Spiritual exercise
photo shot in the Rio Grande bosque, ABQ, New Mexico
Contemplative Walk.
Invitation. Set aside some time in your day to walk with God. Take a contemplative walk somewhere away from your normal space if possible.
You may wish to begin by noticing:
Is there a word or phrase from Scripture, a reading, a song, a prayer, or even a conversation that is staying with you?
Name aloud the word or phrase. As you begin, listen to the stirrings as your feet walk and your senses engage. What thoughts about this word or phrase come to mind? Hold those thoughts.
Pause when you need to and look out around you, look up into the sky, wonder with God about what you are noticing. The inner path and outward, does it feel like there is something the Spirit of God is revealing?
Keep the contemplative walk going until you feel ready to leave. At some point in your day or evening, write some thoughts of this time down. Notice where God is meeting you. What He is inviting you in or with? Offer silence to yourself and be with God. Give thankfulness to Him for this gift of pondering.
Reflection from one of my own walks.
Bosque: Explore and betrothed.
I find myself being drawn to the outdoor space of the Bosque. What you might ask is the Bosque?
Bosque: The Spanish word for forest.
In the state of New Mexico, we have one of the largest Cottonwood forests in the United States (so I’m told). It lines the Rio Grande River and is full of life. As I walk, I hear sudden little movements. Thankfully I know they are lizards and not alligators. Alligators are another story, they are found in the swamps and waterways of Florida so my sweet friend tells me when I brought her once into our bosque forest. She surprised me by saying, “Those aren’t alligators right!” I replied “Yes, only the tiniest of alligators “lizards.” With that, I know I am pretty safe exploring the woods for contemplative times of needed silence and solitude.
A walk. Because it’s necessary for me to listen to the stirrings within my present journey. The Bosque. Because it is a wide open space for such pondering and conversation with my God. It’s also rugged with endless natural beauty and wandering trails. Trails leading narrow, or if you choose wide pathways.
This day, I began on the narrow trail. My mind was so jammed packed with stuff-- numerous thoughts. I realized while on this narrow path, I needed to explore self-emptying in the presence of God. A conversation of my feet and my mind took form. I began asking God to help me toss out a lot of stuff going on inside. The word desolation was being felt and I even noticed my stepping path was very unsteady, and moving up, over, and around definitely not a steady stride yet. I shared with God my thoughts as I walked— my lack of dependency on Him, my insecurity, my baggage of the past. Within a few moments of my path, I paused in my step. Listening to the spirit of God within say, “hey wait a minute, aren’t we talking about today, the present.” I then realized the biggest part of this self-emptying was for me to notice today and not the past. In my next steps forward, in the wide open space of the bosque, I was reminded of the word betrothed from Hosea 2:19-20, and began speaking aloud the present ways of God in my life which carried the words: “I am betrothed to you in stability, I am betrothed to loving kindness, I am betrothed to faithfulness, to justice…” Aww, yes Lord. The movements of consolation began to move in as desolation subsided. This is what God does when we are in conversation, and noticing what is going on within us. I find outdoor walks help me immensely.
As my trekking continued, I came to a beautiful scene in the bosque, and began wondering about how more of God and His consolation would begin flowing into my being. I turned and looked back, and behind me I imagined the layers of self-emptying were being thrown off like layers of clothing behind me. Gazing my eyes forward and upward, and seeing the scene of radiate sun and bright mustard yellow flowers naturally lining my path, I realized here the consoling love of my God was right in my midst. I decided to video this path and return to it as a visio divina. As I was experiencing a live visio divina with my God I felt the pleasant peacefulness of God flood into my being. From that moment on in my Bosque Walk, my feet began to trek quickly to the wide open path I knew was ahead. In the final mile of my trek, the beauty of consolation came into fullness of love and rest within my soul. Thank you, O God, for being my friend and guide, to walk with me and listen. You are faithful! Amen.
