The Practice of the Presence of God In Modern English

by Brother Lawrence

First I gave myself completely to God and made restitution for my sins, as much as I could. Then out of love for Him, I renounced everything that was not God. I began to live as if there were no one else in the world but God and me. Sometimes I imagined myself as a poor criminal at the feet of the Divine Judge. At other times I would behold Him in my heart as my Divine Father. I worshipped Him as often as I could, keeping my mind in His holy Presence. Whenever I noticed that my mind had wandered, I brought it back to Him. I found this very difficult, and yet I continued in the practice, without feeling guilty when my mind wandered involuntarily. I made this my constant exercise all day long, whether it was the appointed time of prayer or not. At all times - every minute of every hour, even at the busiest time of my work - I drove from my mind everything that was capable of interrupting my thought of God.