The Practice of Paying Sacred Attention

"What we are determines what we see; what we see determines how we act. We must become the change we seek in the world." - Howard Thurman

When our attention is pulled in countless directions by headlines, notifications, and endless streams of information, Howard Thurman's wisdom offers us a different way of seeing and being. His insights reminds us how we see the world flows directly from who we are at our core.

Think about that for a moment: what we are determines what we see. Not the other way around. Our inner state, our fundamental identity as God's beloved, shapes how we perceive and interact with the world around us.

Jesus embodied this wisdom perfectly. His way of seeing flowed from his deep knowledge of who he was and whose he was. He saw the image of God in those society had cast aside. He recognized divine possibilities in situations others saw as hopeless. His actions flowed naturally from this way of seeing – healing, teaching, loving, challenging the status quo.

This is our invitation too. In times when anxiety threatens to overwhelm the public square, we can pause each day to remember our true identity and cultivate a different way of seeing. This isn't about positive thinking – it's about grounding ourselves in the truth of who we are as God's beloved children and letting that truth shape how we see and act in the world.

A Practice of Sacred Attention

  • Begin each day by remembering who you are and whose you are

  • Notice what you notice – what captures your attention and why

  • Consider how your way of seeing shapes your way of acting

  • Ask yourself: what change do I seek in the world, and how must I change to help bring it about?

While we can't control the level of anxiety in our public discourse, we can control how we practice attention. Each day brings a new opportunity to pause, remember our true identity, and choose how we will see and act in the world.

Inserting Sacred Attention Into Your Day

  1. Morning Centering : Before checking your phone, sit quietly and recall your identity as beloved. Take three deep breaths, saying: "I am God's beloved. My seeing flows from this truth."

  2. Threshold Moments : Before entering new spaces, pause. Take one breath and ask: "How am I seeing this situation? What might I notice if I look with love?"

  3. Evening Reflection: Before sleep, review your day. Where was your attention drawn? What did you notice or miss? How did your seeing influence your actions?

As Thurman reminds us, we must become the change we seek in the world. This begins with how we see, and how we see flows from who we are. In these anxious times, perhaps the most radical act is simply remembering who we are, practicing sacred attention, and letting our actions flow from that grounded place.

For Reflection

  1. When you consider Thurman's words "what we are determines what we see," how might your identity as beloved shape what you notice around you?

  2. Where in your life do you feel most distracted, and how might sacred attention help you engage differently?

  3. What one small change could you make tomorrow to cultivate more sacred attention?

A Prayer for Sacred Attention

Loving God, In a world that pulls our attention in countless directions, Center us in the truth of who we are as your beloved. Open our eyes to see as you see—
To notice pain we might overlook,
To recognize possibility where others see only problems,
To witness your presence in unexpected places.

May our way of seeing flow from our identity in you,
And may our actions be born from this sacred attention.

Make us instruments of the change we seek,
Starting with the transformation of our own hearts.

In times of anxiety, ground us.
In moments of distraction, focus us.
In opportunities for love, embolden us.

Amen.