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The contemplative mind is really just the mind that emerges when you pray instead of think first. Praying opens the field and moves beyond fear and judgment and agenda and analysis, and just lets the moment be what it is—as it is. (Richard Rohr)

Let’s be honest, fear, judgment, and agendas are obvious. You’re not fooling anyone if you live with these things in your heart. If asked an honest person would tell you whether you sometimes come across threatening, judgmental, or overly concerned with getting your point across (if you’re married ask your spouse about these things). It’s as if all humans have a built in sixth sense of knowing when they are being treated out of fear and not love. Although the victim of these things cannot always articulate what they have felt imposed on them, they ultimately know deep down that they are being treated wrongly. A person my react by feeling smothered, misunderstood, trapped, and by forming judgments, fears, and agendas of their own. Conflict is always a two-way street.

The Beautiful Alternative…

A Prayerful Posture opens me up to God in a time of confrontation (fear and judgment are both postures we hold onto within confrontation). This opening gives me a sense of spaciousness (spaciousness is my new mantra these days). God has space for the mess (and frankly I don’t think God would call it “mess” – mess is only what I call the things I don’t like). Prayer opens me up to the Great Seer. God is the only one who truly sees. Ultimately, fear and judgment is my attempt to see what I was never meant to see, namely, the future and someone’s heart. An agenda is my attempt to carry out plans put in place based on fabricated seeing.

How free would I be if I really believed that I can’t see?

When I say I’m open-minded or an open person, how open am I really?

Do I secretly judge those close to me who call themselves “alternative and liberal thinkers”? If so, observe yourself when you enter in judgment towards someone who bugs you by how they differ from you. Observe what comes up and ask God to open you or unfurl you.

Relax today by knowing you don’t have to be the Great Seer.