Contemplative practice requires perseverance. Our individual and collective relationships with Divine Love unfold, as most really good relationships do, over the course of a lifetime, and no amount of time is a “long time” in light of the endless depths of the God into Whom we fall in contemplation. Nevertheless, there may come a season when, because of the ‘great” amount of time we’ve invested into our various practices, we start to place expectations on God and on the relationship. The most difficult expectations to match may be the ones we place on ourselves, insisting that “I shouldn’t still get distracted this much” or “This shouldn’t feel like such a chore” or “I don’t get the same good feeling from this that I did in the beginning.” Ah, but we mustn’t kid ourselves! The great adventure with God is forever only getting underway! The relationship will ebb and flow. The fruits will surely come, but the foolish mistakes and missteps will always be present. After all, who among us has become the perfect spouse, parent, or friend, and so why would we ever expect ourselves to be a perfect partner to our true Beloved? Our contemplative practice is an invitation to trust, to stick with it, and to know that we are infinitely loved, in spite of ourselves.