No Elevator to EverestSýnishorn

"Come to Me"

What the desert fathers—the monastics—called contemplative prayer or contemplation, I am calling Spirit-led self-awareness. It is intentional inward awareness, self-observation (note that this is very different from self-absorption). It is Spirit-led observation. It is learning to sit still and notice the ways of the Lord working on your innermost being.

This can be difficult in today’s world. Thomas Merton wrote: “We must face the fact that the mere thought of contemplation is one which deeply troubles the person who takes it seriously. It is so contrary to the modern way of life, so apparently alien, so seemingly impossible, that the modern man who even considers it finds, at first, that his whole being rebels against it. If the ideal of inner peace remains attractive, the demands of the way to peace seem to be so exacting and extreme that they can no longer be met. We would like to be quiet, but our restlessness will not allow it.”

So how do we get there? Slowly, and with much grace for ourselves. This way is not grasping with a demanding hand, impatient at our progress. But rather this way requires a spirit of creativity and joy, playful like a child running to Jesus.

Scripture gives us two examples of these contrasts.

When James and John, two of Jesus’ disciples, try to get Jesus to confirm them as His right and left hands of power, this is grasping, demanding. In fact, Jesus tells them directly that this is not the way. He said that they were trying to control an outcome (see Matthew 20:20–28).

Contrast this with the example of the children who simply run to Jesus. He holds them up as examples of true kingdom participants, saying, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14). Jesus is showing us the way to come to Him. The kids are not evaluating their performance. They are not jockeying for position or trying to control the outcome. They simply love being near the giver of all life—and He loves being near them, just as He loves being near us.

Father, I want to come to You as a child, eager and trusting and humble. Quiet my soul today. Help me be still before You to hear Your voice speak about who You are and who I am. Amen.