During my recent trip to Florida, I wound up having a morning all to myself. I ended up at the pool, and I was the only person there. At first I felt uncomfortable, and a little bored. Then, I had a phone conversation with Sally, who suggested I use the time to meditate, pray, and ask God for peace. And in typical Sally fashion, I knew she meant that I ask it not once, but several times...and out loud.
So I got in the pool and began to swim long, slow laps from one end of the pool to the other. As I swam, I tried to release all negative energy from my body and I said out loud "God, please help me find peace. In this minute...in this hour...in this day...in this week. And please give me the ability to recognize it when you show it to me". I said this prayer out loud, over and over, and over again, until I began to find peace. Until I began to relax my mind and my body.
In our culture, we are busy all the time. There's always noise; either from people talking, the television, music, or traffic. But in many other cultures and religions, people understand the value of meditation, prayer, and silence. Some people go so far as to spend weeks or months in temples and ashrams, in silence--in prayer. Being alone, being quiet, and opening our minds and our bodies are way more powerful than we may realize.
In the days following the quiet time at the pool, I have repeated that prayer dozens and dozens of times. Thank you Sally, for once again pointing out the simplicity of finding God, who is always in us, around us, through us, near us, and within us, just waiting for us to reach out and ask for what we need.
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