The Heart is the Mediator. That statement reaffirms what I was taught about using the Jesus Prayer: Stated in the mind, to the rhythm of the breath and pulsing into the heart. I find it a very helpful image because that is what we need to process the world around us. If we use only our mind and analyze, our conclusions can be clever and insightful, but tend to be cold.
If we use our “gut” we can become impassioned and vengeful or emotionally dazzled. If we use our heart, we can “climb into the skin of another” (quoting Atticus) and have compassion for another’s reality. I find that the hands are a crucial component of making these connections. Only when we engage our hands in the conversation, can we SEE what we understand and make a mark that speaks. Jesus is the source and is woven into the total living act.
wendynpatterson 