I love the book: Eat, Pray, Love by Michelle Gilbert. There is a part in it where she is distraught over the demise of her marriage. At one point she is sitting on her bathroom floor (she feels it's the only place in her small apartment she can truly be alone). She is crying and in her own way, praying. She writes that she felt like she was 'talking to herself' or hearing things. And she begins to write down these thought-self-talks, so she doesn't feel crazy. She is totally surprised by the wisdom she gains from these writing sessions...
I wasn't surprised by her discovery. Most of us would call that the 'Spirit' talking to you, or through you, or whatevs... However you describe it, the only way I know to receive personal inspiration, or revelation, or wisdom.. is to find a quiet place and sometimes simply listen to the 'still small voice'.
I often need some sort of preparation however. Being alone often isn't enough. I need to quiet my mind, I need to remove a little stress at least from my immediate vision and most of all I need to 'ask' for it. For me, in the form of prayer. I believe in a Heavenly Father who literally knows me and knows my name. I believe in Jesus Christ who acts as an intermediary, a mailman if you will. Delivering my pleas and desires and gratitudes to that Heavenly Father, (who is also His Heavenly Father). And last I believe that the Holy Spirit is a third resource who then brings my personal guidebook and Godly information via the Self-Talking-Hearing network. A lot like Michelle Gilbert describes. I read her book and thought.. hello that's the Spirit talking to you.
- MomVan: Waiting for carpool or while youngest is in pre-school and I'm on my way to the grocery store. Simply practice breathing that deep diaphram Yoga kind of breath. Not to crash or anything but kind of tune out the world and do some 'not-thinking' for a few minutes.
- Bathroom: Let's face it, sometimes at home it's the only time the kids give you a break. Give yourself permission to spend extra quality time with the John.
- Naptime: Make the most of the few hours one kid is asleep and before the older ones return with their afterschool marathon needs. Refuel myself so I can better parent the rest of the day. A large portion of the world believes in siestas.. why not me too? They say 20 minutes is the perfect restocking amount of afternoon shut-eye.
- Right Before Bed: I tend to meditate on the day's activities just before I nod off to sleep. Why fight it? Intead, plan 15 minutes of reading scripture or other uplifting reading, writing in a journal, or simply meditating quietly about my day, my life, my kids, my husband and yes. Myself.
How will you find your quiet place in 2010?
photo credit: lepiaf.geo
