SadhanaOriental Meditation and Christian Prayer
Contemplation in action
ーLandscape in my heartー
[2]Quiet, even state of mind
As we keep praying, we receive “fruits” of the works of the Holy Spirit. One of such fruits is the quiet, stable, and even state of mind.
For example, we can develop an even state of mind as if victoriaamazonica spreads leaves on the surface of water. As victoriaamazonica stays still even when a person stands on it, the heart of a person who has achieved a balanced, even state of mind as a result of receiving the fruit from the Holy Spirit is stable and firm.
When an emergency arises in our life, we do not have to lose our calm because God knows it before we recognize it.
And when we face a big challenge, or a troublesome problem, we can often find various ways to solve it. Receiving the fruit of the Holy Spirit, we can face such problems in a calm manner. It is not easy to handle problems, but we can think of various measures without getting tense.
――This is too big or troublesome for me to handle by myself. I will look for somebody who can help me.
――I will ask to extend the deadline so that I can achieve it step by step.
――I will accept this project, but I will stop other projects for a while and concentrate on this big one. By carefully considering the best possible measures and methods, I can somehow deal with it.
――It is impossible to accept this project. I will try my best to have me excluded from this matter.
By looking for a sincere way to handle a situation, we can surely overcome it in a calm manner.
We are sometimes confronted with situations that may cause worries, concerns, and psychological pain.
――The life of my family member is suddenly put at risk.
――I found that I have cancer.
――Suddenly, I need a large amount of money because of my own fault.
Because we are human beings, we get upset. We need to pray well. If we receive the fruit of the Holy Spirit, we can accept a situation before long. After we accept it, we seriously look for how we should behave in such circumstances. Sometimes accepting even a huge change in our life, we calm our disturbed feelings, and finally start following a better path.
While going through ups and downs and disturbed feelings, we can quickly regain a quiet, even state of mind, supported by the fruit of the Holy Spirit. In this way, we tend to be able to keep our grace and dignity as a human being.
By the way, when we stay quiet and even, we benefit from it considerably. We are more likely to recognize small “signs of the times” and “God’s whispers,” which are shown through people.
In addition, when we plan for the future or make a choice, such plan and choice tends to be well-grounded and sophisticated.
――The way of handling life in a quiet and even state of mind will direct us to richer life.
Once again, we need to keep praying to gain the above landscape in our heart.