Return.

Have you ever thought of a breath as delicious?

One of the practices we use at the forthcoming Vining Center is called The Three-Centered Meditation, and it opens with these words, “Begin by taking two or three deep breaths. Full, enjoyable, delicious breaths.”

Try it for a moment. Pause in your reading of this post and take a few conscious breaths. What’s it like to be aware of the oxygen being drawn down deeply into your lungs, enlivening and energizing your body? Almost like a glass of cool water after a sweaty workout.  Absolutely delicious. Hold that thought.

Another practice you’ve heard me reference before is called Centering Prayer, and if you ever attend a training in this practice, you will undoubtably hear the story of an earnest nun who was trying to still her mind and let go of the thoughts intruding upon her meditation. She complained to Thomas Keating (the monk who gave form to Centering Prayer), “I’m sorry, Father, but I’m just doing this so badly. My mind gets invaded by a thousand thoughts every time I try.”

Reportedly, Keating smiled broadly and exclaimed, “How wonderful! A thousand chances to return to center.”

The first few times I heard the story, I was like, Okay, I get it. Meditation isn’t a performance, a proving ground, or a competition. It’s a practice…and it takes time to grow our capacity for inner stillness. And after being a practitioner of Centering Prayer for almost a decade, I can attest that it does indeed take time to grow our capacity for stillness.

But something has shifted for me in meditation recently—something that has brought me great delight: I’ve begun to savor the return. The typical direction for Centering Prayer is, “When you find yourself drifting from presence into thought, simply let go of the thoughts and ever so gently return to center.” I used to find myself drifting…and “ever so annoyedly” return. But now, the return is sweet. The return is delicious. The return is quietly exhilarating… It’s worth the wander to have the chance to return.

And that’s the reason Centering Prayer (and similar practices) are so instructive in the journey of spiritual formation: because it’s all about The Return. We could even characterize the entire spiritual life as one continuous act of returning. Which is why the parable of the prodigal son strikes such a resounding chord for most of us. It is the quintessential story that tells us who we are (some combination of older and younger brother) and who God is. And the plot is (spoiler alert) all about the Return. Returning and celebrating.

If this is true, then woven into every facet of life—going to work, loving your spouse, attending your small group, volunteering at the homeless shelter, paying your bills—is this overarching concern to get really comfortable with the Return. Don’t resist it. Don’t let it get hijacked by disappointment or shame. Returning is the deal!

So what is it that we’re returning to? We are returning to the point and purpose of the Three-Centered Meditation: an open heart, a quiet mind, and a grounded presence. A place where our thoughts aren’t hammering incessantly, where our emotions aren’t being hooked and jerked around, and where our spirituality is integrated with and grounded in our physical bodies. It’s a way of being that rises above all our small agendas and identities to something more fundamental and essential.

For now, I’ll leave you with this overarching encouragement to savor the Return. Not just in prayer but in the course of daily life. When you feel yourself getting hijacked by anxiety, frustration, or insecurity (symptoms of our core human needs), it’s time to return. Return to the place of belovedness, abundance, and surrender.

Contemplate

What are the small stories, the dramas that are spinning through your life right now, trying to hijack your attention and your peace? Name it, hold it, and then release it into the hands of God for safekeeping. And then return to that centered place: an open heart, a quiet mind, and a grounded presence. Feel the freedom that flows from that exchange.

Takeaway

The Return is sweet.