Impractical Advice
We feel the sharp pinpricks of pain whenever we lose anything—our purse, wallet, a favorite photo or an old treasured memento. Losing things is attributed to a lack of attention or (more frighteningly) to the forgetfulness of aging.
To prevent losing or misplacing such things as car keys, simply develop a new habit. Routinely keep your car keys in the same place when they are not in use and always place them back there after using them. That’s a way to create a no-lose habit. Another way is to practice being mindful of what you are doing while you are doing it. Sound easy? It isn’t because we typically are distracted.
Inattention—being distracted by wandering thoughts—is the most common complaint of those attempting to meditate or pray. Being distracted, however, isn’t a byproduct of praying; it is the mind’s abiding state. The mind is engaged with thoughts of the past or the future, and rarely with the present moment. We are unaware of this endless merry-go-round of thoughts of the mind until we attempt to focus it on one activity, such as praying, meditating or studying.
A simple solution to prevent losing things (and having fewer distractions in your prayer) is to do just one thing at a time and bring your full attention to what you’re doing. Simple, yet actually doing it requires gargantuan mental discipline.
Perhaps the greatest of all fears is the loss of someone you love. No good habits or spiritual practice can prevent this fear from eventually becoming a reality. One of the wisest sayings of the Galilean Teacher is, “Fear not.” When his advice is applied to our subterranean fear of losing someone deeply loved, it sounds flippantly superficial—yet, it is profoundly true. Helen Keller spoke to its truthfulness when she said, “What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we loved deeply becomes part of us!”
To personalize her insight, begin by not limiting yourself to your body. Next take a few moments to gaze at someone you love, seeing her or him not as someone separate from you, but as being intimately united body and soul with you. Then rejoice and do not be afraid, for you cannot lose that with which you are totally one.
To prevent losing or misplacing such things as car keys, simply develop a new habit. Routinely keep your car keys in the same place when they are not in use and always place them back there after using them. That’s a way to create a no-lose habit. Another way is to practice being mindful of what you are doing while you are doing it. Sound easy? It isn’t because we typically are distracted.
Inattention—being distracted by wandering thoughts—is the most common complaint of those attempting to meditate or pray. Being distracted, however, isn’t a byproduct of praying; it is the mind’s abiding state. The mind is engaged with thoughts of the past or the future, and rarely with the present moment. We are unaware of this endless merry-go-round of thoughts of the mind until we attempt to focus it on one activity, such as praying, meditating or studying.
A simple solution to prevent losing things (and having fewer distractions in your prayer) is to do just one thing at a time and bring your full attention to what you’re doing. Simple, yet actually doing it requires gargantuan mental discipline.
Perhaps the greatest of all fears is the loss of someone you love. No good habits or spiritual practice can prevent this fear from eventually becoming a reality. One of the wisest sayings of the Galilean Teacher is, “Fear not.” When his advice is applied to our subterranean fear of losing someone deeply loved, it sounds flippantly superficial—yet, it is profoundly true. Helen Keller spoke to its truthfulness when she said, “What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we loved deeply becomes part of us!”
To personalize her insight, begin by not limiting yourself to your body. Next take a few moments to gaze at someone you love, seeing her or him not as someone separate from you, but as being intimately united body and soul with you. Then rejoice and do not be afraid, for you cannot lose that with which you are totally one.
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