As I mature (get older!) sometimes the meaning of a word here or there eludes me. While I have an inkling of what the word may mean, I appreciate my cell phone nearby for quick definitions.
At the Grateful Life Center, a 100-bed treatment center for men with SUDs (Substance Use Disorders), I lead a weekly meeting on prayer and meditation. The men have varying degrees of education and readership; often they also need to search for the meanings of words. Recently the word “ruminate” came up and we talked about how we can “chew on” what we’ve read, like a cow chews her cud. We talked about delving more deeply, spending quiet time in order to see more, to grow more, and to change our lives.
Today, in my morning spiritual reading, the word “aperture” caught my attention in one of those moments when the meaning was on the tip of my tongue, but not quite there. When I looked up the word, I was struck by this definition: a space through which light passes.
Dear Heavenly Father,
help me to be that aperture,
to not block Your Light with shallow thoughts,
but to open my heart and soul widely,
so that Your Light can pass through,
blessing all people, places and things You put in my path.
Linda Verst is a SND Associate from Northern Kentucky.
Originally published in the October 2021 SND National Associate Newsletter.