How often have you found yourself leaping away from your meditation or prayer space when a great idea arrives? I’ve noticed when my distracted mind wants to have its way, a thought will arrive with urgency. I cut my time in centering prayer or meditation, thinking I must act immediately. Most times, it can wait. This cultivates patience and weakens impulsivity. If we just sit, we teach our busy minds to remain still.

Evangelists, theologians, and philosophers love to talk about God. Some will try too hard to convince you towards their point of view. But what does it say about their relationship with God? If you consider God like a spouse, how much time and energy do you spend talking about God rather than investing in the relationship itself? We can over-intellectualize God without spending much time in love.

Too many voices in this world promise us inner peace and happiness if we just buy this, read this “new” book, or enroll in this program that costs thousands of dollars. Did the Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, or Krishna demand money before they offered their wisdom? Regardless of your spiritual, religious, or political affiliation, spending some time in silence and self-reflection are two keys to living a healthy, joyful life. Although both practices are simple, they are also difficult because they require three things modern culture doesn’t like—patience, humility, and discipline.

After a turbulent weather event, you become humbly aware of the power of Nature. Even though many of us don’t recognize it on a daily basis, we’re connected to Nature on a spiritual level. St. Francis understood this in his Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon. Hear the words of this 13th century monk, who understood the importance of honoring nature well before we uttered the words, “climate change.”

The story of the Three Kings (or magi) fascinates me because it depicts deep spiritual seekers being led by faith. They dropped everything and followed a star. Then, transformed by what they saw, they took a different path home. We can use this story to contemplate our true calling. We can find meaning and purpose in our lives when we drop everything and follow the light.

Modern culture loves forward progress, but sometimes we can easily get swept up in the wrong direction. We get pulled by the expectations of others or our desires for approval. Yet if we spend time each day in stillness, savoring that inner silence, we’ll become more grounded in our purpose. We let God guide our path rather than the worldly vices.

Negative people can be tough to be around. Some people can’t exorcise their negative emotions and spread them to others. This can leave us lethargic, depressed, and disempowered. It’s up to us to recognize how other people’s energies can consume us and find ways to transform them.

How easily we forget the meaning of Christmas during this holiday season! Our energies become scattered as we rush to buy gifts for others and prepare elaborate meals. Our need to please others can cause us to forget what our souls are truly longing for. Take a moment to return to center and keep your eyes focused on The One who is coming.

When our lives are stuck, we demand God to change things. It can be frustrating when God doesn’t answer our prayers. We then get tempted to retreat, to backslide, rather than wait patiently for the light to come. Evelyn Underhill gives some gentle words of wisdom to help us wait.

Christianity and yoga complement each other very well. The Gospels give us a perfect role model of how to be, and yoga philosophy guides us in how we can remove barriers that get in the way. What’s most important is who is at the center of our lives. Yoga teaches that we become yoked with who or what we put on the pedestal, whether it’s God, ourselves, or our worldly pursuits.