H,
That is enough talk about
flames that flutter. How do we fan them back into a flame? How do we re-join
the eternal circle and begin to fill alive again?
Now, we know that effort
will not do here. We need effort for a good many things but not when we stand
before God. In that presence is where we learn the hardest trick of all:
standing still. We are to learn it till it is no longer a trick but now a habit
and then no longer a habit and just how we live. We are to learn helplessness
that leads to prayer, a true appreciation of our many flaws that leads to
humility and a true appreciation of what divine love is that leads to
transformation. These things are not the checklists of the soul. That is always
a bad idea. A personal inventory without a guiding light or a low moment is an
exercise in the ego as the driving force of all actions and words. Ego is not a
bad word. It just cannot save us. It will lead to more bad decisions than good
ones. We have been told of a better path.
I digress. How do we stand
still? We start with prayer. There is nothing more helpless than telling your
story to God. It is almost like you can hear him disagree and agree at the same
time. You can hear yourself grow more selfish as you list your wants, less holy
as you confess your desires and more wrong-footed as you pray with solutions
already in mind. There is something deeply artificial about the start of
prayer. It breaks down as the hours pass and the spirit moves and you feel
connected to something above your years, your petty problem solving and your
deep need to avoid or engender conflict at all cost.
Prayer is the key. It is the
starting block of our great recovery.

We ought to try it. Even,
today.