Does a wealth of information create a poverty of attention?1 When we want to transform our minds and our thinking, it is the emotional and sensory distractors that get in our way. In order to transform our minds, we have to have an inner focus that guides our values, intuitions and decisions. We have to desire a relationship with God, one that is driven by awareness of self-defeating habits.
If we can remember to pay attention to our emotions and sensors, consider our options, and then choose wisely, mindfulness can keep us in balance. Contemplative prayer creates the discipline to sustain longer periods of attention. The silence in prayer becomes our inner guide to spiritual formation, which begins in the heart and is then expressed in community life to the world.
“The spiritual life is a life in which we are set free by the Spirit of God to enjoy life in all its fullness. By this Spirit, we can indeed ‘be in the world without being of it’; we can move freely without fear of human rejection; and we can live with peace and joy even when surrounded by conflict and sadness.”2
Through this, spiritual renovation of the heart and mind take place; for our hearts must become empty in order to be filled by the Spirit, i.e. developing a heart after God, supported by contemplative prayer, inclusive of our community, and outwardly to a compassionate ministry.
How do we begin? First, be silent. It is the still heart, connected to the breath that creates the focus on emptying of self. Then, focus on the Word of God. A short phrase from scripture can be our mediation. The word of truth descends into our hearts and takes us into contemplative prayer. As we repeat contemplative prayer on a daily basis, our ability to focus our attention on our emotions and sensors, creates our transformation of the heart and mind, the keys to living a life of peace in a world full of chaos and conflict. When our minds are transformed, we are teachable. When we are filled with the Spirit, we are grateful. And when our hearts and minds are filled with the Spirit, we are humble.
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” Acts 1:8
Meditation on the beach
1 Goleman, D. (2013). Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence.
2 Nouwen, H. (2010). Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit.
