| The World Community for Christian Meditation |
| Christian Meditation with Children |
|
- MY SEARCHING HEART
During the holidays, I spent a week with my grandparents who live in the country. While I was there, my
grandfather made my grandmother a jewelry box for her birthday.
Every day he spent a few hours in the garage making it. I went with him and watched as he chose a
particular piece of wood, cut it into the shape he wanted and began carving a special design on top of the
box. He treated the wood with love and care and he worked with it slowly. It was as if the wood and his
hands were one, working to create something really beautiful.
Sometimes we sat together in silence, other times he talked to me as he worked. One particular
conversation will always stay with me. My grandfather said that when he left school he didn´t know what he
wanted to do. He said that in those days, most boys went into a trade and some went to university, but he
didn´t have the grades to do that.
He said he was lucky to have learnt carpentry and then to get a job as a carpenter. In time, he found that he
really liked it.
He told me that it is so important for young people to search until they find what they really want to do.
"Everyone has at least one thing that they want to do", he said. "It doesn´t matter what you choose, what
matters is that you take the time while you´re at school to discover what that something is".
I didn´t quite know what he meant and he went on to say that everyone has things they want to do inside of
them and that they need to work out what they are.
I told him that I didn´t know what I wanted to do or be. He said that it would be good to take some time to be
quiet and to think about all the things I´m interested in, all the things I´d like to do, all the things I dream about
doing and make a big list. He told me to make sure that I put everything on it, no matter how unrealistic some
things may be. Then I can take the years I have left at school to go through the list.
He told me not to be afraid of trying everything on the list, even if i didn´t think I would be good at it. He said I
wouldn´t know until I tried. As you go through school, you can add to the list and cross of the things you´ve
tried and don´t like.
He made some suggestions because he could see that I wasn´t sure what he was talking about. If you like
music you could learn the guitar or to sing, if you like drawing you could try technical design or painting, if
there is a sport you haven´t tried, then you could try it and see if you like it.
I told him I was only in Year 7 and that I´ve still got quite a few years of school. “Make your list when you want
to, but don´t leave it too late. You want to give yourself enough time to find out the things you like and don´t
like”, he said.
I liked the idea that there are things inside me that I would like to do, but I need to take the time to search for
them. I liked the idea of deciding for myself what I want to be.
On my last day, Grandpa gave my grandmother the jewelry box. The design was so beautiful and I saw how
much of himself my grandfather put into creating it, from a simple piece of wood. I couldn´t help thinking how
my grandfather had found the something inside of him that he most wanted to do.
Jesus help me discover the things inside me that I most want to do.
In the Bible we read that Jesus went off by himself to pray. Meditation is a way of praying. During meditation
my mind becomes quiet and my whole body becomes still, so that I can listen to God silently in my heart.
Listening to silence like this brings me to peace.
When I begin to meditate, I need to be comfortable, sitting with my back straight and being very quiet and
still. This helps me breathe easily. I close my eyes and I become still, my body relaxes.
When I am sitting quietly with my eyes closed, my mind wanders and I tend to think about lots of things.
Saying a word over and over silently to myself, helps me become open to God. A word that I say over and
over is called a mantra. The special word that I say silently to myself is Maranatha, which means Come
Lord. I can break the word into four parts and say it slowly, Ma-ra-na-tha, Ma-ra-na-tha.
When thoughts come into my mined, I keep saying the mantra. As I say Maranatha over and over to myself,
my mind slowly becomes quiet. If I find that I have stopped saying my mantra and my mind is full of thoughts,
then I start saying my mantra again.
Even though it feels different, I need to sit still, keep my eyes closed and say my mantra over and over for the
whole meditation time.
I can meditate anytime I want. It doesn´t matter where I am or who is with me. I stop whay I´m doing and
meditate by saying my mantra quietly to myself.
Now let us sit up straight, close our eyes and say our word Maranatha, over and over, silently to ourselves,
as we begin to pray.
| TEACH YOUR CHILDREN TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD |
