Curious Christian

When you hear the word meditation, what comes to mind? Is it the saffron robed guru from India or the monk from Tibet? Is it the scantily clad supermodel sitting in a lotus position on a beach? Is it a medieval hermit sitting on top of a mountain? Maybe a young Wiccan sitting in a circle of candles? Whatever it is, I suspect few would think of a Christian. Yet, here I am.

In an image-saturated society, Christian meditators often conjure up a mental blank. We go largely unrecognised. Yet in a sense, that is the essence of the Christian path. After all, Jesus was quite critical of people who thought externals made them “spiritual” and never sought to stand out from the crowd in this way himself.

So what does make the truly spiritual person stand out? I think the apostle Paul summed it up perfectly in 1 Corinthians 13 – it’s not how flashy or gifted they are – it’s their faith, their hope and their love, but especially their love. This and this alone, is the true sign of spiritual mastery according to the New Testament teachings.