When you cross a threshold, your senses and sensibilities change. The person that exits the transition is not the same person who entered. Within us important change has occurred. Life is suddenly different. We might be living physically in the same place, drive the same vehicle, and shop in the same stores. However, we are not the same person. During the time of our threshold crossing, God created within us something new. We experience the truth that when God creates anything and everything is possible. From a full-scale transformation to a singular glimpse of hope, all imaginable and previously unimaginable outcomes come into play in real time in our lives. Renewal takes many forms and resists being a destination. The journey of life continues and like the dawning of a new day it draws us into generative living that opens to the future.
Our very senses function in unique and previously unutilized manner. On the other side of a threshold, we see differently. We hear things that before were silent to us. Our minds expand with new found wisdom. We begin to notice things that we had never noticed before. Maybe not everything but some things. Critical things. Vital. Essential. Lovely. Delightful. We are alive and our spirits have rejuvenated. We are a step closer to becoming the person God created us.
With our heightened senses we take in our surroundings, relationships, and life situations with new filters and lenses. Again, things have changed. Perhaps not everything but some things. Sprouts. Glimpses. We notice a sliver of light reflecting off a dulled surface. We discover a crack in what we always thought was an impenetrable wall. Raindrops refresh our tired faces. We begin to make out blessings in the faces, forms, and fears of life. We wonder aloud to ourselves, “huh, I didn’t notice that before.”
Silent Prayer:
Find a comfortable place to sit. Set your phone or watch for sixteen minutes. Close your eyes. Breathe deeply. As thoughts come to your mind – push them aside. Now is not the time. Trust in God to hold your life without needing to control it with our thoughts or actions. At the end of your time – say a simple “thank you” or “Amen.” Tomorrow, we will build on this spiritual practice by adding more time. Consider the time spent in silent prayer as an Advent gift – an opportunity to enter into God’s shalom/peace.
Today’s Silent Prayer Goal – Sixteen minutes
If the challenge of sixteen minutes of silence seems to be just too much, an alternative might be to continue with seven or eight minutes of daily, prayerful silence for the remainder of this Advent season. The length of time spent in silent prayer is not as important as the practice itself so give yourself the permission to do it for as long as works for you.
Scripture: Acts 2: 17
'In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Thank you for reading the sixteenth blog of this Advent series. If it was meaningful to you, please feel free to like it below or share it with your friends. You may also leave a comment. Blessings on the journey as we head through this season of Advent together. In Christ, Walt.