I came across this tiny little book written by brother Lawrence. I have no idea where I got it or who gave it to me but this morning as I was looking for something to read I found it in my office and it seemed to be perfect for where I am at spiritually and what I need to do to move forward in my journey.
To sum up the book I would say it is somewhat testimonial/somewhat instructional but the heart of the book is to encourage learning to be in the presence of God. He uses personal conversations, letters and more to communicate the importance of the practice of the presence of God.
he writes in a letter to a friend: let us examine our inner selves. Time is pressing in on us, and each of us must be responsible for himself. . .we must continuously walk in God's spirit, since in the spirit-life not to advance is to fall back. Those who have the wind of the Holy Spirit in their souls glide ahead even while they sleep. If the vessel of our soul is still being tossed by winds or storms, we should wake the Lord who has been resting with us all along, and He will swiftly calm the sea. I think this is beautiful and insightful!
Here are some principles of Christs conduct that he suggests we practice:
1. We need to be considerate of God in everything we do and say
2. We should remember who we are and that we are unworthy of the name of Christian, except for what Christ has done for us.
3. We must believe with certainty that it is both pleasing to God and good for us to sacrifice ourselves for Him
4. We must learn to be completely dependent on God's grace
HE SAYS: The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God. That means finding constant pleasure in His divine company.
Here are some tips on how to practice the presence of God:
1. we must do everything with great care, avoiding impetuous actions, which are evidence of a disordered spirit.
2. We should stop what we are doing often and praise God
3. Our adoration of God should be done in faith, believing that He really lives in our hearts...
4. We must carefully examine ourselves to see which virtues we are in most need of and which we find the hardest to acquire...and lovingly ask for the help of His grace in our time of need.
He also talks about the blessings of the presence of God:
1. The soul has a more lively and active faith
2. It strengthens our hope
3. It causes the will to rejoice at being set apart from the world, setting it aglow with the fire of holy love
4. the soul familiarizes itself with Him to the extent that it passes almost its whole life in continual acts of love, praise, confidence, thanksgiving, offering and petition.
I don't know about the rest of you but this is what I want! I want to constantly be in the presence of God.
I am going to set my eyes on this and really seek it...If you want to join me on this journey let me know and maybe we could work out a sort of accountability check-in!
peace be with you --mommaavila!
