The Shock of Liking a Meditation App
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.”
Well, I am at it again. I am trying to be a meditative guru. If you read my devotions regularly, you know I’ve struggled to develop a meaningful meditation process throughout my life. As I’ve shared before, I felt less spiritually mature because I worked at feeling comfortable in deep meditation for years. Many ministry students talked about spending long periods in prayerful solitude in seminary. The more I tried, the more agitated I became. But I never gave up, and there have been times when I received comfort from shorter moments of guided mediation.
Recently, I happened upon the app “Headspace” and am enjoying it. Unfortunately, the app isn’t even paying me a kickback. What it is doing is starting slowly. It begins with a three-minute meditation. It was over before I was even getting a good start. The following meditation was five minutes, and again I was just getting into it when it stopped. Their concept of mediation is like physical exercises and takes time to build endurance.
Each time I tried the app meditation, I’ve experienced a calm that allowed me to move into prayer. The calm meditation enables my prayer life to begin at a deeper level. The more you can move beyond the distractions and focus on God; your prayer life will become more meaningful. What helps me meditate is the idea that meditation is not the end all-be all. Now, meditation doesn’t need to fulfill me but be the first step in relaxation to enhance my prayer life.
Today, spend five minutes in silence, then prayerfully think about what you would like to say to Jesus. Visualize Jesus sitting next to you, listening. The time with Jesus is a special moment, don’t waste it. Share with Jesus your deepest needs, concerns, hopes, and dreams. Then, sit quietly in your prayer visualization and listen for what Jesus says in return. This meaningful time will be beneficial if you focus your visualization and be honest with yourself and Jesus. The benefits of experiencing this profound time with Jesus will make you long for more moments of meditation and prayer.
