Finding Joy within a Practice
- Jonathan David Cain
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
Practice is supposed to make perfect…or so we’re told. Maybe the real joy comes in the practice and not the arrival? Maybe the journey is our joy, and the practice is just the wheels on the bus to get us there. Guess we’ll all find out in the end.
So, what am I practicing? Well, at the moment, gratitude, grounding, seeking peace, and always love. I’ve spent a WHOLE lot of time chasing absolutes and running in fear. I won’t go into too many details, but I want to share an experience I recently had. I’m not being coy. Part of this experience is to intentionally let it unfold as it is supposed to for each person who attends.
A few months ago at Trinity, I was sitting next to one of my church buddies, who announced with a grin that he was going on a church retreat. Being the trusting goober that I am, I said, “I’ll go too!” Later that afternoon, I completed the necessary forms online, and I was off to the races of THE most transformative experience of my life.
As the weeks leading up to the camp rolled off, I noticed that the amount of details being shared was negligible, but they were accompanied with enormous smiles – I get it now! I was at possibly the lowest point spiritually and emotionally that I’ve ever been. To be blunt, I went to camp to make my peace with my God and come home to let go. I could feel my anxiety grow each week as I could feel the awareness that I was walking into a big moment where everything I knew was going to be challenged, old ways stripped away, and I was going to be made to face myself with no flinching. I described the feeling as akin to walking through an emotional and spiritual car wash with a sunburn. That wasn’t too far off the mark!.....AND, I wouldn’t take anything for the experience now.
On the ride down, I quietly prayed that if I wasn’t supposed to punch my ticket on this life trip, I needed God to show up. I silently said, half begging and half demanding, “Show me your wonders!” I wish I could explain everything that happened, but it really is beyond words. Have you ever stood bare before God? The experiences over several days set me free in ways I still cannot truly explain. I was told to go with the admonition, “You’ll be transformed.” It was a deep dive into the deep end of my spiritual and emotional life. I will never be the same again. I wish everyone could have that experience, but yours would probably be very different from mine.
So, when am I going to write about my practices, you might be asking? Here you go.
We were sent back with the instructions to seek a daily spiritual practice. I now start my day with reading a Psalm. The first morning after I returned from this spiritual sojourn, I woke up… said out loud… hmm…Psalm 116. Now, I’m not a know-the-Bible-from-to-back kinda guy, so it really was that random (HA! God has a way of saying ‘Baby. I know’). It brought me back to knowing every experience was ordained. One of the leaders said to me afterward that she didn’t know who some of the lectures were meant for, but knew it was for someone – yep.
So, I try to start each morning with a Psalm to think about throughout the day – some are zingers, and some are just beautiful. I end each night with Compline (evening prayer), where I lay my head down in peace. These bookend my day and have helped me stay a little more grounded. I’ve grown in gratitude for the gift of helping others.
I left before camp an anxious mess and returned a little more settled. Life is going on. Gas is going to be ridiculous. Groceries are going to be breathtaking. The electric bill is going to raise my eyebrows…and I’m going to be OK.
For months now, I’ve been part of a Centering Prayer group that meets in the Chapel at Trinity on Wednesday nights at 5:30. It has been my silent space where I sit and listen for God to whisper. Sister teacher friend Iyanla VanZant once said, “You must find that space where only you and God may enter.” Now, it has become my space to sit and give thanks for the blessings of the people in my life, and to settle into the peace of knowing that life may be crazy, I don’t always have the answers, and it’s ok. That sacred space is where I give thanks and talk with God. I highly recommend you give it a try!
So, what practice would I suggest you consider? Practice gratitude - Energy invokes energy. Release goodness and expect it to return. Practice grace - Be quick to forgive and quicker to help someone who needs it. Practice silence: Find a space, a time, and a rhythm in your life to be still within. Listen, this world is plain crazy right now and not looking to calm down any time soon. Go find your heaven and sit down in it for a few minutes whenever you can. You deserve love, peace, and calm.
All blessings of peace and love!
Jonathan Cain is a native of Florence, Alabama, and has been the current Curator for the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art located in Tuscumbia, AL, since January 2020. He functioned in that role previously for several years before leaving to pursue a career in education. He holds an undergraduate degree in graphic design from the University of North Alabama and graduate degrees from both the University of Mississippi (MFA – Sculpture) and the University of North Alabama (MA – Clinical Mental Health). He is an eclectic artist who likes to pursue many different media.
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