A Lesson From Cardinals

     This week, I practiced the spiritual discipline of meditation.  Unlike Eastern religions where you try to empty yourself ("clear your mind"), mediation in the Bible is about being filled with God's Spirit.  In meditation, one listens to God, hearing from His word, and waiting on Him in His presence.  I learned that it is OK to use your imagination in meditation (though your primary source is the Bible).  I was glad to learn that, for my imagination often gets in the way of me accomplishing tasks.  Secondly, I learned of a hands-up, hands-down way to pray.  You start prayer with your palms facing upward while you confess to God all of your stresses and struggles, fears and fowl feelings.  After confession, you turn your palms facing upward as you receive God's plan for you.  Here is when you ask God to calm, help, and heal you in the sins and fears that you have relayed to Him.  I was excited to participate in this discipline, as I know it has been a needed part of  my spiritual life.

    I threw on some warm clothes this past Monay and walked into the crisp autumn air.  I found a spot out of the wind in the woods, and sat down on a pine-needle carpet to pray.  Taking the advice of our text "Celebration of Disipline," I resloved to meditate on the words of Faber for 15 minutes.  I set the timer on my phone, doubtful that I could spend fifteen minutes pondering one sentence.  It read  
Only to sit and think of God, 
Oh what a joy it is!
To think the thought, to breathe the Name
Earth hath no higher bliss.
As I was pondering, it came to me that I rarely think about God.  I spend hours just thinking about what I have, what I want, or what I experience.  But for fifteen minutes, I tried to just think about God.  It was peaceful, joyful, and hopeful.  Thinking about God, I realized that He has no imperfections, that He is Holy, and Righteous, and my source of salvation.  From that point of view, the world seems so insignifant.  Why would God care about a sinful place?  I wanted to keep meditating when time ran out
   I did the palms-up, palms-down exercise.  I found it is a good way to confess and give my problems to God, asking Him to intervene in my life.  I felt like my prayers were more specific and had more meaning. 
   Finally I read a passage of Scripture (John 10) which I did not really want to.  I was going to discuss it later that night for a Bible Study, but I didn't really do it with my whole heart.  Scripture should be an important part of meditation, but for me, it simply wasn't.  Maybe I will put it first next time. 
    My imagination did indeed come in handy.  During one of the many times I caught myself daydreaming, a movement in the trees caught my eye.  I heard a shrill peep.  Observing, I noticed a yellow-brown female cardinal.  It flew off to the right.  While I was hoping that I could behold a vibrant, crimson male, the very bird flew to the very branch that the female had just left, returning her call with another shrill peep.  However, instead of flying to the right as to follow his mate, the male flew off to the left.  "No," I thought, "You are going the wrong way."   Nevertheless, the female cardinal let out another call, and the male changed direction, and fluttered away to the call of his mate.
    Reflecting on this mysteriously wonderful experience in nature, I compared it to my relationship with God.  I am the male, trying hard to seek him.  Sometimes I put aside devotions or prayer, or put things in my life to keep me from hearing to my saviors call.  Or even worse, I go the other direction in direct disobedience when I know the way that I ought to be living.  Regardless, God's voice is there in the Scriptures, and embodied in the lives of believers.  He is working, and he wants me to be a part by simply obeying.
   At any rate, the mediation was a worthwhile experience.  I found setting aside an hour and a half of my day to focus on God, and not myself was definitely important.  God deserves all of my day, and even if it is only a five minute Bible-read and prayer each morning, I want to open the door for God to work in me.  I want to follow his call on my life.