Bill Wilson writes in the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, “When prayer, meditation, and self-examination are logically related and interwoven, the result is an unshakeable foundation for life.”
When Bill is right, he is really right. These three activities are the core of spiritual growth; when we apply these tools, we stand in the sunlight of the spirit.
They are logically related and stronger and better when woven together.
To be logically related means being connected “in a way that shows clear, sound reasoning.” So says Mr. Webster in his eponymous dictionary. Each of the three activities—prayer, meditation, and self-examination—stands alone, but they can easily be connected in a logically related manner. The connections are not strained; they can be joined in a way that demonstrates clear, sound reasoning. Self-examination on its own is good, but it is much better to take the results of self-examination and brood over them, to meditate deeply on what you have found. Even better is taking the results of those deep reflections to pray to God as you have understood Him. This creates a logical chain, with each activity being a connected link. One leads to the next effortlessly. Linking them requires work, yes, but it does not impose mental strain or effort.
And the three can be interwoven together, with practice, woven skillfully and easily.
When I think of weaving, I first think of cloth, rope, and baskets, and then I consider the benefits of weaving with these three examples. Weaving enhances the strength and utility of materials. Whether weaving strands of thread to create cloth, strands of cord to produce rope, or reeds to form baskets, the strength and functionality of the woven product significantly surpasses the sum of its parts. Each component reinforces the others, resulting in increased strength and utility.
With practice, weaving self-examination, meditation, and prayer becomes easy and is skillfully executed. The resultant weave is stronger and more useful than the individual components. Cloth, rope, and baskets are at least one order of magnitude stronger and more functional than thread, cord, or reed. However, the foundation created by weaving prayer, meditation, and self-examination is many orders of magnitude stronger and more valuable than the individual elements.
It resembles rebar in concrete, as shown in the picture above, rather than cloth, rope, or baskets. These three spiritual practices, intertwined, create a strong support and foundation upon which to build a spiritual life.
I watched workmen on a construction site pour concrete over the carefully woven steel rebar. The rebar was woven to a tight grid with wire holding the bars in place. The concrete flowed into the grid, and when set, it would be a column of support, a foundation for the floors above.
As I watched, I thought about self-examination, meditation, and prayer, and concluded that rebar in concrete is the best analogy for the foundation metaphor used by Bill Wilson. Woven rebar embedded in concrete, like self-examination and prayer set in meditation, forms the foundation on which to build my spiritual life.
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