Hi, welcome back to Hope Mindfulness and Prayer for Day 10 of Foundation.

Yesterday we talked about letting God influence your way of thinking and your perspective.

Today we're going to talk about setting realistic expectations for yourself and enjoying the journey.

OK, let's start in the usual way.

Find your seat and get comfortable.

Start with some nice deep breaths.

In through the nose, out through the mouth.

Then on your next exhale, let your eyes slowly close.

Gently bring your awareness back to the breath.

This time just let the breath pick up a nice, natural, effortless rhythm.

Watch the breath.

Watch the rise and the fall of the chest.

Listen to the sound of the breath.

Become aware of all of the sensations around you.

Feel the space you're in.

Notice your feelings and emotions, just noticing them.

No need to do anything with them.

Notice your body resting and now notice your heart.

Let your awareness settle onto the heart and the heart beating, just noticing, just feeling.

Now move inward and see if you can find a place inside that feels safe within.

Feel a sense of security.

Feel loved, calm.

Feel this place.

Remember, you can come to this place any time now.

Take a moment to rest with this verse.

Come near to God and He will come near to you.

And again, come near to God and He will come near to you.

When learning to meditate, we often talk about the practice changing over time as you change how this exercise is about the journey and not the destination.

This is especially important when setting your expectations for the exercise.

Maybe you feel like you haven't had a breakthrough moment yet, and that's OK.

You will improve every single day you meditate and pray.

Maybe you feel like you have had an enormous breakthrough and that's great.

But beware the aha moment.

Sometimes you may have a great experience and a really feeling God's presence in your life.

You feel like you finally figured it out.

You know what it means to truly know God and experience His calm in your life.

But this emotion can be misleading.

It's fleeting and can change over time, And if you don't have some grand experience, it doesn't mean that you aren't progressing or that God's not moving in your life.

It's about the journey, not the destination.

Meditation and prayer are spiritual habits, and habits are important because they give you a regular structure to notice God in your life.

In life, there are very few grand mountaintop experiences that change the course of your life.

Typically the changes that last are gradual and sometimes imperceptible.

Mountaintop experiences are great, but it's your day-to-day habits that change your life.

It's water rubbing on stone.

The truth is life is often very hard and it might feel like God's love is far away.

The solution is not searching for some grand aha moment, but to continue forward on your journey, accepting what is and what is not living moment to moment with gratitude.

Commitment to the process teaches us to trust God.

He's always there, guiding your path even when you can't feel it.

As you draw closer to Him, He will draw closer to you.

Sometimes God will speak in grand gestures or happenstance, but many times His guidance and love comes in quiet whispers, in heart breaks and disappointments, in intuition, and even in obstacles and struggles.

Life will always have highs and lows, but they're woven together to make a grand tapestry.

There's a plan and a design, you just won't be able to see it all the time.

But as you spend more time with God, you'll begin to recognize the patterns and see His hand at work in your life.

God, thank you for being here now with me.

Help my faith grow stronger and stronger.

Help me rest into your love, even when life is hard and I'm overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions.

Help me to not become distracted by the lows or the highs.

I trust your way, not mine.

Gently bring your awareness back to the body and back to the feeling of weight.

Feel the contact of the body on the chair.

Feel the space around you slowly open your eyes and sit back.

Relax.

Give yourself a stretch if it feels good.

Remember, all lasting change is gradual.

Trust the process and commit yourself to the daily habit of connecting with God.

Take care and we'll see you back next time for Day 11 of Foundation.