Meditation # 1-How do I begin?

Do you remember or can you reflect on what it was like to watch your children grow and develop? First, there is presence and touch. You dote on every smile, gurgle, arm movement, laugh, feet kick, and sound. You are attentive, responsive, engaged. You watch in fascination how your developing child wiggles, lifts her head, begins to roll over from back to stomach. You listen intently, focusing on every sound in order to be attuned to his needs, because he has yet to develop a verbal language. But "mothers know" what their child needs, right? Why? You and she have been communicating from the time of conception through your body, your emotions, your tone of voice, your speaking to your child. Her neural pathways have begun being wired just by your presence and engagement. He is already learning about identity, security, and intimacy. She is learning from the person who was and is essential to her existence. These are the beginnings of developing this knowledge, awareness, and experience.

Stop now and consider the meditation verse for today. "The fear of the Lord "was an ancient way of describing a healthy, humble, intimate, respectful, pleasurable, and internally satisfying relationship with God. It speaks of knowing him for all that he is, good, loving, righteous, holy, all knowing, everywhere present. He is the Author, Designer, and Sustainer of all life, including relationship dynamics. The rest of the first sentence is the focus for today. This, "fear of the Lord" is the beginning, the starting point, the essence , of truly knowing and being known. In other words, truly being in relationship with the Lord is the starting point of finding your identity, security, and intimacy. Who better knows your thoughts, feelings, needs? Who better could attune to your body rhythms, your sensations, your hurts? Here is a question to honestly ponder. Where am I in my awareness and experience of God? A completely honest answer is the best one. Where do I desire to be? Remain the same? Move away? Move closer? If so, how do I go from one to the other? How do I begin?

Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.