On this date, November 22, 1963, C. S. Lewis died.
He wrote a lot of letters, many of them answering the letters of others who wrote him to ask about question about the Christian life.
In one such answer to a Miss Bodle, who asked about prayer, he wrote this paragraph:
“Of course it is very difficult to keep God only before one for more than a few seconds. Our minds are in ruins before we bring them to Him & the rebuilding is gradual. It may help to practice concentration on other objects twice a week quite apart from one’s prayer: i.e. sit down looking at some physical object (say, a flower) and try for a few minutes to attend exclusively to it, quietly (never impatiently) rejecting the train of thought & imagination wh. keep starting up.”
Only a person who actually prays could write with such insight about prayer.
Only one who actually tries to pray would resonate with his description of the challenge of praying.
Note his last words: “…keep starting up.”
Yes, you will drift off, but when you realize it, start again, and keep starting up. In time when we keep practicing, we’ll keep getting better, until the day we stop, because, like he has been for 61 years, we will see the Lord face to face and we’ll no longer be distracted.
_______
kingdom travelin' 