Welcome, allow, surrender, and permit are all words very closely associated with contemplative practice. All of these words point to the fact that there is very little doing on our part in the practice, other than to be present to the total reality of the moment as it unfolds before us.  Our “job” in contemplative practice is simply to be, in the midst of all else that is…  and that is precisely the challenge of following the contemplative path. Even Christians, for whom “the grace of God” is a driving concept behind everything we profess, have precious little practice at simply welcoming and receiving grace for what it is. We are disposed to fixing, judging, dividing, reacting – anything but simply allowing God to be God, right here, right now. Even when we invite God in to the midst of our life circumstances, if we’re honest, it's usually on our own terms (which is especially ironic since there is nowhere we can invite God where God cannot already be found!). True contemplative practice stems from a deep recognition that everything is already deeply entrenched in the heart of God, and if we can be present to our own circumstances, we will know God’s heart intimately.