Meditation for January 2009

Judith reads:

Here we are at the beginning of a new year. The great expanse of 2009 stretches out before us—365 new days untouched, unsullied, full of hope and new life.

We feel that here is a chance for a new beginning—all the mistakes and disappointments of 2008 can be bundled up, put in Old Father Time’s sack and be discarded.

We start afresh; as newborn babies begin their lives with no encumbrances, so we can start this New Year with a clean conscience and a beginner’s state of mind.

Of course, not all that happened in 2008 was negative. Good things happened too—joy and happiness; and perhaps some tentative creative ventures and new friendships. These good things we can hold onto and build upon throughout the coming year.

Spiritually, a New Year gives us an opportunity to examine where we are in our relationship with God. Do we feel we are on the right path? Are we at a cross-roads? What did we hope to accomplish this time last year? Did we complete our goal, fall short of the mark, or feel drawn to another way? Have we established a life of prayer and begun to commune with God? Has our time with God become a daily commitment, or is it a haphazard event and low on our priority list? These are questions that need to be addressed and answered honestly. A daily time and place with God brings us peace and strength in the midst of a world that is full of chaos; and it allows us to be a channel of hope and healing to the world.

If you are having difficulty establishing or maintaining a daily time of prayer and communion with God, a simple core ritual around which you can build a time of quiet and commitment can be helpful. This prevents you from frittering away your precious time with God.

My own core ritual is the reading of a psalm along with passages from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Some days, due to time restraints, this is all I can do. Other days, I expand my God-time with spiritual reading, meditation, journaling, intercession and supplication.

A book that helps me to grow in my soul and spirit, and challenges me to new depths and heights in my relationship to God, is very important to me as I proceed along my spiritual journey. At present, I am reading Caroline Myss’s book, Entering The Castle: An Inner Path To God And Your Soul. It is a book that allows the reader to delve into her own spiritual path and reminds her that reading about God can never replace experiencing God.

There are many good and different books that can help our spiritual growth. Not all books are helpful to all persons at the same time. We are each on a journey towards God but we are not all at the same place on the path. With the Holy Spirit’s guidance, search for a book that would be most helpful to you at this time in your journey.

I pray a blessing on our spiritual journey and growth in our relationship with God in this year of 2009.

 © Judith Lawrence January 2009