So, let’s be honest. No matter how idyllic the sequestered life of retreat might seem as a context for relationship with Jesus, it is a far cry from the insanity of real life. Am I right? In real life, the alarm goes off at 6 am (if you’re lucky enough to sleep in) and barely controlled chaos ensues for the next 14-16 hrs. Chores have to be done. Children need to be chauffeured. Parents have to get to work. Errands need to be run. I’m sure you can fill in whatever the unique contours of your own life are, but you get my point: mundane, everyday kind of life sort of takes up a lot of time.
If you’re anything like me, sometimes this reality can be a bit frustrating. You want to know Jesus deeper each day, but some days you can’t stop long enough to know even yourself. Forget about remembering to tether your finite, little life to the infinite, divine life – you can’t even remember where you put your darn keys!
Well, I’d like to suggest to you an extremely simple but provocative alternative. What if Jesus wanted to be present to you in the midst of your crazy schedule? What if the mayhem that is your life could actually be the context for his life-giving presence? What if we could learn to open ourselves to his presence while we’re running the kids to their sports programs or while we’re doing our grocery shopping? What if we practiced remembering his presence? How could that change your life? How could that reshape your vision of the “Christian life”?
Along these lines, if you’re up for it, I would encourage you to try the ancient practice of breath prayer. This spiritual discipline literally requires you just to breath. With each breath you take you say a simple, silent prayer such as, “Jesus, here I am.” This practice opens you to the presence of Jesus and can transform your mundane, everyday living into meaningful experiences with your Savior.
Grace and Peace,
Dave Strobolakos