THE LOST ROOM - by Calvin
Imagine living in a house so enormous that it is difficult to find all the rooms. I am experiencing this dilemma, at least with the house of my heart. There seems to be a room that I have either lost or never found. Anyway, God the Holy Spirit has prompted me to seek this particular room in the castle of my heart.
Like many other people, my heart is wounded. It's a mystery to me how I can have a new heart in Christ that still bears old scars and rooms that are boarded shut. Then again, Jesus himself still bears the scares of his ordeal. There may also be places of my soul I have never explored for whatever reason. But I have a desire of late to explore a space inside me that needs to be opened up in order for me to make progress on my journey with Jesus.
Teresa of Avila, who lived in the 1500's, writes about the human soul using the imagery of an interior castle with many rooms. She describes a journey through the heart with Jesus, giving him step-by-step possession of the many rooms. "So powerful is the call from You within the soul," she writes, "that it becomes consumed with desire and longing." Jesus beckons from the place where he dwells within and I long to find him where he calls to me.
"As I understand it, the door of entry into this castle is prayer and meditation," says Teresa. So I will seek to find Jesus, who is calling me to this lost room, through the path of entry he himself provides. While I am able to guide others as a spiritual director, I am fortunate to have a spiritual director who is able to guide me. Howard is a gentle and competent guide for my journey. He has encouraged me to seek this lost room through prayer.
I have no clue what I may find when I enter this room and the quest to find it may be hard. But I must answer the invitation of my Lord. Is it a place that I abandoned and erased from my memory or is it unexplored territory that Jesus now wants me to claim? I don't know, but Howard reminded me that Jesus is already there to welcome me when I arrive.
Do you have a such a desire and longing within your heart? Let me know if you've had a similar experience and I will keep you posted on my own quest. I would be encouraged by your comment.
At His Mercy,
Calvin
Like many other people, my heart is wounded. It's a mystery to me how I can have a new heart in Christ that still bears old scars and rooms that are boarded shut. Then again, Jesus himself still bears the scares of his ordeal. There may also be places of my soul I have never explored for whatever reason. But I have a desire of late to explore a space inside me that needs to be opened up in order for me to make progress on my journey with Jesus.
Teresa of Avila, who lived in the 1500's, writes about the human soul using the imagery of an interior castle with many rooms. She describes a journey through the heart with Jesus, giving him step-by-step possession of the many rooms. "So powerful is the call from You within the soul," she writes, "that it becomes consumed with desire and longing." Jesus beckons from the place where he dwells within and I long to find him where he calls to me.
"As I understand it, the door of entry into this castle is prayer and meditation," says Teresa. So I will seek to find Jesus, who is calling me to this lost room, through the path of entry he himself provides. While I am able to guide others as a spiritual director, I am fortunate to have a spiritual director who is able to guide me. Howard is a gentle and competent guide for my journey. He has encouraged me to seek this lost room through prayer.
I have no clue what I may find when I enter this room and the quest to find it may be hard. But I must answer the invitation of my Lord. Is it a place that I abandoned and erased from my memory or is it unexplored territory that Jesus now wants me to claim? I don't know, but Howard reminded me that Jesus is already there to welcome me when I arrive.
Do you have a such a desire and longing within your heart? Let me know if you've had a similar experience and I will keep you posted on my own quest. I would be encouraged by your comment.
At His Mercy,
Calvin
Hopefully it'll be a nice room with a harpsichord!
Reply to this