I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.

John 15:5

Throughout history, spiritual leaders and saints have interpreted and reinterpreted the concept of “abiding” presented in the teachings of Jesus Christ. This unique way of life suggests a constant, unending connection with God, a spiritual line that is never disconnected. It has been described in various ways,

• The Apostle Paul called it “prayer without ceasing.”
• “Silent Love” by the Spanish Carmelite Saint John of the Cross
• Madame Guyon, a French mystic, referred to it as a “continuous inner act of abiding.”
• The old Quakers described it as “centering down.”
• Jean-Pierre de Caussade, a Jesuit spiritual director, called it “the sacrament of the present moment.”
• A. W. Tozer, a twentieth-century Christian pastor, referred to it as “habitual, conscious communion”
• A monk named Brother Lawrence referred to it as “the practice of the presence of God.”

These phrases beautifully captures the essence of the abiding life. Being with Jesus is not just a pleasant idea or a shallow spiritual sentiment, but it is a skill that requires practice to master. Abiding is not a technique to control our relationship with God, but a skill that needs to be honed and perfected. It is a journey of spiritual growth and deepening intimacy with the divine, a journey that each of us is invited to embark upon. The abiding life is a spiritual journey of constant communion with God. Regardless of the terminology used, the essence remains the same – a life lived in the constant awareness of God’s presence, a life of abiding.