God's Love: A Centering Meditation
Find a comfortable position. You may want to put your feet on the floor in front of you and sit straight in your chair. With good posture, try to relax your body and mind. Start to turn your attention to your breath. Thoughts or feelings may enter your mind, so in loving awareness, notice it. Then, center yourself again on your breath going in and out.
Feel the sensations of your breath.
As you inhale, breathe in the love that is all around you. As you exhale, let that love fill up ever fiber of your being. Let this love open you up to more. It may be a space you didn’t even know existed. Let there be room in your heart for something higher.
What do you think of when you think of God’s love?
You might struggle to believe in a God that could love you or even the concept of a real God as believable. Try to suspend any doubts for a moment and prepare your heart and mind to listen.
Imagine a God that loves you for exactly who you are.
Not the version you choose to show to the world but who you are at the core of your being. Your soul. What word or image would you use to convey that love?
I use the name Spirit. The Spirit to me is comforting, always present, always loving, and maybe even a little tricky. The Spirit teaches us spiritual lessons through working in our physical world. You hear the Spirit in song lyrics, other people’s words and deeds, and holy reading. But who is God to you? Is there a word or image that you use? Focus on that word or image. I use a candle flame. Find this name or image and begin to center your mind on it. (This can be done within the mind or as an open eye meditation on the object.) As you continue to breathe, take a few moments (or as long as necessary) to try and concentrate on this word or image. When thoughts enter your mind, go back to the image.
Spirit, we come to you today with restless hearts and ask for you to give us rest in your divine love. As we have tried to center our hearts on your loving kindness, let us now go from this place and live out that loving kindness in the world.
As we have now received and felt your love deeply within our heart, let us reciprocate that love every day in small acts of kindness: a smile and hello to someone who may not look or act just like us or carrying someone’s bags who we know has a hard time. Paying attention to others around us and offering a hand. It could be the only kind gesture they have received all week. They may have been waiting for your help to function. God, we know it is in our actions, where people can truly see the love of Christ. Let us be called to deeds of love.
Amen.
Photo by Gaelle Marcel.
