I am not a "being" kind of woman. I am a "doing" kind of woman. Remember Martha and Mary? I'm Martha all the way. I want to write my list and go! There are mountains to climb and bridges to build.
But I finally realized something, being goal oriented with God is like herding cats. It's impossible. He doesn't adhere to my time table or work things out the way the way I want him to. Quite frankly the only way God and I are going to last is if I learn to lay down my list and learn how to "be" in love with God regardless of how things are.
So to those who get what I am saying and have experienced what I am talking about, I would really like to hear about the practical ways you surrender to God and fall more in love with Him.
Back in the day, I was in a big chain bookstore looking at bibles. I was minding my own business when this guy walks up and asks me if I'm a Christian. I tell him yes and he tells me that he is visiting my hometown and finds it beautiful. I tell him that he's fortunate to have visited during a time when the weather is nice because we just got past a big winter dump and the last bit of snow had finally disappeared. He said he hasn't seen snow in a long time. He then says that he has to go but he goes and picks out a book and hands me a twenty dollar bill and tells me that he wants to buy me this book. I ask him to wait with me and I'll give him his change back and he says to keep the change. He then looks at me in this really weird way all smiley and says that he hopes the next time we see each other will be in the Kingdom and leaves.
Part of my journey toward God involved this weird exchange between me and this guy and this book by a protestant pastor named Francis Chan. The book is called, Crazy Love. It coincides with this website where you listen to these little introduction videos and then read the chapter. I never would have read a hokey little book like this but given that the guy went out of his way, I did. One of the things I like about the book is that it keeps you at a bird's eye view wherein you see a bigger picture than the little details of our own private lives and yet helps put those little details into perspective.
The other thing I can think of that might be practical is prayer. I think I've told you this before but prayer isn't always us yapping at God but actually being still. Not yapping or even trying to "think". It's not unlike just "being". "Being" still before God helps us listen to God. He already knows what we'll yap on about but how often do we just take the time to look around at what He is saying. If, as it says in Romans, His invisible attributes are clearly seen in the creation then there's nowhere we can't go and look, listen, touch, smell created things (even abstract things!) that won't, if meditated upon, reveal what He is "like".
Check out the Philokalia and or some of the writings of "The Desert Fathers". They are and have devoted their lives in a way that is "still".
Here are some of the sayings of the Fathers:
When a man walks in the fear of God he knows no fear, even if he
were to be surrounded by wicked men. He has the fear of God within
him and wears the invincible armor of faith. This makes him strong
and able to take on anything, even things which seem difficult or
impossible to most people. Such a man is like a giant surrounded
by monkeys, or a roaring lion among dogs and foxes. He goes
forward trusting in the Lord and the constancy of his will to
strike and paralyze his foes. He wields the blazing club of the
Word in wisdom.
St. Symeon the New Theologian, The Practical and Theological
Chapters
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When we lay bare the hidden meaning of the history, scripture is
seen to teach that the birth which distresses the tyrant is the
beginning of the virtuous life. I am speaking of the kind of birth
in which free will serves as the midwife, delivering the child
amid great pain. For no one causes grief to his antagonist unless
he exhibits in himself those marks which give proof of his victory
over the other.
St. Gregory of Nyssa, The Life of Moses. + + +
O strange and inconceivable thing! We did not really die, we were
not really buried, we were not really crucified and raised again,
but our imitation was but a figure, while our salvation is in
reality. Christ was actually crucified, and actually buried, and
truly rose again; and all these things have been vouchsafed to us,
that we, by imitation communicating in His sufferings, might gain
salvation in reality. O surpassing loving-kindness! Christ
received the nails in His undefiled hands and feet, and endured
anguish; while to me without suffering or toil, by the fellowship
of His pain He vouchsafed salvation.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, On the Christian Sacraments.
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Repentance is the renewal of baptism. Repentance is a contract
with God for a second life. A penitent is a buyer of humility.
Repentance is constant distrust of bodily comfort. Repentance is
self-condemning reflection, and carefree self-care. Repentance is
the daughter of hope and the renunciation of despair. A penitent
is an undisgraced convict. Repentance is reconciliation with the
Lord by the practice of good deeds contrary to the sins.
Repentance is purification of conscience. Repentance is the
voluntary endurance of all afflictions. A penitent is the
inflicter of his own punishments. Repentance is a mighty
persecution of the stomach, and a striking of the soul into
vigorous awareness.
St. John Climacus
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Those who seek humility should bear in mind the three following
things: that they are the worst of sinners, that they are the most
despicable of all creatures since their state is an unnatural one,
and that they are even more pitiable than the demons, since they
are slaves to the demons. You will also profit if you say this to
yourself: how do I know what or how many other people's sins are,
or whether they are greater than or equal to my own? In our
ignorance you and I , my soul, are worse than all men, we are dust
and ashes under their feet. How can I not regard myself as more
despicable than all other creatures, for they act in accordance
with the nature they have been given, while I, owing to my
innumerable sins, am in a state contrary to nature.
St. Gregory of Sinai, Philokalia, Vol. IV.
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He, therefore, who sets himself to act evilly and yet wishes
others to be silent, is a witness against himself, for he wishes
himself to be loved more than the truth, which he does not wish to
be defended against himself. There is, of course, no man who so
lives as not sometimes to sin, but he wishes truth to be loved
more than himself, who wills to be spared by no one against the
truth. Wherefore, Peter willingly accepted the rebuke of Paul;
David willingly hearkened to the reproof of a subject. For good
rulers who pay no regard to self-love, , take as a homage to their
humility the free and sincere words of subjects. But in this
regard the office of ruling must be tempered with such great art
of moderation, that the minds of subjects, when demonstrating
themselves capable of taking right views in some matters, are
given freedom of expression, but freedom that does not issue into
pride, otherwise, when liberty of speech is granted too
generously, the humility of their own lives will be lost.
St. Gregory The Great, Pastoral Care
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The Lord of all gave to His apostles the power of the gospel, and
by them we also have learned the truth, that is, the teaching of
the Son of God - as the Lord said to them, `He who hears you hears
Me, and he who despises you despises Me, and Him Who sent Me'
[Lk.10:16]. For we learned the plan of our salvation from no other
than from those through whom the gospel came to us. The first
preached it abroad, and then later by the will of God handed it
down to us in Scriptures, to be the foundation and pillar of our
faith. For it is not right to say that they preached before they
had come to perfect knowledge, as some dare to say, boasting that
they are the correctors of the apostles. For after our Lord had
risen from the dead, and they were clothed with the power from on
high when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were filled with
all things and had perfect knowledge. They went out to the ends of
the earth, preaching the good things that come to us from God, and
proclaiming peace from heaven to all men, all and each of them
equally being in possession of the gospel of God.
St. Irenaeus, Against the Heresies, III
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The Lord's Day is a mystery of the knowledge of the truth that is
not received by flesh and blood, and it transcends speculations.
In this age there is no eighth day, nor is there a true Sabbath.
For he who said that `God rested on the seventh day,' signified
the rest [of our nature] from the course of this life, since the
grave is also of a bodily nature and belongs to this world. Six
days are accomplished in the husbandry of life by means of keeping
the commandments; the seventh is spent entirely in the grave; and
the eighth is the departure from it.
St. Isaac of Syria, The Ascetical Homilies.I
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The wicked one, on the watch, carried me off as booty as I lazily
slept.
He led my mind into error; he plundered my spirit and snatched
away
The wealth of Thy grace, this arch robber.
So raise me up, as I am fallen, and summon me, Saviour,
Thou who dost will that all men be saved.
Kontakia of St. Romanos, A Prayer.
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The roof of any house stands upon the foundations and the rest of
the structure. The foundations themselves are laid in order to
carry the roof. This is both useful and necessary, for the roof
cannot stand without the foundations and the foundations are
absolutely useless without the roof - no help to any living
creature. In the same way the grace of God is preserved by the
practice of the commandments, and the observance of these
commandments is laid down like foundations through the gift of
God. The grace of the Spirit cannot remain with us without the
practice of the commandments, but the practice of the commandments
is of no help or advantage to us without the grace of God.
St. Symeon the New Theologian
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I shall speak first about control of the stomach, the opposite to
gluttony, and about how to fast and what and how much to eat. I
shall say nothing on my own account, but only what I have received
from the Holy Fathers. They have not given us only a single rule
for fasting or a single standard and measure for eating, because
not everyone has the same strength; age, illness or delicacy of
body create differences. But they have given us all a single goal:
to avoid over-eating and the filling of our bellies... A clear
rule for self-control handed down by the Fathers is this: stop
eating while still hungry and do not continue until you are
satisfied.
St. John Cassian
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In Christianity truth is not a philosophical concept nor is it a
theory, a teaching, or a system, but rather, it is the living
theanthropic hypostasis - the historical Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
Before Christ men could only conjecture about the Truth since they
did not possess it. With Christ as the incarnate divine Logos the
eternally complete divine Truth enters into the world. For this
reason the Gospel says: "Truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
St. Justin Popovich