Celebrating 175 years of joyful service!
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Meditation has become an important part of my day. However, it is often hard to sit without starting to plan the future or analyze the past. Recently in my meditation a quiet little voice, which sometimes speaks to me, said, “Remove the structures.” The grace of that moment came from truly understanding the message. I realized that everything I worried about stemmed from the structures I had built over the years.
We began building these structures as children. How our parents and families interacted with us established what behaviors were acceptable. These behaviors were shaped by others or perceived through our own lenses. Essentially, we craved love and acceptance, so we made decisions—even as children—about what we needed to do to keep that love and acceptance flowing. Even if our interpretation wasn’t what others intended, we created a structure to manage how love and acceptance came to us.
As we grew older, we added more and more layers to these structures. Eventually, we reached a rebellious stage, wanting to tear down what we had built. But even then, we created new cushions for ourselves, replacing old supporters with new ones. However, the foundation of the original structures continued to influence what we built upon them.
For me, and probably for you as well, these structures influence the thoughts that pull us away from the stillness of meditation.
A visualization then came to me of a city sitting on the plains, out West. This imaginary city has many buildings, yet the boundary between the city and the plains is starkly clear. I see myself walking out of the city, leaving all the structures behind. As I move forward, wide open spaces unfold before me. Once I step out of the city, it’s clear that I’ve moved past the structures. The light seems brighter, and the air feels fresher.
As I meditate, I find myself walking through that brighter, fresher space. But then I look back, wondering what’s happening to the people still in the city. And I gently remind myself—I don’t need to worry. I can leave all of that in God’s hands and return to the stillness. This cycle repeats many times, but just as God is patient and gentle with me, I must be patient and gentle with myself. I gently remind myself to leave the structures behind and simply sit in the awe, the quiet, and the love of God.