“Stay here and keep watch with me.” Matthew 26:38 (NIV)
I’ve been a doodler for as long as I can remember. I’d always viewed my habit as a silly distraction until I attended a daylong retreat. We were invited to bring our Bibles and some colored pencils or markers, so off I went in hopes of finding a new way to experience God. When I arrived, I was handed a packet of notes and a schedule, indicating several hour-long segments of silence and full-page designs suitable for adult coloring.
“This is your time alone to spend in silence,” the retreat leader said. “Don’t worry about looking for the presence of God. You are already in His presence. Don’t feel like you have to be productive by reading bunches of Scripture. Try to unhook your rational mind and take it down into your heart. Doing something with your hands like doodling or coloring or even knitting often helps. Simply watch with Jesus.”
READ MORE: THE POWER OF PRAYER DOODLES
So off I went to sit on a rock and started doodling on a blank sheet of paper. Soon I flipped it over and tried sketching the mountain and lake and trees in front of me. I didn’t let the quality of the work distract me. Instead, the simple experience of drawing drew me into a rich and focused awareness of God’s presence and creation. I brought home many spiritual nuggets from the retreat, but the most freeing was the defense of doodling, which brings me nearer to God.
Lord, I’m thankful for the many ways to more deeply experience Your promised presence.
Digging Deeper: Psalms 39:5–6, 46:10
Daily Guideposts 2017
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