From the Intro to Brother Lawrence's Practicing God's Presence:
Little pleases God more than a contrite heart. Like the other aspects of practicing God's presence, a contrite heart is the result of regular practice of acts of contrition until we develop a habit. Also, like the other aspects of practicing God's presence, a contrite heart is not our natural way. Our worldly hearts are proud hearts, full of self-praise, self-justification, and self-righteousness.Brother Lawrence emphasizes this regular exercise. "We must honestly consider and thoroughly examine ourselves. When we directly confront ourselves we will understand that we deserve all God sends to humble us."
When our conversation, our very relationship with God, matures to this level of understanding, we will thank Him with full gratitude for everything He has ever done to humble us. We will welcome whatever God may do to help bring our hearts into conformity with His heart.
But we cannot do this alone. Of ourselves, we are completely and totally incapable of recognizing, let alone overcoming, our proud hearts. The only way we can "honestly consider and thoroughly examine ourselves" and "directly confront ourselves" is through the very presence of God. We are completely dependent on Him to show us.
Only God can open our eyes to the truth. Without Him, we quickly become preoccupied with others. We start to look outside ourselves and weigh and measure by what we see there - worldly standards that are not His standards.
Only God, in the special conversation, the special relationship we have with Him, can tell us what we so desperately need to hear. For, as we practice the holy habit of living in God's presence, we develop a desperate need, an overwhelming desire for the blessed relief of the humility of a contrite heart. Only God can do this and He will. All we need to do is ask and keep asking for His cleansing light and grace.
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