The presence of God

Have you ever just wanted to slap Brother Lawrence in the face?  No?  It’s just me?

If you’re not part of the Christian-small-world, Brother Lawrence is every evangelical’s favorite monk — more than Luther, who’s got all that ugly anti-Semitism staining his record; or Francis, who raises an eyebrow with his namby pamby fellowship with the animals. All we know of Brother Lawrence is peaceful and loving and solid. Think Mother Theresa, but holier and less flighty.

Still, sometimes, after reading one of his letters, you might want to say mean things about him. Like after reading this:

One way to re-collect the mind easily in the time of prayer, and preserve it more in tranquility, is not to let it wander too far at other times. Keep your mind strictly in the presence of God. Then being accustomed to think of Him often, you will find it easy to keep your mind calm in the time of prayer, or at least to recall it from its wanderings.

Really, Lawrence?  Your big revelation is that if I kept my eyes more steadily on God I might have more peaceful, focused times of prayer?

Look, I’m not saying it was easy to keep your attention on God while you were working in silence in the kitchen.  I’m just saying that after a day of refereeing two sleep-deprived, rivalrous brothers, a day of homeschool, and work, and driving in Boston, a day of constantly reminding your well-intentioned sons that they can’t bring stray bees into the house and put them in the hive that is currently in our bathroom, I’m just saying that after a day like that, Brother Lawrence’s encouragement to join in the “practice of the presence of God” can be hard to take.

Even though I believe it’s true.  And hopeful.  A hopefulness I take to bed tonight. Because there’s always tomorrow…