"True contemplation is not a psychological trick but a theological grace."
-Thomas Merton
"In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in "muchness" and "manyness," he will rest satisfied. Psychiatrist Carl Jung once remarked, "Hurry is not of the Devil; it is the Devil." Foster's opening remarks are spot on. I actually wish I could just copy and paste the entire chapter but since I can't, I'll do my best to get the message across. There shall be lots of quotes!
The first place I'd like to start with is making the distinction between Eastern and Christian meditation. The image of meditation that we as a culture are most familiar with is of a person sitting with legs crossed repeating the Om Mantra. Although a person may experience similar physiological outcomes of reduced stress and tension as well as maintaining a consistent alpha brain-wave pattern, the purpose and application of the two schools of meditation are very different. Eastern meditation centers on an attempt to empty the mind and merge with the Cosmic Mind; in the process detaching from the world, with an emphasis on losing person-hood and individuality. The idea is to be "freed from the burdens and pains of this life and to be released into the impersonality of Nirvana. Personal identity is lost and, in fact, personality is seen as the ultimate illusion...detachment is the final goal of Eastern religion." In contrast, Christian meditation seeks not only to fill the mind but to renew it. To transform old self-destructive thought patterns into new, healthy, life-affirming thought patterns. Attachment and communion with God is the ultimate goal. Yes, emptying (detaching) yourself of the bad is a good idea, but you can't stop there, you need to also be filled with what is good. Foster brings the point home when he says,
"there is a danger in thinking only in terms of detachment as Jesus
indicates in his story of the man who had been emptied of evil but was
not filled with good. 'When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man...
he goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they
enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than
the first" (Luke 11:24-26).
When you take a look at Christian meditation, you'll find that it really boils down to hearing God's voice and obeying, being edified, healed, learning about his character, being encouraged...the list is as endless as what it is the Lord wants to communicate with you. It's a time of intimacy with someone who knows all of your dirt and yet still wants to be with you. Thomas a` Kempis calls it "a familiar friendship with Jesus." Foster writes, "We are sinking down into the light and life of Christ and becoming comfortable with that posture. The perpetual presence of the Lord (omnipresence, as we say) moves from being a theological dogma into a radiant reality. 'He walks with me and talks with me' ceases to be pious jargon and instead becomes a straightforward description of daily life." Time spent in meditation allows for Christ to create an inner sanctuary in the heart. Foster says, and I concur, that with this new found intimacy it's important to remember to maintain a reverence towards God. After all he is the Creator and we are the created.
So what does Christian meditation look like? Honestly, there is no formula. There are as many ways, as we are unique. Personally, I love to meditate on his Word. Before I read I ask God to show me his heart as I read. When I do this, the Bible turns into a totally different book. The words become alive to me and completely relevant to my life. What I learn about his character helps me to distinguish between the truth of who God is and man's crooked representation of him. I begin to see with his eyes and my heart breaks for the world around me. His heart's desire becomes the calling on my life. It compels me to search out the deep things of God. Did you know God wants to make his thoughts known to us (Pro 1:23)? I could go on about this forever; just typing about it makes my heart burn within me. Just curious, do you remember the last time your heart burned for something. God wants to be that 'something' if you'll let him.
In the last bit of the chapter Foster offers four suggestions to help the reader get started on meditation. The first one he talks about is actually meditating on the Word, or meditatio Scripturarum, as the devotional masters call it. Foster remarks that all other forms of meditation are kept 'in proper perspective,' by keeping meditation on Scripture as the central reference point. Foster's second offering hails from the contemplatives of the Middle Ages and is called "re-collection;" the Quakers refer to it as "centering down." When I was pregnant with Remy I was a bit of a nervous wreck during the days before I could feel her move. We had become pregnant with her only one month after miscarrying our first pregnancy and we had never learned why we lost the baby nor did I have any symptoms of miscarriage. One night I was just so fed up with the burden of worry that I couldn't take it anymore. I sat down and did the "centering down" exercise called, "palms down, palms up." I walked away from the experience feeling like a huge weight had been lifted. I'm not sure of the best way to describe it so I'm just going to quote the paragraph in which Foster explains the method.
"Begin by placing your palms down as a symbolic indication of your desire to turn over
any concerns you may have to God. Inwardly you may pray, 'Lord, I give you my
anger towards John. I release my fear of my dentist appointment. I surrender my anxiety
over not having enough money to pay the bills this month. I release my frustration over
trying to find a baby-sitter for tonight.' Whatever it is that weighs on your mind or is a
concern to you, just say, 'palms down.' Release it. You may even feel a certain sense of
release in your hands. After several moments of surrender, turn your palms up as a
symbol of your desire to receive from the Lord. Perhaps you will pray silently: 'Lord, I
would like to receive your divine love for John, your peace about the dentist appointment,
your patience, your joy.' Whatever you need, you say, 'palms up.' Having centered
down, spend the remaining moments in complete silence. Do not ask for anything.
Allow the lord to commune with you, to love you. If impressions or directions come, fine;
if not, fine."
The next suggestion for meditation is what the old mystics called 'the discovery of God in his creatures.' It's based off of the first verse of Psalm 19; "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Go out and spend time in nature and marvel with the Lord at what he has created. Quiet your heart and listen to the song of the birds. Take time to study the small creatures that you see. Consider how delicate the ecosystems are. Simply feel the breeze on your face. Everything around you was consciously designed and serves a purpose in its surroundings. I would have to say, spending time in nature is Adam's favorite way to spend time with God. There had been so many time when he's "hit the trail" so he can find some peace and spend time with God. I have to confess, often both Adam and I feel closer to God out in the wilderness than we do in a church building.
Foster's last suggestion is to "meditate upon the events of our time and to seek to perceive their significance." So pick up your Bible and a newspaper! "Thomas Merton writes that the person ' ...who has meditated on the Passion of Christ but has not meditated on the extermination camps of Dachau and Auschwitz has not yet fully entered in to the experience of Christianity in our time.'" When you're meditating, seek guidance. Do you play a part in perpetuating the event or bringing light to it? Can you get involved? Do you even want to? After all Ezekiel 16:49 says, "now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy." Are we as individuals or as a society, guilty of being overfed, unconcerned and arrogant in regards to whatever the event it is your meditating on?
A lot to think about, I know. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't come easily at first. "There is a progression in the spiritual life, and it is wise to have some experience with lesser peaks before trying to tackle the Mt. Everest of the soul. So be patient with yourself."