmly, gently, invitingly. He writes,
"But that is exactly what God is like. God loves like that. His love is focused attention. He does not force His attention on you. But He still longs for you."
God holds a longing in His heart for you. Not to be with you, because He always is even if you’re unaware of His presence. But a longing for you to want to be with Him as He so lovingly wants and chooses to be with you. A longing for intimacy, relationship, and communion with you.
James’ words from James 4:8 come to my mind now, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
I wonder if what James meant to say was, “Be attentive to God’s presence with you, open your eyes. Then you’ll finally see that He’s been with you the whole time.”
God’s invitation is always open to come and be attentive to the different ways He’s moving and speaking in our lives. And He comes to you like a gentle snowfall on a clear winter morning; unassuming, but all-consuming. He waits quietly for you to notice Him there in the depths of your soul. He waits patiently for you to notice that He is always right where you are.
True communion with the presence of God begins by paying attention to the present; the gift that is the right-here and right-now. Nothing can be done about yesterday’s doings and no one but God knows what tomorrow holds. So why not open your eyes to this present moment and choose to be attentive to how God chooses to show up?
Because He always does, one way or another. Even if that way doesn’t look like your way. I promise you, His presence is always enough because He’s always showing up.
"I will be present for you, declares the Lord, and I will end your captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have scattered you, and I will bring you home after your long exile, declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 29:14 CEB)
I know though that we all get caught up in our own loud, busy lives, and slowing down long enough to be present to the Presence can be a challenge. But I think it’s a challenge worth taking on. Or rather, an invitation worth responding to.
Here are 3 tips that may help you be more attentive to the Holy Spirit with you in the everyday. Utilize what seems life-giving for you and disregard the rest.
Choose a breath prayer to meditate on and pray throughout the day as a way to remind yourself that God is near. Need a lesson on breath prayer or want to learn how to craft your own? Check out this blog post that also includes 7 breath prayers that I crafted to get you started: How to Use Breath Prayer
Are there certain sounds that you hear often throughout your day? Like the ring of a phone, the ping of an email or text, the sound of a coffee pot, or a far-off train that rumbles through your town frequently? I’ve found that regular sounds throughout my day can be used as prompts to remind me that the Holy Spirit is near. Choose your daily sound, and when you hear it, pray or give thanks.
Practice a daily rhythm of silence or centering prayer for 5-10 minutes a day to make room for the Voice of God in your heart and life. I’ve been practicing my own rhythm of silence for about 6 months now and I’ve noticed a greater awareness and sensitivity to the presence of God in my life. You can read more about centering prayer in this blog post: An Intro to Centering Prayer
I’ll leave you today with a blessing For Presence from John O’Donohue’s, To Bless the Space Between Us:
Awaken to the mystery of being here and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence. Have joy and peace in the temple of your senses. Receive encouragement when new frontiers beckon. Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to follow its path. Let the flame of anger free you of all falsity. May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame. May anxiety never linger about you. May your outer dignity mirror an inner dignity of soul. Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention. Be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul. May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.
A breath prayer for your weekend
breathe in:
Help me, Lord, be attentive.
breathe out:
To Your presence with me. *if you’d like to learn more about the practice of breath prayer, check out this blog post I wrote titled, How to Use Breath Prayer.
Resources & fun things to pick up for your weekend
This week on the blog, I share with you my written reflections from The Hermitage where I journeyed on my first-ever silent guided retreat: Reflections from The Hermitage
Does the Holiday season usually leave you hurried and harried? Are you wanting to be hushed by the Holy this Advent season? If so, check out the introduction to my new Advent devotional, Be Still & Know: Seeking Still Moments in God’s Presence this Advent Season, here: The Introduction to Be Still & Know
My new Advent eBook devotional, Be Still & Know, is now live on my Etsy shop! And you can also grab a pack of Advent-themed breath prayer cards to help draw your heart deeper into Christ this Advent season: The Beholding Co.
Writer, Sarah E. Westfall, hosts an Instagram challenge every November called Liturgy of the Little Things where each day you pause to pay attention to the little beauties and God-winks in your life, write about them, and then post them on IG if you’d like. Even if you don’t have Instagram, it might still be fun and good for the soul to give it a try: Liturgy of the Little Things
Grab a copy of my Bible study, You Are Beloved: a 21-day study on how to root your identity in the love of God, over on Amazon.
An invitation to pause & reflect
A regular practice of reflection helps us recognize what’s going on beneath the surface of our souls so that we can name it in the Lord’s presence. Because as we learn to name what we feel, what we need, and what we long for, we’re also learning to discern the Spirit’s sweet, gentle voice within our hearts and lives.
Take a few moments today or this weekend to journal or contemplate with the Holy Spirit the following question(s):
God holds a longing in His heart for you. As you sit with that truth, what do you notice stirring beneath the surface of your soul? What rises up?
xo,
celia
