I remember the first time I encountered the idea of developing a Spiritual Discipline. I was either in my first or second year of Divinity School at Wake Forest, taking an Independent Study course with Dr. Kitty Amos on Christian Mysticism, from which I wrote a paper entitled “Christian Mysticism in the Black Church.” During the course of the semester I completely immersed myself in the works of Christian mystics like Howard Thurman, Evelyn Underhill and Basil the Great. I remember sitting in Dr. Amos’ office when the study made a sudden and quick shift from being an academic venture to one of praxis. In that moment Kitty invited me to begin putting into practice all that I spent the first part of the semester reading and exploring, and to keep a journal to that effect as well. I left her office both excited and terrified of what would be next.
Of the many different disciplines that I had spent the first part of the semester studying, meditation seemed like a perfect beginning. I prepared myself by decluttering my apartment, lighting a scented candle and I sitting down in my father’s old, brown Lazy-Boy chair. In my mind I held a small portion of Scripture in focus, something from the Psalms I’m sure, and closed my eyes. It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon. When my eyes opened again it was well past 7 o’clock in the evening—and I had drool all down the side of my face. I decided to try the discipline again, but at a different time, and the same thing happen. I tried again, and the same exact thing happen once more. Frustrated and embarrassed, I confessed my failure to Dr. Amos when she inquired about my practice the following week. In her brightly colored office—overflowing with local sacred folk art, she flashed a smile of pride as I went on ad nauseam about my inability to practice the discipline properly. Kitty’s response was simple and defining. She asked “…was it a good, deep and restful sleep?” I sheepishly confessed that is was, to which she announced with pride in my practice, “Well, keep up the good work!”
I thought the practice was lead to some transcendental enlightenment, but what it produced was rest, presence and peace. I wanted the discipline to take me to a new spiritual vista, but what Dr. Amos knew was that the practice of the discipline was more important than the perfection of the discipline. She was pleased, over joy even, that I continued to practice even after encountering what I thought to be bitter failure. Dr. Amos took my frustration and redefined my sense of failure as great success—believing that with good and right intention, the Spirit would direct me to what was needed most for that particular moment in my life—a deep and restful abiding in God’s divine presence.
The Spiritual Discipline of meditation is the creation of emotional and spiritual space for God in our lives. In the Christian tradition, the focus of meditation is on the filling of oneself with holy thoughts. It is the intentional giving of one’s time and energy to God. It is a purposeful act of love, worship and devotion. Meditation is nothing less than holy and rejuvenating rest in God. In Genesis 24:63, Isaac is said to have “went out to the field one evening to meditate.” In Psalm 119:15, David says “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.” We are encouraged in Joshua 1:8 to create space in our lives to meditate “day and night” on the word of the Lord.
While there is no one way to create space for the sacred in our lives through meditation, there are a few suggested methods to help Christians to explore this practice as a Spiritual Discipline. One ancient method is to simply use Scripture as a point of reference (meditation Scripturarum). In this method Scripture is suspended and held in thought—or repeated or chanted aloud. The purpose of this method is not to interpret the text, offer commentary or thoughts about it—but to ponder the Scripture in one’s heart, mind and spirit; to allow the text to fully and completely speak to us.
Another method is what Howard Thurman has called “centering down,” and what others have named as contemplative prayer. Here, the idea is to rest in silence and stillness. Centering, as meditative practice, is to surrender to God the worries, difficulties and challenges of life, and to posture oneself to receive from the Lord love, strength and courage for the journey. Another method of contemplative meditation invites individuals to be in nature, to appreciate the beauty of creation and recognize God’s role as Creator and Sustainer of life.
A third method of meditation as a Spiritual Discipline involves reflection on one’s own journey in life. Here, the idea is that one’s life is not to be separated from the biblical story, but understood through the biblical story. This is the experience of contemplating Christ’s experience on Calvary alongside the experience of marginalization and oppression that unliberated bodies experience in the world. It is what James Cone notes as the experience of the cross and the lynching tree, or what Karl Barth suggests when he invites Christians to read their Bible and their newspapers together.
Developing one’s Spiritual Life takes time, and is often compared to that of weight training. When strengthening one’s physical muscles diversity in strength training is needed–any good trainer will tell you that you must work your entire body not just the parts that show well. You cannot work your arms and chest, and forget about your legs and thighs, just as you cannot work your legs and thighs, and forget about your shoulders and back. A wholistic practice is needed in weight training, and is also needed in strengthening one’s spiritual muscles. Weight training for the Spirit requires that we work our inward spiritual muscles through meditation, prayer, fasting and study, our outward spiritual muscles through simplicity, solitude, submission and service, and also our communal/corporate spiritual muscles through confession, worship, guidance, and celebration. It takes hard work for sure, but what is needed is not perfection of the Spiritual Disciplines, just sacrifice, commitment, continued practice, and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.
May you discover new joy in yielding to the Spirit as we grow together in God!
Faithfully,
Dr. Hill
