My mother and I have had this conversation at least a dozen times.
My meditation practice is very important to me.
I commit to it daily.
I try to keep it high on my priority list and although I'm not always successful, these days I meditated more days then I don't.
My mother comes from a very traditional Christian background and expresses frequently that she doesn't really like my devotion to my meditation practice.
She sees it as somehow threatening or contradictory to her Christian traditions.
This comes from a woman who spends at least an hour a day in prayer.
I think meditation is the most important element of prayer.
Studies show that most people in conversation spend less then ten percent of their time actually listening.
People are either talking or pre-formulating what the next thing they plan to say will be.
In a ten minute conversation we may spend one minute listening - that's startling.
However, let's think for a moment about traditional prayer.
In a ten minute prayer, we would actually spend 10 minutes talking or thinking about what to say next and ZERO minutes listening.
How rude?? For me, meditation is simply a method of opening up the other side of that conversation.
Now I must admit, a good chunk of the time I sit silently waiting for great inspiration or enlightenment, and nothing - and I repeat - nothing actually happens.
However, that doesn't mean that the time I spend in contemplation doesn't pay dividends in other ways in my life.
Meditation improves my sleep, my responses to stress, my memory, and much more.
Plain and simple, I feel better when I meditate.
However, on those occasions when God talks back to me it is always life changing.
Not every time I meditate, but often I do get inspiration and enlightenment.
Sometimes I absolutely feel Divine touch me.
Sometimes I get a peaceful knowing or a calm understanding that I recognize as miraculous when I meditate.
All I know for sure, is that God speaks to me when I meditate way more then when I'm working or doing the laundry.
So, of course meditation is a priority for me.
Relationship is always a two way street.
Communication is absolutely key in any relationship.
Meditation is what makes prayer a two way street.
It's not always easy, but it always pays.
Give it a shot - see what the Divine might have to say to you in the silent spaces in your mind.