What type of practices do you have to help you remember your goodness, the story that was written on your heart by God and not by humanity?  Let’s face it life can be challenging when we do not purposely and frequently put on our own ‘life jacket’ or remember the practices that move us to wholeness and holiness. One of my favorite affirming practices that I do as often as I can is to do a mindful solo walk in the forest and then find a place for a short meditation where I can truly connect to my own divinity and feel God’s presence.  The combination of moving first to release the cobwebs of my mind and then finding stillness serves me best.

  On one of my more recent ‘sits’ it was a cloudy and lightly raining day.  I encountered a phenomenon that I had probably experienced many times before but I had never felt it so strongly.  You see on this very cloudy day, when I shut my eyes to meditate I felt light.  Not the sort of light that comes from a full-on sunny day where warmth kisses the face like a tender and true blessing from God, this light was subtle but yet, ever present.  I particularly felt the light on my inhalation like I was seeking God and his grace and His promises were meeting me through the physical clouds, and perhaps the clouds of my mind and heart.  You might say this light was the power of the sun sending it’s energy to earth and its people even through the clouds and rain.  I attest to this but I also like the spiritual application.  The natural world has always been a place where God’s people can feel His presence.  This is undoubtedly why I am drawn to nature, because it is where I feel closest to God. 

Getting back to my meditation experience, as it is something you may choose to experiment with.  You do not need to sit on the earth like I am called to do for meditation, you could practice this sitting in your car, your home or pretty much anywhere you have access to gaze at or feel the sun, on a sunny or cloud covered day.  You might start with just a few centering breath, eyes closed works best for me but may not be best for you.  Start to notice your inhales and exhales, gently elongating them.  As you inhale you might note your spine lengthen and your heart lift.  As you exhale you might notice your shoulders relax and sense a grounding sensation in your sitting bones or your body as a whole.  As you inhale you may feel this light and as you exhale let it wash over you.  You may feel called to add a word such as inhaling praise, trust, gratitude,  or a sense of connection or reaching up to God.  As you exhale maybe a word like surrender, let go or receive His grace enters your consciousness.  These are only examples, what do you need to say to God or receive from Him? 

Sometimes I feel this light as I inhale at the crown of my head like God is reaching down to be with me, sometimes I feel the light around my heart or throat.  As I exhale sometimes, I feel a wave of self-compassion flow down my body. I sense that closing the eyes during meditation helps one to connect with the inner light within that is untouched by outward experiences and conditioning, tapping into a place of purity and brilliance that is not of this world but given by God.  If there is someone on my mind that needs prayers I might emanate this light towards them.  If I am actively praying for someone, I try to release outright asking or pleading, simply placing this person in God’s grace, knowing that He has already heard and hears my prayers, words not required, as He too wants the best for my beloved.  

As this mediation lingers (full disclosure, I am not one that sits for 20-30 minutes) this practice usually lasts between 2 and 10 minutes, I tend to find some silence releasing any mantra or prayers to just be with God.   I see this as a clearing of my way, my energy and what the world may say about me and simply sitting with my God, who knows me and loves me.  He literally clears the way for me to be more like the person he created me to be.  You see, one of the stories the world somehow told me is that I am not enough.  Maybe this is your story too.  The intentional practices that we do help us to write a story that is more in line with what God says we are. The old stories come in again and again something like a whisper or a slight angst sometimes like a dark storm.  These practices are like rewiring our brains, releasing those old stories of the mind and settling into the heart where love, acceptance and grace live.  This reminds me of the beautiful song by Hill Song, I am who You say I am:

Who the Son sets free
Oh is free indeed
I’m a child of God
Yes I am
In my Father’s house
There’s a place for me
I’m a child of God
Yes I am

I am chosen
Not forsaken
I am who You say I am
You are for me
Not against me
I am who You say I am

I invite you to try your version of this practice.  It might just be a few breaths and sometimes that is all we need to remember.  Do you know the word remember is mentioned 240 times in the Bible?   I think God knows his people very well and that includes all of us and our so called brokenness or unworthiness.   This story has been overplayed, by ourselves, our society and maybe even our churches. God is asking us to remember, to return to Him, to receive his blessing frequently.  He knew his children would forget their sacred names, so he whispers to us and shines on us in uncountable ways.  We simple must pause, breath and remember our wholeness in Him.   Choose to walk in God’s light in all kinds of weather as you remind yourself “I am who You say I am”.