Written by Amanda Hourt
All people have something unusual about them that helps make them who they are. For me, it is meditation. I like to contemplate school, my family, my life, but most of all, I like to contemplate God. Every Christian looks for ways to feel close to God, and for me it comes through meditation. I know that most of you are probably picturing a kneeling patriarch in a dark catacomb next to a candle right now, but that is not how it is for me.When I meditate, it is usually in a brightly lit common area where there may or may not be other people around. I rarely kneel, and I never use a candle. In fact, I would say there is nothing to identify me with the stereotypical image mentioned above, except for the assumed topic of thought.God has many qualities to consider. Some days I sit in the prayer room and just think about his majesty. Other days I sit in a swing on the front lawn and think about how much God knows and loves each person who walks by. Time and again, I sit by Uncle Bud and think about the firm Christians in God’s church, both past and present. I may sit on the edge of the fountain outside the Benson and consider how much worship God gets from that building almost every day. At night I lie in my bed thinking about how much I love him and he loves me. Sometimes I think about the lost and what will become of them. How will God balance his mercy and justice on the last day? When I meditate, I never lack things to think about.I believe that one of today’s misconceptions about meditation is that it must be done while alone. I rarely go to a place where there aren’t other people walking by and ambient sounds to hear. We read in the Bible that Jesus would go off by himself frequently in order to pray (and probably meditate), and soon we think that is the only way to do those things, but it’s not. It is easier to concentrate on God when you aren’t with another person, but you do not have to be all alone. I like to stay near people, but not with people ,when I meditate, like Jesus in Gethsemane. Physically he was near the apostles, but mentally he was concentrating on his Father.In closing, I advise everyone to meditate on God a bit more. It’s not as weird and creepy as people think. No need to go off to a dark, lonely room and assume the lotus position. You can think about God anywhere and at any time. He’s thinking about you, so why not return the favor?
