Contemplating the good

Contemplation is a mindful way of engaging the world around us. It's a way of seeing; by looking longer we learn to see more; we come to value the good. We contemplate beauty and feel more at home with beauty. We contemplate wonder and complexity, textures and outlines (rural, urban, coastal, prairie...) and pause to ask, "Do I belong here, in this big beautiful world?" And sense, "Yes, yes, I do." And in that connectivity, we sense that God is with us; that he is for us; that he made us and would have us know our own value, even our part in the whole. Contemplation is an act of curiosity, interest; it can build. It can end in love. It can start small and grow large. It can be a one-off and become a way of life. It can shape the life of our soul.

We might begin by stopping to notice the way seaweed piles up on the beach each day and end by sensing a deeper rhythm of creation; the faithfulness of God whose mercies are new every morning. We might stop to smell the roses on sale in the supermarket in early spring and end by giving over our lawn to wildflowers. We might pause before we speak and end by learning to listen, to read body language, take cues. We might step out, into this discipline of contemplation, with a spirit of impetuosity and end by maturing in ways we would've hardly associated with ourselves. Contemplation is an act of faith because it's an act of growth; it's a personally enriching thing to do and a sign of humility that glorifies our Creator. And so, this article is an invitation towards all of that. Because simplicity (in the things of this world) has much to do with the sheltering effect (when it comes to the life of our soul) that is sanctity.

HERE'S AN EXCERPT from my book, "Seven Spiritual Disciplines, strength for the journey."

When soulful contemplation becomes a way of life, patience gains on us. We learn to go with God’s Spirit-led flow, and trust where it leads. We negotiate life’s otherwise nauseating bends and scary drops more successfully. God can make all things beautiful; this speaks to us. We become more seasonally adjusted, less resistant to the passage of time, more open to the moment.

In all this our soul grows strong.

Here's to what you see today. And a pause in our day, to look longer, take solace, find the poetry; and read the cues that God is with you, every day.