Meditation & Memorization
Beloved Imago, summer is here. Which we all know can be so busy. I want to offer 2 practices this month to allow you to slow down and intentionally engage for even just a few minutes. This slowing down can help us with our awareness - of ourselves and of God.
The two practices I want to offer you this month are meditation and scripture memorization. I paired these together because sometimes we need to silence our mind and sometimes we need to focus our mind.
Let me first talk about scripture memorization. Many of us might have grown up memorizing bible verses in Sunday school or for a program at our church. It was task-driven and meant for rapid recall. This is not what I have in mind here. In my experience, memorizing scripture has been therapeutic and peaceful. If we commit a verse or two to memory this month or in the future, its truth has the ability to seep into our souls, even when we are not fully aware of it.
Some of the words in the bible can help create a safe place of truth in our minds for us: kind of like a stream of water on a hot afternoon or a cozy blanket on a cold day. It’s us choosing to remember what God is like and remembering that we are beloved of God.
I would recommend using one of the following verses if you don’t have one you are already drawn to. These are simple and easy to memorize and can remind us of who we are and who God is.
I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. - Psalm 139:14
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. - 1 John 4:16
{If this practice is something you connect with, I am certainly able to recommend different scriptures or ask some questions to help you find the scripture that will be most beneficial for you.}
A second practice for this month is meditation and I offer here 2 different ways to practice it: one that is from an organization called Mindful Communications (mindful.org) and one that is a video meditation from the Center for Action and Contemplation. Remember how we sat in silence in February this year? This practice is very similar.
I recommend this practice to try to silence your mind in an intentional way. We are almost always drawn to binaries - good/bad, dark/light, us/them...silencing our mind in meditation is a way to start short-circuiting those binaries as we all know life and love and suffering and God are all too varied to be contained in those kinds of dualistic boxes. Meditation will not fix our attraction to binaries, but is an important practice as we continue on our journeys in truth and love in this life - a HOW to believe instead of WHAT to believe.
Finally beloved, keep in mind that our practices are ways we intentionally encounter the Divine all around us. God is all around us, all the time. Let us choose to practice ways that help us see that more and more often. If you haven't found what the best way is for you yet, don’t worry! Keep going on the journey; being present matters so much - present to yourself, present to God. There is no room for judgement when you are present. It is what it is. And trust me, it is beautiful and so are you.
From mindful.org:
Meditation is simpler (and harder) than most people think. Read these steps, make sure you’re somewhere where you can relax into this process, set a timer, and give it a shot:
1) Take a seat
Find a place to sit that feels calm and quiet to you.
2) Set a time limit
If you’re just beginning, it can help to choose a short time, such as five or 10 minutes. (I would even suggest less if you are just beginning - maybe 3 minutes.)
3) Notice your body
You can sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, you can sit loosely cross-legged, you can kneel—all are fine. Just make sure you are stable and in a position you can stay in for a while.
4) Feel your breath
Follow the sensation of your breath as it goes in and as it goes out.
5) Notice when your mind has wandered
Inevitably, your attention will leave the breath and wander to other places. When you get around to noticing that your mind has wandered—in a few seconds, a minute, five minutes—simply return your attention to the breath.
6) Be kind to your wandering mind
Don’t judge yourself or obsess over the content of the thoughts you find yourself lost in. Just come back.
7) Close with kindness
When you’re ready, gently lift your gaze (if your eyes are closed, open them). Take a moment and notice any sounds in the environment. Notice how your body feels right now. Notice your thoughts and emotions.
That’s it! That’s the practice. You go away, you come back, and you try to do it as kindly as possible.
If you prefer a video meditation, try this one from the Center for Action and Contemplation:
Kids version
Hi friends! This month, let’s try to memorize a verse from the Bible. It’s not up to me to decide which one, you can pick between the two below or if you have another one that you really want to memorize, that's fine too :)
If you can read and write, try writing it out in chunks on notecards/pieces of paper so that you can memorize it in pieces and then put them together.
If you can’t read and write yet, that’s okay! Ask your parents to help you memorize the verse in small pieces by them saying them to you and you repeating them back.
Scripture memorization is a good way to carry around a piece of truth and love inside of you that tells you something about who you are and about who God is. It’s always with you, even if you’re not thinking about it.
Remember how we have been looking for God in lots of ways so far this year? This is a great way to be able to find that little piece of love inside on a day that maybe feels crummy or even on a day where you don’t have words to say thanks for how good you feel.
Isn’t it awesome that someone took the time to write down these lovely truths about you and about God? You are awesome and I am so excited to hear how this practice goes for you!
If you see me or Josh or Melinda at church, and you just want to say your verse to someone, or even tell one of us how you and God are doing, we will always listen to anything you have to say. You and your thoughts and feelings matter so much. 💗
I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. - Psalm 139:14
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. — 1 John 4:16
Vicky Brown is a spiritual director, rock collector and loves sci-fi and fantasy. As a “4” on the Enneagram she feels all the things, all the time. Just ask her husband, Cory. Vicky currently serves on the Co-Pastor Search Committee as well as in the bookkeeping role.