Written by: Danielle Nutter
The Jesus Connection
We are all born with an intuitive bond to our Creator, allowing us to connect with the heavens. We are encouraged to nurture that connection to communicate with the divine and fulfill God’s will for our lives. Prayer allows us to ask for support, and meditation helps to quiet the mind to receive guidance. If those actions lead us to true happiness, why aren’t more of us praying and meditating?
My Battle With The Jesus Connection
As a child, my parents trained me to pray every night at bedtime by kneeling at my bedside, placing my hands together with my eyes closed, and reciting the “Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep” prayer. I ditched that prayer when I got older and only prayed to God when something went wrong. I viewed God as my ‘personal genie’ that rewarded me as long as I did good things. My understanding of prayer changed as I awakened.
While exploring ways to grow spiritually, I thought meditation would be a good practice to develop so I could begin to receive sacred insight and direction. There were so many different types and ways to meditate that I had to narrow down why I wanted to meditate in the first place. My reasons were to relax my mind and open the channel of my consciousness to hear the intuitive voice of love.
Step 11: Pray & meditate to improve your conscious contact with God. Pray for only knowledge and His will for you and the power to carry it out.
HEAL’N TEES
Heal’n My Jesus Connection
To activate my spiritual development, I studied the methods, reasons, and benefits of why I should pray. I came across many rituals, formalities, and routines that some people do to praise and submit to their Lord & Savior. Because I was not at their level of commitment, I started simple and stuck to the basic five Ws:
Prayer
- Pray to Who: Pray To your choice of Lord & Savior, Angels, Spirit guides, etc.
- Pray for What: First, give thanks, then ask only for guidance, clarity, and the ability to carry out your soul purpose (blessings, rewards & miracles will follow).
- Pray When: Talk with God anytime- anywhere – all the time – when things are going well and when times get tough.
- Pray Where: Church, at home, at the bedside, with spiritual groups, holy & sacred places, in nature, or at your favorite/unique spot.
- Why Pray: Communicating with God can make our human experience more meaningful and perhaps prepare us for what is next after leaving Earth.
After I began talking to God frequently, it evolved into a habit of talking to Him in my mind, aloud at any time and anywhere throughout the day. When my connection seemed to be open, I noticed my prayers were being heard and answered. My answers come in the form of angel numbers, spirit animals, synchronicities, messages from others, songs, dreams, and impressions in my mind.
Meditation
My first thousand attempts to meditate were unsuccessful! I had difficulty making my mind go blank and keeping it empty. Thoughts came out of nowhere! I tried sitting with my legs crossed, laying down, kneeling, sitting straight up, standing, taking short, long, and alternating long and short breaths with no luck.
Because I was determined to learn, I tried using guided meditations. They jump-started my ability to relax my body, concentrate on my breath, and quiet my mind. As I became more comfortable with being still and calm, I attempted to meditate without assistance. My quiet mind time rose from seconds to minutes. Eventually, I learned how to focus on my breath and relax my mind anywhere and any time when needed. Meditation is a spiritual discipline that requires practice. And we all know that practice makes better.
Remember For Your Heal’n
Prayer and meditation are the foundation of almost all spiritual and religious practices. Our mind is the gateway to the spiritual world and is a tool that allows us to exchange information. Prayer is simply thanking and talking to God, while meditation opens the mind to receive information. Our responsibility is to nurture the connection to the divine to keep it open and active. Trust that praying works. God is a great listener!
Your Two Cents…
Do you practice prayer and meditation to improve your life? Leave your comment below.