When I practice centering prayer, I respond to the invitation to sit with God. When I center like Jesus, I say, “Not what I want, but what you want”. I sit in silence to be loved and healed by God. Silence creates a space for me to heal. The space created by silence and stillness helps me find my equilibrium, my center of gravity.
In 2013, I began to dabble in silent prayer, a term that’s often used as synonymous with centering prayer. I had heard and read that silence can transform you. I wanted to experience this transformation too.
Many years ago, I heard a well-known minister say: I am a spirit that lives in a body and has a mind. At the time, it seemed more like a nice doctrine to wrap your head around than a life-changing revelation. But what I have come to understand in the last 15 years is the depth of truth contained in those words.
While waiting for a flight at Detroit airport, I noticed on the departure screen that a flight could get me to my destination several hours early. I knew Nathanael, my son, and Stephanie, his girlfriend (now his wife and my daughter-in-law), were waiting for me as they had traveled ahead of me. So I walked up to the gate agent in charge of the earlier flight and asked if I could switch flights.
Nothing has had a more significant impact on my wellbeing than learning to quiet my mind in meditation. Quieting the noise of my conscious mind, I connect with my heart and open the flow to the source of life.
