Dear Father, I've noticed how easily encouraged I become when conditions are favorable, especially with regard to spiritual exercises. I'd pray better in a cozy atmosphere filled with gentle, audible music. Love, joy, abundance, and comfort all seem to lift my spirit. But I came across a passage in Ezekiel which says: "In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God." Five years in a foreign land, among the captives, and Ezekiel began to see visions? This is particularly amazing to me because not only do I thrive more in good conditions, I also struggle to maintain fervor as soon as I am taken away from my familiar atmosphere. Yet, in this passage, I see that, first, the atmosphere did not affect Ezekiel's connection to You, and second, it was evident that You were not far from him. The subtlety of familiarity is that it has the potential to condition our minds, often subconsciously. "For how shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" As though communion were limited by atmosphere, and unfamiliar circumstances could somehow blur our understanding of Your omnipresence. So our relationship with You easily becomes affected by whatever comes or goes around that does not appear favorable to us. So much so that we need not be exiled to feel exiled from You. How stable is this manner of spiritual engagement? I believe that, to attain stability, we must first settle in our hearts that communion with You is not reserved for favorable conditions alone. Translations; Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindu Slide 5: Urdu #LettertoGod #communionwithGod #fellowship #spiritualengagement #comfort