In Chapter 3 (“Daybreak: The Hour of Beginnings”) of The Attentive Life, author Leighton Ford notes that Lauds, which comes before dawn “as the first light begins to finger into the day”, is the hour that transitions us from darkness into light. It is a time of awakening not only to the new day, but also to life and to God. It is a time to celebrate the Risen Christ, who has conquered the darkness of sin and death.
If, the author asks, Lauds is a time of the first light and spiritually a time of our awakening to God, how is that awakening evident in our lives? For those of us who have been raised in the church, we probably can’t recall a time where, through the Holy Spirit’s power, we haven’t believed. Yet, following our ministry downsizing or position loss, it’s good to reflect, as Mr. Ford suggests, on what our image of God has been and how that image was formed. Mr. Ford comments on how essential this spiritual exercise is for our attentiveness:
“Indeed our image of God affects our understanding not only of God but of what we were created to be: men and women made in God’s image and called to be transformed into a new image . . . .”
The author concludes with an important observation- just as attentiveness is a learned practice, so is inattentiveness!
Today’s question: What has your image of God been, and has that image been altered by your ministry downsizing or position loss? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The path to awakening: first thoughts”