Going through a divorce or any traumatic event creates obstacles to peace and wellbeing. I know because I went through a divorce, and it seemed like the challenges were never-ending. In times like these, the good news is that we can turn to a Christ-centered meditation practice to connect more completely with God and become more stable and powerful. Over time, this skill helps us overcome obstacles and challenges in any situation.
The most challenging part of starting a Christ-centered meditation practice is taking the first step.
I recall my first attempt to meditate. I sat in my new meditation space, ready to find God, but I only found anxiety and sadness. Looking back, it was because I didn’t yet know who I was. To understand where obstacles come from during Christ-centered meditation, we must first understand who we are as human beings.
We are each multidimensional. Through a process of self discovery we realize aspects of ourselves besides having a body and a conscious mind. We have an active soul and spirit as well.
Evangelist, author, and speaker Joyce Meyers put it this way: “You see, you are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body. You have emotions, you have thoughts, you have a will, and you have a conscience. You are a complex being. And Jesus came to heal every single part of you. There’s not one part that He doesn’t want to make completely whole.”
The Bible essentially says the same: we live in a body, we have a soul, and we are a spirit. Accepting this as truth has made a profound difference in my life. I now understand the different parts of my identity. With this knowledge, I have the ability to continuously turn inward and awaken to the deeper aspects of my individuality and find the answers that lead me home to God and to myself. The first step is trusting God and believing that He is waiting for you. He wants to heal you and make you whole. He waits right inside your body.
A Christ-centered meditation practice is what allowed me to see firsthand how these different parts of me work together every day. I now have an unshakable faith in His ability to heal, and I know God lives in my heart as love. As Jesus heals us, clearing out darkness and bringing in light, it can be a little uncomfortable, but worth the effort. The obstacles lie within and will be transformed into areas filled with God’s love and strength.
“Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” (Ephesians 3:17 NIV)
Our body, soul, and spirit interact during Christ-centered meditation.
We know our body because we can see it. Our soul, however, is immaterial. We cannot see it, but we experience it in every moment. God gives us a unique soul at birth. Our soul includes our mind, emotions, and our will. Together, the body and soul are called “flesh.”
We are born with a human spirit. God uses it to connect with us because God is Spirit. Our human spirit is located at the center of our heart. People know it by many names; I like to call it the Spark of Divine Light or the Lamp of the Lord.
This light flows within us, in and out of our hearts and out to the world. It searches throughout our inner being for the potential in all of us, waiting for illumination.
“The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD that sheds light on one’s inmost being.” (Proverbs 20-27)
Obstacles to meditation and prayer come from the flesh, which is made up of the body and the soul.
I believe all obstacles to living our full potential come from the flesh. One of the reasons is because our body and soul are always changing.
The body is a dynamic sensory system continually receiving new information, growing, dying, and healing. The nature of the soul is unstable. Therefore, our thoughts, emotions, and desires are always changing from one moment to the next. That means if we apply them strategically, our thoughts, emotions, and desires can be part of the techniques we are using for guided visualization.
Another reason why the flesh gets in the way is that we store all our memories. We house all of our past traumas, past good times, and present memories in our body and soul.
As you go through your day, your mind might be rehashing a memory, making it challenging to be present with God’s Spirit of Peace. An event or something someone says can trigger an old emotion in you. And then it becomes difficult to be led by God’s virtue of self-control.
Some memories and emotions can cause your “free” will to act out unwanted or undesirable behaviors. We can become perplexed and shamed by reactions coming from our own body and soul.
“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)
Christ-centered meditation can help us overcome obstacles.
Christ-centered meditation is the daily work we can do to cleanse and purify our body and soul. When we sit still with God’s Spirit, His Light within our hearts searches throughout the body for places that need more love, places to heal.
When we connect to God’s Spirit, we have His help. According to the Bible, He is the helper, the counselor, and the revealer. God’s Spirit helps us to cleanse, purify, and feed our body and soul.
In Christ-centered meditation, we learn to sit and compassionately observe. We can shine light on our inner man or inner woman. With the help of Christ’s Light, we gain the power to pay attention and to listen. Listening with compassionate attention is one of the greatest forms of healing.
Your body and your soul want to be seen, heard, and valued.
Your back says, “I have pain here.” Thought after thought begins to flow. From your mind, you hear, “This is stupid, I’m doing it wrong, I’ll never get it right.” You might notice emotions such as anxiety, depression, or anger. Your will begins to have urges: “I want a cup of coffee right now. I won’t sit here doing nothing!”
In this stillness practice, we seek God for His healing light and unconditional love. This feeds and nurtures our entire being, body, soul, and spirit. In that moment we learn to observe, listen, accept, tolerate and not judge who we are.
“You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water.” (Psalm 84:2.)
Christ-centered meditation can help with divorce.
After a painful trauma like divorce, there’s so much that can pour out of the flesh that sometimes it can seem overwhelming, especially at first. That’s why Christ-centered meditation is a practice and not a one-time occurrence. Because we have so much to work through, we need to meditate with Christ daily or as often as possible to get the most out of our time with Him.
The more consistent we can be, the faster we will heal. As our flesh lets go of the junk (referred to in the Bible as darkness) that we have stored inside us, we become lighter and happier. Our meditation becomes more and more enjoyable as we gain a pure heart.
As Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
Our body and soul want to be seen by our spirit. And, it’s the spirit’s job and joy to see our flesh and to bring it healing and love.
When our spirit finds places in us that need healing, it shines a light on “darkness” or things that have been in the dark, pushed down, repressed, or denied. God’s Spirit can release, bring to the light, and initiate the healing energies of love and kindness.
Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, says, “What is revealed can be healed.” Our spirit reveals the darkness in our flesh that needs healing from God’s Spirit.
Christ-centered meditation can improve our lives.
The work we do in a daily practice of Christ-centered meditation, the active meditative techniques we employ, will bring us the reward of an abundant life. The practice gets easier as we become lighter. The time it takes to reach and merge with God becomes faster as darkness and pain heal in our body and soul.
As we become healed on the inside, our spirit is free to flow out to others. We have become joined to Him and remain in Him at all times. Like the air that we breathe, His grace and power become a part of who we are, and life is more peaceful.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Concluding thoughts
If you are having difficulty sitting in meditation, go to your heart where God’s Spirit dwells and find compassion for yourself. Doing this allows God’s love to grow inside you — for yourself.
Direct this love (and light) to whatever you’re struggling with today. Should old pain come up, direct love toward it and sit with it.
Value your soul, listen to your body, and be still. Let go, let God. From your heart, observe, and let it be. No judging yourself; only accept all that you find. It’s the ultimate in self-love. And if you can’t practice self-love yet, remember, God is there, in your heart, loving you.
Surrender to God. I did, and He healed me, made me stronger, established in me peace beyond what I can understand. Today, I have an abundant life, so much so that it’s hard now to even keep up with all the good and grace flowing my way. I want this for you.
Tonyah Dee has studied the Bible and wisdom traditions of the world for the last 30 years and teaches about finding ways to increase inner strength, stability, and confidence through practicing spiritual disciplines and healthy habits daily. Tonyah is a nutritionist, registered dietitian (R.D.), and earned her B.S. from Loma Linda University. She also holds certifications in Christ-centered life coaching, equine therapy, and meditation. Tonyah has been published in Scary Mommy, MSN, The Mighty, Mantra Wellness, CoveyClub, Thrive Global. Follow Tonyah on her blog, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Medium.