The Power of Contemplative Living
Laura Longville
I get a lot of questions about what contemplative living or contemplative spirituality is and what the retreats are about. I’m taking the opportunity to answer some of those questions and to outline the retreats in greater detail in the next few blog posts.
Contemplative Living Retreat #1 is our orientation to contemplative living, where we uncover our life-giving desires and grasp how observing Sabbath brings us restoration.
Contemplation, according to Oxford Dictionary, is the action of looking thoughtfully at something for a long time. We look at nature like this or kind-heartedly look at someone we love, like our spouse or newborn baby. We’re noticing, paying attention, and spending a little more time reflecting on what we’re looking at.
Christian contemplation is the action of looking thoughtfully at something for a long time, through the lens of God or from a spiritual perspective. Our viewpoint or perception of contemplative living is our relationship with the Trinity.
Together, we discover practices to make space for God and develop ways to settle into life rhythms supporting contemplative living.
God dwells within our desires.
Our desires are one of God’s primary instruments of communicating to us. God inflames the heart with holy desires (not selfish) and attraction toward a life of praise and service. When we tap into the deepest desires of our heart, we can trust that it is God who has placed them there.
When we know our deepest desires, we know something important about ourselves and God. Our deepest desires come from and point to God. Desires are a powerful expression of our passions, and these passions are what motivate us to action. Part of retreat #1 is detecting and treasuring our desires.
“I don’t have time for Sabbath.”
I’ve said that statement myself and heard countless others say the same thing. Realizing that God gave us Sabbath as a gift and is vital for our mental, physical, and spiritual health is at the core of this retreat. We discover that a day of rest gives us clarity, peace of body and mind, and refreshes us for our upcoming week.
The retreats bring together a group of like-minded people to help us live on purpose. They give us support, encouragement, and accountability to live as we intend. You don’t have to do this alone, and maybe God is inviting you to join in on this Christian contemplative journey. To find out more about this journey, read about it here.
The next blog post in the Contemplative Living series will reveal the hallmarks of contemplative spirituality: silence, solitude, stillness, and the spiritual discipline of centering prayer.