Full Attention

I walked into my house, and I was surprised that from the threshold I could see a stack of mail on the couch, some dishes in the kitchen sink, a pile of books by the chair, a mass of papers and calendars on the floor, a few random articles of clothing scattered, and miscellaneous items all out of place. How did this happen?!

The magnitude of the mess in my house matched the inner mess of my mind. I am prone to frenetic doing and frenetic thinking. I start doing before I know what needs to be done, and when I slow down to think about what I ought to do, it can turn into a whirlwind of pros and cons, of musts and shoulds, and of desires and doubts. Nothing has my full attention.

Yet the work of discernment demands my full attention.

Full attention.

Communal practices of prayer teach me a new way of being, the way of full attention. The discipline, structure and unhurried flow of praying with others center me, so that I can hear from God. As a young Christian, I wondered how to hear from God, “should I ask yes/no questions? I have big life questions, and how can I know God’s answers for my life?” Praying with others showed me that God speaks in all kinds of ways and will speak to me too. The discipline of common prayer trains my attention upon God.

One of the gifts of a summer with the Church Leadership Cooperative is the opportunity to pray together. We pray for each of you as you seek God in answers to big life questions.