This devotional revealed a lot to me this week, and it's so cool to see that everyone is feeling the same way.

Here are some pieces that stuck out the most to me,

we meditate to give God's words the opportunity to penetrate, For to be in the presence of God is to change, Christian meditation leads us to the inner wholeness necessary to give ourselves to God freely.

When I read christian mediation is not about emptying our minds, this is what I was really struck with:

I've noticed more this year than any other the way our culture emphasizes escape. I hear my roommates and my friends yearn for an escape from themselves, a break from their mind. Especially friday at 4pm. Here at school this is the norm, we are consumed with tests and papers and constant work throughout the week that everyone on campus feels the need to lose themselves completely. I never really understood the dysfunction in this thinking until this year when listened closely to my roommates and what that escape meant for them. I hear this desire to be someone else, to completely vacate and therefore dissociate from any responsibility. Like this is the only way to really relax.

But this isn't how we find true rest. This doesn't bring us closer to God, this is us running from God. I don't know, I mean when I hear this I just hear "hey God, I mean you're great and all but I just need a break, you understand right? i 've just been really stressed" that's not true love.

So when I read this passage on meditation, I am encouraged to listen, and be willing to change, to recognize that this life isn't my own and that I am connected to God in a way that can never be ignored. I am also challenged by this "inner wholeness necessary to give ourselves to God". Our surrender to God isn't sincere if we don't understand what that surrender entails, if we don't treat our relationship like we are actively surrendering to God.

I could talk about this for a long time, but I want to save some for conversations in person!