October: A Month to Abide

The sun peeks through the trees, and the morning breeze softly rustles through the leaves.

The light leaks in through the windows, falling long and wide across the wooden floors.  My fingers hug my warm mug of coffee, and the flame of a candle dances beside me as I sit in the

diminishing darkness of the morning. I slowly inhale, filling my lungs and letting the oxygen swirl within before releasing a long, slow exhale. Psalm 90:4 invites me to whisper, “satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast attachment love…” As I repeat this breath prayer, I am reminded of the Creator forming his beloved humanity out of the earth and breathing life into our being. I close my eyes and the image of the leaves moving in the stillness outside comes to mind. The wind always reminds me of God’s ever-constant presence with me. That even when I cannot see, He is near and His secure love holds me close and never fades. Soon, the day will fill up with its regular daily rhythms and activities, people and obligations, voices and noise from the hustle and bustle of life. There is too much to do and more to get done. Before opening my eyes, I slowly recite the end of Psalm 90 verse 17 “...establish the work of our hands, yes, Lord, establish the work of our hands.” 

The work of our hands. The fruit we bear here on earth comes from our union and dependance in the One who is both our source and our prize. The night before He lays down His life, Jesus gives His disciples a metaphor to help them understand. I can imagine Him drinking from the fruit of the vine, sharing his last meal with them that night as He declares,

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser… Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:1, 4-7). Within ten verses, Jesus says the word abide eleven times. Oftentimes, ancient authors and teachers would repeat a word as a way to highlight or underline it so we would pay attention. So let's do that here. The word abide in greek is “meno” which means to remain, stay, to rest in, reside. Some translations say “Remain in me.”  John uses that same word earlier in his account when he describes two disciples asking Jesus, “where are you staying?” To abide is a term that truly describes more than pausing for a moment or for a few minutes; it is more like, to stay, make your home in, or dwell.

The amazing thing is that this same Jesus, who we call “Emmanuel” - God with us - abides with us first. All throughout the arc of the Bible story we see our God choosing to dwell with us. Even at the beginning, He walks in the garden with humanity, then later He instructs His people to build a tabernacle where He could dwell with them wherever they would go, then to the Temple in Jerusalem.  Eventually, we read in John 1:14 - “He became flesh and dwelled among us.” Now, His Spirit remains with us, and we are called His temple (I Cor 16:19). In other words, the same One who invites us to abide with Him has already chosen to make His dwelling among us. 

Therefore, we don’t have to make great efforts to secure this connection with Him, because He already has. The invitation to abide is in part to become aware of this truth. It is not another item to tackle on our to-do list, or something we strive or grasp after. It is an invitation to slow down, to breathe, and to pause. It is a way to recenter our gaze, our thoughts, and our attention on the relational union we have with the One who has promised to abide and remain in us first. 

When we do that we realize that to abide in him (v.4) also means that we abide in his love (v. 9). When we pause to direct our attention, we see that His love keeps us attached to Him! I cannot experience abiding in Him without truly experiencing being loved by Him too. It is a humbling experience to lean into His gentle, humble, and yet all-powerful arms to slowly accept His steadfast love for me. To Abide is to Be Loved. When we attune our awareness to His already-with-us presence and power, we can truly abide, rest, and ‘meno’ with Him.  To lean our head on His shoulder, to be reminded of His secure love, and to receive his rest. His rest is a gift, especially when our minds or our bodies are preoccupied with the world around us. When life is busy, chaotic, or even in the ordinary moments of the day, our connection to Christ remains. It doesn’t get cut off. He promises to never leave us. It is a gift we can truly embrace and abiding is what opens up the door for us to receive it. “Come to me,” Jesus says to the weary and burdened, “and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls," (Matthew 11:28-29).

When we are secure in our belovedness, in our attachment to the Vine, we will naturally love others, and bear fruit. This is the beauty of abiding in the Vine. Branches can only bear fruit if they abide - remain attached to the vine. The fruit comes forth when we remain connected to the One who is the Giver of all good things (Jas. 1:17, Matt 7:11, Phil 4:19, I Cor 12:7). The vine gives strength, nutrients, and nourishment. Without the vine, the branch is useless, lifeless, withers, and it cannot produce fruit. Our attachment to the Vine means that even in the darkest valley, our connection remains true. This anchors us amidst the winds of chaos and storm. The stronger the branches, the more fruit is produced and is not something we muster up on our own. It is a natural overflow of a healthy union between a good Vine and its branches. 

Like a garden, our growth is best tended to with intentional rhythms. Silence, solitude, stillness, and Sabbath are among some simple practices that intentionally slow us down from the yoke of our extra busy and noisy world. These practices can serve as a trellis to help us regularly engage in deepening our relationship with God and others. It is a holy resistance to a culture and world of distractions that contend for our attention. Abiding expands our capacity and ability to enjoy the gifts of the present moment.  We can choose to dwell or ‘meno’ in our phones, on social media, in the news, even in the arguments we replay in our heads, or we can choose to abide in Him.  

The fruit we bear here feels like those morning rays of sun that at first, glows through the glass pane windows, but then finally, fills up my once dark room with glorious light. May the fruit we bear reveal glimmers of God’s good kingdom, displaying a truer reality in the dark valleys of our world. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples. (John 15:8) In other words, may our abiding reveal and point to a glorious God.  When we are secure in our attachment to God, it can allow us to nurture authentic relationships within ourselves, with God and with others. We can meet and serve with humility, empathy, and genuine love. Mercy, generosity, creativity, kindness, peace, justice and the fruit of the Spirit flow from our secure attachment to the Vine, contributing to the glorious redemption of our world.  God is asking us to abide, to wait, to pause and patiently let Him do the slow, sacred work of nurturing God’s original design for humanity to bloom, reveal, and enjoy His goodness, beauty, and truth. Would we grow in our awareness of His love and nearness so we can reveal and bring about His good, beautiful, and true kingdom here?

PRACTICE

breath prayer

“The reward of prayer is ‘meno.’ It’s abiding,” says Tyler Staton, pastor and the former national director of 24/7 prayer USA. Prayer reorients us toward His presence and secure love. Breath Prayer is a simple way to abide and meditate on the word of God, whispering scripture as you take each inhale and slowly exhale. Give yourself permission to pause for a few minutes and let your inhale and exhale become a rhythm of prayer. 

Begin by finding a quiet, comfortable place to sit. Allow your hands to rest gently in your lap or by your sides. Take a deep breath in slowly through your nose. Fill your lungs completely. Then slowly exhale. Take another deep breath, expanding your stomach, keeping your chest still... and as you breathe out slowly empty your lungs completely, releasing any tension.

Again, inhale… count 1…2…3…4… and exhale it all out… 1…2…3…4…5...6...

Repeat by deepening your breath. Let your shoulders drop. Let your jaw relax. Let your thoughts settle as you become aware of the presence of God.

Continue breathing. We will introduce a simple breath prayer by breathing in as you say or think the inhale part, and then slowly emptying out your breath as you say or think the exhale part of the prayer. Inhale: “Jesus, you are the Vine” and 
Exhale: “…I abide in your love.” Repeat this prayer, breathing slowly.

Inhale: Jesus, you are the Vine 


Exhale: I abide in your love.

Repeat this a few times. Let each word settle deeper into you with every breath. As your body starts to still, and your heart softens, may you find whole rest within His secure attachment love. 

May we abide knowing we are already united with Him, already connected to the life-giving Vine. No matter where we are on our journey, may we consider the invitation to pause and recenter our attention on the One who is doing a slow sacred work in and through each one of us. That as He nurtures us into a people of love, may we bear more fruit, and have fullness of joy. 

We would love to see you out at The Retreat House in October. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook to stay up-to-date with all that is happening. You can also read more here about our October offerings here. And as always, we are here if you need someone to walk alongside you in your healing journey, email hello@theretreathousememphis.com to inquire.