Spiritual Practices: Attentiveness

I was thinking about what our spiritual practice for December should be, and really came down to anti-hurry, or slowing down. But that doesn’t quite say it.

What I see when I think of Christ as he walked the area around Jerusalem is that he stopped. He stopped to talk to people. It was as he was going and on his way to something else that he stopped. He stopped and spent time with people. He saw them. He knew them. He met their needs and challenged their faith. What was important was that moment, not the next destination.

It was this understanding that led me to “attentiveness”, as Jesus was attentive to those with whom he spent time. He loved these people, even in the short time that he spent with them.

My grandmother was one of those people who made you feel like the only person in the room when I was with her. She was so very attentive to what I was saying or doing. And I now see that as a gift to those around her. I don’t think she was thinking about how to respond or her next thing on the “to do” list. She was just there, with me, listening and interacting. She made me the center of that moment. And I think Jesus did the same.

He made people the center of each moment. He did that with the Syrophoenician woman, with the woman at the well, with the rich young ruler, with Hagar. He saw who they were, heard what they said (and didn’t say). He was attentive to them.

And he is attentive to each one of us. He sees us, knows us, loves us. We are secure in him. That is what giving someone our attention can be too. It is a demonstration of the love that Jesus showed.

If you google attentiveness as a spiritual discipline, you will find a few resources on it. I don’t think the big names in spiritual discipline have included this one, though. It should be included. It is about seeing each other and that God sees us. It is a challenge, undoubtedly, for us to see our friends, family, colleagues, and even acquaintances and strangers, the same way Jesus saw these people in the Bible. But I think we are called to that same attentiveness.

So, through the month of December, with all the parties and the gifts and time spent with others, pay attention to the person. See the people around you and acknowledge them, each one.