On this particular day my "Devotional Classics" book took me to excerpts from Brother Lawrence's "The Practice of the Presence of God". Brother Lawrence (1614-1691) was a lay monk in a Carmelite monastery in Paris. He often worked doing the most tedious of jobs around the monastery (was it b/c he wasn't "paid staff" but merely a volunteer? Who knows!? ;) But, the point is, he found intense joy in "practicing the presence of God".
I may be making it sound way more mystical and ethereal than it is. Brother Lawrence was just looking for a way to connect with God throughout his day and some of the saints' prayers and suggestions seemed too lofty for him, so he made up his mind to go about it his own way. His goal was to become intentional about remembering that God was with him, every moment of every day. So, whether he was peeling potatoes, washing dishes, or picking up a piece of straw from the ground, he worked on setting his mind on God. And if (I should really say "when") his mind wandered, he would just bring it back around, as a parent gently corrects a wayward child.
Well, shortly after posting my "impenetrable" blog, I found that by remembering God in Brother Lawrence fashion, I was finding more moments of God-consciousness and gratitude. In truth, this was a couple of weeks ago, and I'm not really feeling particularly "monk-like" or "God-conscious", today.
Still, I am grateful for that day, and for others like it, where God's light pierces the oft-impenetrable recesses of my heart.
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