MONDAY MEDITATION

What Aspects of Your Life Draw You Deeper in Your Faith?

What needs to stay, and what needs to go?

Spirit, guide me as I listen for your sweet voice to show me how to bring life into my faith journey through the many different things that make up who I am and draw me closer to You.

You are different than the next person, even your partner or friends. And, yes, even your children. Although your children hold some similarities because DNA is designed that way, you each have your own desires and needs to help you be who you are meant to be.

There are also many things that can fulfill those needs and desires. But what aspects of your life draw you deeper into your faith? Is it food, exercise, reading holy texts, visiting with wise friends, or the love you hold in your heart for God, Buddha, or your Sacred Teacher?

I admit that food is a big thing for me and my partner, but after a recent health scare when my doctor basically told me I was one step away from a heart attack, I had to make more food and lifestyle changes than before.

Being biracial Korean/German, my Korean mother taught me to appreciate food for its cultural nuances but also the communal aspect. Food draws people together. It is the glue that surrounds people.

Our ideas about what we eat are more important than the food itself, what our stomachs can hold, or what we need in this moment for good, strong energy. Our families, social situations, society, and marketing campaigns dictate the choices most people make about how they feed themselves….

— Hale Sofia Schatz, Shira Shaiman

And, as is true with most Asians, food is an important part of gathering. You don’t just put some chips and salsa on the table when you sit down with Asians. There is generally a feast. I also know this is true with many other cultures.

I remember my mother sharing stories from her childhood about some of the Buddhist traditions to honor the dead. Mexicans also practice something similar with Dia de los Muertes.

The ritual that is involved for Buddhists is to honor the dead with a picture set at the table with a meal. Leading up to the meal, everyone bathes and dresses in certain clothing.

And though my mother hated it, I felt something stir within me as my mother spoke about this. There seemed to be something intrinsically beautiful about giving spiritual honor to your ancestors. I don’t practice this, but it has made me ponder rituals that would make sense for me and how those rituals might deepen my faith.

The food, though …

All of that can be confusing when you’re given a health warning that involves food.

In 2013, I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue and gluten intolerance, so some lifestyle changes had already been made. But now, this thing with my heart seemed to be a little more emphatic and created fear within me.

I heard my partner say, “I don’t want to lose you,” as we sat discussing the new changes. And I realized that I hadn’t been eating to feed my soul, not in the 18 years of my marriage. I had let that go for the semblance of communal dinners with my partner.

I also realized that some of my creative outlets had also been put on hold for the sake of my health, but now the invitation was gently laid before me to not just change my lifestyle and eating habits but to return to a deeper place of sacred community with myself and the Triune God.

There are many things that shape me and have become life-giving, which are gifts to commune with God — painting, writing, photography, hiking, etc.

You are in me. In the deepest part of me. Deeper than my memories, my unconscious thoughts. Deeper than my ever-changing emotions. You are in the place right next to where I keep my faith in God (a faith that I won’t let go of now, in spite of it being shaken many times, from without and within). You’re deep in me. — Willow Aster

Reflection

What is it for you? What draws you deeper in your faith?

What is an ordinary event that becomes spiritual for you? What draws you closer to God?

Are you feeding your soul in ways that make sense to your personal and unique needs?

Putting it into practice

Spend some time in stillness and quiet. Ask God what things draw you closer to God. Ask God what things take you away from God.

Go ahead and journal about those activities. If you find yourself feeling your heart dance as you write about something, that’s generally a sign that it’s more life-giving.

Delight in YHWH, and you’ll be given the desires of your heart. —Psalm 37:4, The Inclusive Bible

If it’s causing your mind, body, and soul to groan, it’s a sign that it is not life-giving. Can you take a break from that activity for a short time to see if it is something you miss? And though it has come up as a place of groaning, what is it about that activity that you miss?

For example, if you gather with friends to play board games or football, but you realize you don’t like playing board games or football, maybe you miss gathering with your friends. Is there a workable solution to make it more life-giving for you?

Take one step this week towards creating a more life-giving spiritual journey for yourself. You decide what you need to add and what you need to take away.

May you learn to understand what your soul needs to survive and be the best version of yourself. May you take time to relish in those activities.

May the Spirit guide you. May your soul be refreshed.