Centering prayer teaches us to “let go” and start fresh in our everyday life. We are free to start again. The silence of centering prayer is our “reset button”.
Silence is God’s way to refresh me. I may have had a tough day at work yesterday but today is a new day. I can reset and begin again. The kids might misbehave and act out of sorts. I am free to start again. Maybe I am just tired. I did not get enough sleep the previous evening. I can let go and just begin again. 
I am very busy at work. I cannot seem to catch up. I am behind. I drive to work and the car overheats. I get to work and discover the coolant level is very low. At lunch I drive to Target and buy coolant. I fill the car up. I drive home. The next morning I check the level. It is low. I fill it up and drive to work.
The second morning I check the coolant level. It is low again. Underneath my car is a puddle of fluid. Today I decide not to drive my car and take my wife’s car to work so we can take my car into the shop. It is now Saturday. It is the second day that the car has been in the shop. There was a delay in the repair.
My youngest son is 7. He has a mini sandbox that he plays with in the house. Josh decides to carry it upstairs. He drops sand all over our steps on the way upstairs.
I am out with my youngest daughter. She is unhappy because I will not buy her something that she wants.
Internally I begin to steam. My car is broken. It is in the shop much longer than I had anticipated. I have sand all over my stairs. My daughter is upset. I need my “reset button”.
My “reset button” is the silence of centering prayer. During centering prayer I let go. I give my car and my kids to God. I say, “God you can have my car. God you can have my kids. I just want to rest in you for a short while. I want to be refreshed. I want to hit the ‘reset button’.”
We make an exchange of my frustration for God’s peace. It always seems to work. Thankfully, every day is not like this. However, it comforts me to know that centering prayer is my “reset button”. I can start again.
I need this time. I need God to refresh me. I need God to reset me. I need God to recharge me. I need God to hold me. I need God to love me. I need God to fill me with whatever the Divine feels I need.
I trust God. During centering prayer, my job is to let go and plug into God. During the course of the day if I become tired, anxious, frustrated, I know that all I need to do is slow down, seek the silence of God and let God refresh me.
Go Further:
Mindful Silence: The Heart of Christian Contemplation by Phileena Heuertz
The Path of Centering Prayer: Deepening Your Experience of God by David Frenette
Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault
Open Mind, Open Heart by Thomas Keating
Be Still and Listen: Experience the Presence of God in Your Life by Amos Smith
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