Making Space for Grace

Grace – those ordinary moments with ordinary people in ordinary places when the veil of the familiar parts to reveal the movement of God.  Grace surprises and comes unsolicited.  But it always comes as Gift whether we expect it, believe it or deserve it.  I cannot make grace happen, but I can ready myself for receptivity, thereby making space for grace to be revealed.
 
I don’t recall when I first began the practice of sitting in my prayer chair each morning before dawn.  Most likely, my practice was born out of necessity for peace and quiet in my busy household with the demands of 4 young children. It was a place to nurse the baby, sip coffee, make grocery lists and write in my journal.  I don’t remember which child first called the old tattered chair my “prayer chair” or which one named the living room the “loving” room.  But somehow we all knew that in that room, sitting in that chair, we were in sacred space.
 
It is now many years later.  My children are grown, my home is quiet, yet my prayer chair practice continues to be an anchor for the faith that sustains me through the seasons of my life.  Over the years, I have learned that my soul is nourished by my daily spiritual practice of stillness, meditation and prayer.  Emptying and quiet waiting provide a way to take root in God.  No matter what my troubles or what has kept me tossing and turning in the night, the holy exchange of simply sitting in my chair and showing up for God offers opportunity each morning to begin anew. My practice grounds me, provides form and regularity and supports me when my faith is dry, my heart is cracking and I am not sure whether to run for the glue or let it break wide open.
 
We live in a frenzied world.  Our souls are parched from spiritual deprivation as everyday pressures drain us.  We need to close the doors on the chaos so that we don’t miss the whispers of grace in those moments when holiness is revealed before us.  The great Sufi poet, Hafiz, said it best:  “For God to make love, for the divine alchemy to work, The Pitcher needs a still cup.”