And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven.And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
Genesis 1:6-8
God’s decision on the second day was to divide the truth of water. In that, he created the water cycle, weather patterns, a massive water filtration and distribution system. All to make a way for the rest of creation, in all it’s variety to exist. Like God, we make decisive cuts into the reality before us: decisions and discernment. The practices we will adopt and experience are part of the process of gaining wisdom.
Wisdom gained through these interactions with truth develops a sense of discernment.
Imagine your experience being a kind of surfing. Like the surfer, a keen awareness of the flow of water must be experienced. The experience considers the mass of water, the curvature of the wave, the speed, predicting when it will break and the shape. It is an interaction with reality and a meditation. Then the surfer with a profound understanding of her body, the board, balance, and buoyancy, moves and walks upon the water.
So too, in our interaction we experience this vast interplay with the elements of the world, in many ways, subconsciously, moving with the world around us.
Find a quiet place, thoughtful, inquisitive, determined to understand a theme, a time, a text; whatever it may be, consider taking time to be still. Many things can be considered meditative focal points: Christ and his creation, God and his goodness, the Spirit and his guidance. The scriptures can help us focus on all these good things. Meditative mantras can also be used to help us reduce the busy-ness of our mind, and minimize the distractions all around.
Photo by Matt Paul Catalano on Unsplash