Summer of Spiritual Disciplines #9 Meditating

Meditation - In our world of multimedia, it seems almost impossible to get away from all the noise and distractions. Many of us enter our home or get in our car and immediately turn on the radio, the television, or some other background noise. Spending time in meditation, in a place and time of silence or solitude, takes planning and discipline. But even Jesus found time to be alone with His Father: Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mark 1:35). Solitude provides a time to think, pray, meditate, and plan.
Without planning, meditation will never happen. There are at least three ways of getting away to meditate. I call them minute moments, daily quiet times, and regular retreats. During a minute moment, sit in silence for a short length of time and clear your mind of all the clutter and noise. Pause and think about God. Daily quiet times (otherwise known as a DQT) offer a more extended time to get away, study God’s Word, pray, and perhaps journal alone. Finally, there are times when we can go away for the specific purpose of rejuvenating our spirits, setting spiritual goals, and refocusing our priorities. This can happen annually, quarterly, or even monthly.
When we spend time in silence, we gain a greater sense of perspective on life and our calling as a Christian. Time is of such great value, and yet in God’s economy, much like the spiritual discipline of giving, we find that our productivity actually increases as we set aside time to be alone. This is a very healthy discipline, and it manifests itself in greater growth as a follower of Christ.
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