Finding Peace in Meditation

It is no accident that my lovely professor assigned the discipline of meditation to be done the week before midterm exams.  I mean, what better way when you are freaking out over assignments, papers, and study guides to simply go off into a secluded area and think for extended amounts of time about life and God?  This assignment – no matter how difficult it was to complete – has probably brought me the most peace yet this semester.

            The difficult thing about meditation for me is that I really didn’t know how to go about this discipline.  In class, we discussed how meditation was like a re-focusing of the soul that enables us to move beyond the superficialities of our days, weeks, and even culture to become connected once again with God.  Meditation is cutting out all of the potential stressors that keep us “too busy” to listen to God, and once again being brought back into His arms for a purposeful time of listening.  Now, this was all well and good, but I still didn’t really know what to do or how to act.  When my boyfriend mentioned something about his meditation, I asked question after question in order to better understand the way in which people can meditate and be in community with God.  At the end of this conversation, I realized that God doesn’t expect me to have the perfect actions of meditation.  Instead, He wanted me to come to Him just as I am.

            After that epiphany, I made the goals of being peaceful in daily activities and going outside and reflecting upon myself, God, and His creation.

            The goal of being peaceful in daily activities went well until today.  Today has been a hailstorm of activity with no time for my introverted self to just sit back and take a look around (us introverts are weird…don’t judge us!)  When I am stressed or harried, I get this feeling inside my stomach and a slight headache.  This feeling kept on coming and going all day as I raced from class, to work, to lunch which included a different work, to work (again), and now as I sit, reflecting upon my day and week to come with the homework and work that needs to be accomplished.  How is it that the busyness of life can just stop me in my tracks and keep me from seeking the Lord?  As I am writing this, I almost feel as if this time of blogging is a meditation of thought and crying out to God for the knowledge of priorities!

            Another goal that I had for this week was to physically remove myself from the places where I usually haunt and move elsewhere in order to experience God in a new way.  At some point during the weekend (I can’t even remember what day – yikes!), I put on an almost disgusting amount of winter wear and began to walk along the paths that are just outside of the dorms where I stay.  On one path, there was a tree that had fallen down.  As I sat on this fallen tree, it was apparent how utterly loud the forest can be.  However, all of the sudden, the woods would grow so still and quiet that it was almost eerie.  As I looked at the bright yellow leaves that had fallen to the ground, I was in awe of the ways in which God has and continues to redeem creation.  During the course of time that I sat there, I began to pray, “God, please be with me.”  Then I thought about this statement.  God was and is already with me.  It is I who has to be with Him.  I am the one who needs to get their priorities straight and be willing to be present with God. 

            All in all, this week has been very convicting to me.  I thank God that His grace abounds, and that I was blessed with peace.  I pray that now I will be able to continue to strive for this peace even in the midst of the business of this life. 

            So, peace be upon you, my friends, as we journey together.  God bless.