How Good To Center Down!

How Good to Center Down!an excerpt

How good it is to center down!
To sit quietly and see one’s self pass by!
The streets of our minds seethe with endless traffic;
Our spirits resound with clashings, with noisy silences,
While something deep within hungers and thirsts for the still moment and the resting lull.
With full intensity we seek, ere the quiet passes, a fresh sense of order in our living;
A direction, a strong sure purpose that will structure our confusion and bring meaning to our chaos.
As we listen, floating up through all the jangling echoes of our turbulence,
there is a sound of another kind—
A deeper note which only the stillness of the heart makes clear.
It moves directly to the core of our being. Our questions are answered,
Our spirits refreshed, and we move back into the traffic of our daily round
How good it is to center down!

Family and Friends,

This is a powerful piece of prayerful prose by one of the greatest African-American spiritual leaders of all time, Howard Thurman. I recall learning this form of Centering Prayer while in seminary. About four weeks into my course, I was struggling and found this form of prayer to be the most challenging and frustrating spiritual practice I had ever personally attempted. Still, I stayed the “course” knowing that God would see me through to the blessing, in accordance with God’s will. I am now much more comfortable with Centering Prayer and use as one of my tools in my personal spiritual toolbox. It is particularly helpful as I seek to deepen my relationship with Jesus Christ through the power and workings of the Holy Spirit.
Family, if God is calling you to a deeper prayer life or strengthened spiritual practice that may initially seem difficult, stay the course and God will see you through too!

I pray for blessings on your week,
Rev. Ineda P. Adesanya