The sun hears the fields talking about effort
and the sun
smiles,
and whispers to
me,
"Why don't the fields just rest, for
I am willing to do
everything
to help them
grow?"
Rest, my dears, in
prayer.
~St Catherine of Siena

I don't play golf often but when I do my favorite part is 'whacking' the ball with my wood and seeing just how far it will go. I love putting all my energy and force toward this little inanimate thing and letting it fly. I usually do pretty well at this.

Where my game really falls apart is with putting. The small, often gentle, precise movements needed to actually put the golf ball in the hole are lost on me. I cannot contain my need to go at things full force long enough to rest in my movements, focus on the connection between my arms, the club, the ball and the hole. I usually end up laughing at myself over this for a few moments. But then it is on the next good 'whack'.

We recently received as a gift to our community a beautiful, crystal singing bowl. These bowls are used in meditation and are tuned to the different chakras of the body. This bowl, larger than your largest salad bowl, is tuned to the throat chakra and has a high, ringing tone that stays in the room for minutes after it is rung. It is rung by tapping it gently with a rubber mallet and then the person ringing can gently move in circles with the mallet on the inside of the bowl to keep the ringing going on and on. It is a glorious, calming, centering sound.

I, however, cannot seem to master this second part of creating the on-going sound. I tap, tap, tap and when I try to move the mallet in circles within the bowl, I apply too much pressure and the sound comes to a grinding halt. As I was trying this one morning before worship I realized that I am approaching the singing bowl much like I approach putting. Too much effort, too much energy, too much punch, just plain too much.

Many things, perhaps most things, in life take little effort. Most often the things that matter….relationships, love, kindness, appreciation of beauty….really only require being present. Riding on the breath of Spirit we can find a way of walking in the world that isn't so much about how we push and pull, but how we rest and pray. Just writing those words made my shoulders relax.That tells me there must be Truth present.

I am breathing now, deeply, all the way down to my toes. No whacking for me today. Only resting and breathing which may be a good definition of prayer. If you are also wearied from effort, I invite you to join me.Breathe in. Breathe out. Deeply. Resting. Praying.

Have a beautiful, restful weekend……………….