If we want to become contemplatives, to find God in prayer, what must we do?
Guard against unruly impulses. In this reading, Thomas a Kempis distinguishes the Creator from the creature. He helps us to see that our spirits, the high part of our souls, the part in which we are open to God, can be blocked by our constant ignoring of God. If we focus on creatures apart from God, we stop the upward movement of our souls. God wants us for himself. He wants to be All in All to us. This chapter highlights the deep connection between our prayer life and our daily life. "We live as we pray and we pray as we live."