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Calvary Episcopal Church
Memphis, Tennessee
THE CHRONICLE
The Third Sunday of Advent
December 17, 2000
Volume 45, No.45
The
Art of Spiritual Conversation
Reflect on the most previous conversation that you had with God. What
did you say? How long was it? Where were you at the time? How comfortable
was it for you? What were the circumstances present in your life at the
time that warranted not just a prayer, but a conversation? It is easy
for us to recount the last time we prayed to God (which, incidentally,
is a form of communication, thereby making it conversation). However,
most prayers are one-sided - we mention our petitions and thanksgivings
and we close. Rarely, however do we remain to hear an actual response
from God. So, while prayer is a form of communication, we must venture
beyond prayer and enter into discussion with God and hash out the successes
and failures and the joys and pains of life. I am speaking of the type
of conversation in which we ask questions of God, and are willing to literally
wait for a response.
Conversations with God are few and far between. Many of us struggle to
find enough time to pray, and when we do, oftentimes it's while we're
on the go. Though we may be able to incorporate prayer into our busy schedules
– while in the car, at lunch, at the gym - a conversation with God
requires that we become totally disconnected from the world, and enter
into God's holiness. This means that in order to have a conversation with
God, we must "forsake" worldly dependence and trust in God's
holy independence. This is not easy to do since we depend on basic conveniences
to make our lives much easier – palm pilots (of which I am guilty)
and day timers, beepers, pagers and cell phones.
However, for each of us to enter into dialogue with God, our spirits must
become the palm pilot and cell phone of life. We must make frequent calls
to God if we wish to nurture the relationship we carry with the Creator.
The next time we feel the urge to "beep" or page someone, we
should each go into a vacant room, sit and page God. This one fact is
true – God doesn't use call waiting. Call God and talk!
~Peace,
Allen F. Robinson+
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