Dreams, pt. 2
I have so much to say on this topic. It’s almost overwhelming me right now. I think the thing I need to do in order to move on is to reflect on the past. I think that if I can look back and see where God has taken me, I’ll be able to move forward with the direction He wants to continue in me. I have a wonderful mentor who has shown me how to sit still before God and listen. She introduced me to a book called, The Soul At Rest, A Journey Into Contemplative Prayer by Tricia McCary Rhodes. In this book there’s a section on Recollective Prayer. I call it reflective prayer. As I walk through this journey of discovering what God’s dream/vision is for my life, I feel as if I need to do some reflecting. I wanted to capture some of the quotes from this book to give myself some direction for reflecting. In my next post, I’ll probably do some more personal reflecting, but I wanted to share some of the words I’ve recently read.
McCary-Rhodes says ths:
The Past
Sometimes our lives look like a board game where we keep drawing the go back to start card. Without knowledge and insight from our past, we make the same mistakes, fall into the same sinful patterns, and waste a lot of time. There is purpose in putting our past in perspective.
The Present
God never intended for His people to relegate Him to weekly worship or periodic prayers. He wants to permeate the present of our lives. The only way we can aspire to such serious spirituality is by checking in every day and throughout the day with the Lord who is our Shepherd. If we let one or two or three days go by, we lose the opportunity to make the simplest kinds of changes. Habits form, commitments control, and we can’t find a way out of the hubbub. We will always find relief by coming back to our Source, but how much easier if we had come sooner and more often.
The Future
We are a people who live by faith, and faith is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). How do we know what to hope for? How can we be sure of what we do not see? We come before God, allowing His words to give form to our future, and foot leather to our dreams. He opens our eyes and shows us where we are going, invigorating us with vision.
Putting Them Together
In Recollective Prayer, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place in the light of God’s loving guidance. Like a common thread woven through an intricate design, we see His hand. Our past gives us perspective, our present pulls us to His side, and our future forces us to walk by faith. This can be a rejuvenating part of the inner prayer journey.
Periodic Recollection at a Glance:
Review the Past:
- Lord, in what areas have You been seeking to discipline and teach me?
- What mistakes have I made?
- Have I hurt others?
- Have I demonstrated Your love and compassion?
- What have I done which is pleasing to You?
- Where has growth taken place?
- Are there any areas where I’m stuck?
Realign Today’s Priorities:
- Lord, what can I eliminate from my life?
- In what ways do I waste time?
- What am I not doing that I should be doing?
- In what order of priority are the parts of my life?
- In what order should they be?
Renew Your Vision:
- Lord, what do you want to do within me in the next few weeks?
- How do you want to improve my relationships with others?
- Should I be considering any changes in my life?
- Are you calling me to something new?
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21
