Journal of Sacred Work

Note: Today’s Meditation is written and edited by Catherine
Self based on the writings of Erie Chapman on High Purpose Leadership and her
own reflections. 

   Stop for a moment, right now.
Are you awake? Are you truly alive to the present moment or did you begin reading this with thoughts of what you must do next…are you perhaps still
thinking about a moment ago? Ask a group of people for a definition of
presence and you will likely hear as many different responses as there are
individuals in the group. For some, presence is being aware of the here and
now. For others, presence is about paying attention…

   Peter Senge, noted scholar in
management innovation, has said on thinking about presence he first thought of
it as being fully conscious and aware in the present moment. But he then gained
an appreciation for presence as deep listening, of being open beyond one’s
preconceptions and ingrained ways of making sense. For most who have
experienced the gift of presence, it is a profound opening of the heart.
   You’ve probably experienced the
gift of presence in your life – perhaps with a gifted mentor, a special friend,
a loving grandmother or a quiet neighbor. You’ve known that, no matter what, if
you needed them that person would be there for you. You’ve spent time with
them, sometimes talking, sometimes doing something together, but always – every
time – you left their presence feeling better. In one of my most wounded
moments, the gift of presence came from a beloved professor who said little to
nothing, but oh! how she listened. In her eyes, her hands, her complete and
total attention to my words I found healing and hope. I carry that healing and
hope within me to this day.
   I am privileged to participate
with groups throughout the year in a day long retreat for the practice of
presence. In one retreat this past year, after spending some time together in a
group setting, group members were invited to spend twenty minutes walking
outside – no agenda, no instructions, only an invitation to bring back
something found or discovered during the walk. Upon returning to the room, a
gentleman began sharing that he came to the retreat that day with a fair amount
of skepticism. What he found during his twenty minute walk, however, was the
discovery that he had “seen more in that short time than I have seen in the
past year.” In his voice I heard a sense of awe.
   I’ve come to understand awe as a
key dimension in the practice of presence. This sense lives far beyond a place
of simple happiness or even satisfaction in life. In the experience of awe is
the experience of the depth and appreciation of life – it is a place of wonder,
of being moved, of humbled gratitude. Awe allows me to be acutely present to
the moment, to the person, to the experience. It is in that place that, for me,
healing occurs.
   It is in that place that we, as
caregivers, can fully live into our high purpose. The gift of presence is not
about how much time we spend but how we spend the time we have. When I
encounter you in the hallway, do my eyes meet yours and do I make myself
available to you? As I enter the patient’s room, am I acutely aware of the
person lying in the bed, or is my mind still reeling with the voices of an
earlier conversation? Can I see the pain in your eyes or hear the fear in the
voice of my patient, or is my heart closed to the potential of need being met
with love? When we offer our presence, we offer perhaps the most powerful means
to healing. And healing is at the core of our lives of high purpose.
   Victor Frankl taught us about
purpose and Mother Theresa’s life teaches us about personal commitment; Martin
Luther King, Jr. modeled passion and Gandhi unleashed potential for the good of
millions. Churchill understood the essential quality of persistence and Helen
Keller tapped into the power of positivity as very few others have. Bill W.
founded a movement based on the belief of prayer and meditation in living a
life of high purpose. These are great leaders and examples, but it is your life that holds perhaps the greatest
power for living a life of high purpose – the power of loving presence.
   We caregivers, we who have
responded to the call to bringing healing to those who need it most, we are
asked to live fully into this life of
high purpose – with personal commitment, passion and full potential, with
persistence and positivity, girded by prayer and meditation, and offered with
the sweet gift of loving presence.
   So, I ask you again to stop for
a moment, right now. Are you awake? Are you truly alive to the present moment?
It is your moment – enjoy its depth and breadth and beauty. And know how
grateful we, at the Baptist Healing Trust, are for your desire to live this
life of high purpose.