Devotions based on David Benner’s book, Soulful Spirituality

Meditation can help us be more present to ourselves and to others. It can lead us into a place of inner stillness, solitude, and silence. Meditation can help us focus our mind and help us settle into a mode of open receptivity to God. And in prayer we can wait on Him, listen, and be drawn into His loving presence. But we must let go of our preoccupations and distractions and our self-importance. Often we are too full of ourselves to be available for others. Some people hang on so tightly to their persona that they have cultivated, that there is no room to be present to any one else. We all have some sort of presence or soul influence on others. Some may want to either draw closer to us or move away, depending on the whole atmosphere that moves with us. Knowing something of our own presence is essential if we wish to be present to others in a way that invites them to be present to themselves. Let us live our lives passionately and remember that presence is a gift that we can only give to others when we have first given it to ourselves.