September Practice: a walk in the woods (attentiveness)
growing in awareness to this present moment
I listened to a podcast recently about spiritual practices. The guest was sharing his rhythms for encountering God, and he shared his mindset toward spiritual practices with a metaphor I just can’t shake.
He spoke of spiritual practices as space to grow in attentiveness to God. If God is always with us, making space for a spiritual practice allows us to actually stop and notice Him.
The metaphor he gave was a walk in the woods. Often we crash through the woods loudly and in a hurry, a destination in mind. We walk quickly and noisily and miss the beauty around us, the birdsong, the marvels of creation.
And life can be like this too. We crash though it, in a hurry, prioritizing full schedules and productivity. We walk (run?) quickly and noisily and we miss the very presence of God in each moment of our lives.
A spiritual practice is like stopping to rest on that walk in the woods. To pause, maybe sit, maybe even set up camp, and to notice. To look at the shapes of leaves and colors of wildflowers. To breathe in the fresh air and listen for the buzz of insects. And then, when you’ve caught your breath, when you return to your hike, you might be more inclined to notice what you stopped to be attentive of.
And if you make space to pause from your busy life and pay attention to God through spiritual practices, maybe when you return to your calendar and schedule, you will be more likely to notice Him along the way.
So for this month, our practice is to grow in attentiveness by taking an actual walk in the woods. There is no real goal here other than to be present, to notice, to develop your muscles of paying attention to the space and time you are in.
Try these steps:
Carve out some time in your schedule for a walk in the woods. Plan more time than you think you’ll need.
Choose your spot. Don’t get too ambitious with trail length unless you have all day. You’re going to want to move slow.
Leave your step counter or GPS watch behind. We’re not tracking fitness goals here. This isn’t about productivity or achieving anything.
Don’t bring your mini-retreat guide or a problem to work through. Again, we’re not bring productive, we’re not achieving anything.
Head out for your walk. Walk slowly. Stop a lot. Whenever anything catches your eye, stop to explore it. Marvel at it. Wonder about it.
Use all of your sense. Notice what you see, what you feel, what you hear, what you smell, maybe (if appropriate and safe) what you taste.
Maybe, if it feels right, thank God for the gift of creation, the beauty that refreshes our souls, or wonder with Him about what one particular things that caught your attention tells you about Him, it’s creator. But don’t force anything. Maybe just being there, present and attentive to where your feet are, is all you need.
Breathe deep, and if nothing else, feel restored by slowness and the beauty.
So take that walk. Notice the toad camouflaged by the sandy path, the spider’s lunch caught in it’s web, the sweat dripping down your back, the constant hum of cicadas, the hidden path (explore it!), the purple wildflowers, the change in temperature as you move from the sun to shade. Notice it all.
And trust that as you learn to notice, as you begin to slow your pace and release your grip on productivity, that you will begin to notice God in all of life.
Some quick links:
If you are interested in spiritual direction you can check out some FAQ here.
If you’re ready to schedule a meeting, you can do so here. (Remember, first sessions are free for subscribers of spacemaking!)
If you’re interested in retreats, you can get more info here.
And may you encounter the God who loves you as you make space in your schedule and your soul!