Meditation 2: What Captures the Heart

Meditation is a word loosely used in today’s culture to refer to anything from silent self-emptying of the mind, to entering into solitude to escape the noise. Meditation that I am referring to here is an active, engaged opening of the heart to receive all that the Spirit may want to offer and reveal to us. Anything we turn our mind and heart toward in silent, inner reflection becomes meditation and prayer. This can happen in moments connecting in nature because all creation reflects God’s glory. It can happen when we see, hear and enter creative works of art, music, and certainly the written word.

Meditation is the discipline that opens hearts and minds to the possibility of being transformed which means simply a change in attitude or our mental posture toward something. Transformation implies that an old way has been changed into a new way. Meditation on scripture has firmly planted new ideas within my heart and mind, not just as tools to remember trivial information, but as touch-point memories of truth-telling encounters with Christ.

Meditation isn’t about what we can capture and use or manipulate for our own good purposes, noble as they may be. Rather meditation is about what captures us and changes us. It’s not how we read the scripture but how the scripture reads us. It’s not about the information we can glean but the transformation we receive. We come to meditate with open hands, release all that we think we need or expect to get so that we may be free and unencumbered to receive all goodness that God intends.

What has captured your heart today? How has it made a difference in you? What have you had to release in order to receive this gift? Next up, Part 3 I share specific practices in mindful meditation.