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A new student approached the Spiritual Teacher. The student asked, “How shall I prepare myself for your training?” The Teacher replied, “Think of me as a bell. Give me a soft tap, and you’ll get a tiny ping. Strike hard, and you'll receive a loud, resounding peal."
While I stress a passive openness to the Spirit, this is one side of the paradox of prayerful silence. I have called this passivity an “active passivity.” Even in silence our intent is that the silence be a seeking prayerfully of all that God gives of God’s Self to us. As with any relationship, we want to enter into more of God’s Self and all God has for us. We do not want substitutes for that Love. Our heart yearning and burning is for God alone. We have come to realize this, and nothing else will satisfy us. Therefore, to the extent that we actively choose to surrender ourselves to the Whole of God, to that extent we will receive of God. If you want more of God, seek God more wholly. The Divine equation is that we receive to the extent that we offer ourselves and open ourselves to the Spirit of Life.
Spiritual Exercise
1. Can you recall a time when you were especially open to God? What was that like?
2. What does “active passivity” mean to you?
3. What in your life might be keeping you from spending more time receiving more of God’s Self?
4. How is our relationship with God like the dynamics of our relationship with other persons we love dearly?
5. What does God most want from you?
6. What do you most want from God?
Prayer
O Love,
I give all of myself,
To receive all of You.
My Lord, I give all my resistance to giving all,
That, even in my resistance,
I have given all. For I trust
That in my honesty about my withholding my all from You,
You honor and respond in Love. Amen.
-Brian K. Wilcox
OneLife Ministries is a pastoral outreach and nurture ministry of the First United Methodist Church, Fort Meade, FL. For Spiritual Direction, Pastoral Counseling, spirtual formation workshops, Christian meditation retreats, or more information about OneLife, call Rev. Dr. Brian K. Wilcox at 863-285-9059 or send a mail to briankwilcox@comcast.net .
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
The People of the
United Methodist Church
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