We don’t really use terms like “contemplative” anymore and so it can be hard to understand what this kind of person would even look like. Here are few short considerations on what a contemplative Christian does and doesn’t look like.
- Someone who consciously removes things from their lives to pay better attention to how God is already at work in their own life and the lives of others. (Not someone who adds a new set of practices and principles on top of their current way of living.)
- Someone who practices finding the beauty and wonder of God’s mercy and grace in the mundane and commonplace things of life. (Not someone who is trying to get away from the world and other people, or is looking for new and exciting spiritual experiences.)
- Someone who has connected with God through their own pain and grief to grow in compassion and grace for others. (Not someone who is attempting to cover their own hurt by trying to become more “spiritual” in order to gain approval or feel better about themselves.)
- Someone who desires deep inner peace with God in their lives, even if it means confronting the darkness within ourselves. (Not someone who uses contemplative practices as a way to avoid the discomfort of facing themselves with God or working through difficult relationships with others.)
- Someone who is inevitably drawn to others of the same heart and mind to sustain their faith. (Not someone who has simply given up on other people and can only tolerate their own company, or the starved company of other embittered souls.)