Dear Granddaughter,

Your life is ahead of you. Flashes of insight will come, but real understanding takes time. My hope is that you seriously consider the path contained in this letter. The greatest conquest of your life is to defeat the foe within–your ego–and to obtain union with God.

It wasn’t until I was eighty that my “aha moment” happened. It was in the reading of Sermon Ninety-Five by fourteenth century Dominican friar named Meister Eckhart. He wrote, “That’s why our Lord God gave the soul two kinds of powers, that she might serve our Lord God temporarily with the lowest powers and so that she may serve our Lord God in eternity with the highest powers.” That is, we have one soul that is of two parts: the lower (everyday) and the upper (eternal) is where we unite with God.

There is a spark in our lower soul that needs to be ignited through a leap of faith in order to see the light, God himself, in our higher soul. His reflection within us illuminates like a star, but rather than shining far away, it’s shining within the soul. Through stillness, Eckhart invites us to be totally remodeled and become aware of God’s presence with and within us.

Genesis tells us that, “Then God said, ‘let there be light’; and there was light.” This reminds us of God’s light in Jesus, whose light guides us in the darkness of life. God can light up your path, but you need to become aware of him. We do this not only through worship on Sundays, but through everyday practices as well. Let me share four practices that have been helpful to me as I seek to live out a theology of joy rather than fear.

Change of Mind

Unfortunately a historic mistranslation in the fourth century of the Greek word meaning “to change one’s mind” was translated into Latin as “repent.” Repentance is important, but the idea here is really one of changing your mind to make it more like the mind of God revealed in scripture. When you reach my age, the gates of heaven are an everyday reality. Granddaughter, if you heed my advice, when you stand before St. Peter at the pearly gates, you won’t be saying, “I said I was sorry!” but “my mind has become more like the mind of Christ.”

The Church

Worship together with other Christians provides the grounding for our faith. The sermon, fellowship, music, and ritual: all combine to bring us closer to God and more compassionate toward our neighbors. And church can even be a little fun. One time, I was asked to read the epistle at the last minute before service. The passage was from Acts about St. Paul’s journey in Asia Minor, a passage full of Greek town names that I was unprepared to pronounce. So rather than trying (and failing) to read those names, I substituted on the fly and said, “Anchorage, Louisville, and Lexington. Thus Saith the Lord.” God is moving among the people of his church, even in our imperfections, and we have much to learn from one another. That’s why I often pray this prayer: “Oh God, You are over all, beyond all. Open my eyes to see the wonders that surround me; open my heart to know the wonders of my brothers and sisters; open my lips to sing your praise. Restore all people in your image and likeness. In and through Christ, Amen.”

Stillness

Now, Granddaughter, we must learn to unleash our imagination and embrace childlike wonder, even as adults. We must learn to, “be still and know.” We have to be patient until the knowing comes and we must learn to surrender to the transformations that come only from God. I often reflect on how I lived this day and plan on making tomorrow better. This I do through contemplation, attending to what is happening without thinking. I confess that periods of meditation don’t always result in feeling the palpable presence of God; but letting go prepares us to encounter God nonetheless. Stillness works best as a window, something to look through, not at. Truly seeing means finding the right window frame through which to see the light of God. Like Plato’s cave most of us are content to live in the shadows and not seek the sunshine. Yet for me, contemplative centering prayer is the sunshine that comes best in stillness.

Nature

Nature has a unique way of making us feel spiritually present. One late fall day, as I watched  the leaves fall into my gutters, I wondered if their detachment, their falling down, was another way of viewing our surrender? All people are attracted to experiences that temporarily set aside our sense of self: to music, to beautiful art, to bird watching. These are all ways of reflecting on the inherent goodness of being. Watching a hawk circle overhead is a reminder from God to open our eyes and pay attention, to hear his guiding from above. Nature reminds us to look at God and to look within to see what we might otherwise miss.

These are the ways that I have found helpful on my journey, ways of practicing what Meister Eckhart calls “anti-striving.” As you grow older, I hope and pray that you learn to let go of the impediments to your union with God and embrace the goodness and grace of our existence. And remember: the mystery of God’s incarnation points to the mystery of our union. The far off event in Bethlehem is truly fulfilled and understood when it becomes a present reality, enacted within ourselves, uniting us with God.

Love,
Your Grandfather

Scott Hallenberg and his wife of 60 years live in Athens, TN. He has two grown sons. Scott is a graduate of the University of Georgia and attends a Presbyterian church near his home.

Image courtesy of the Wikimedia Commons