MY SHAME...GRACED WILDFLOWERS

My thought-prayer last night as I drifted into sleep: 

I say 'I am so ashamed '... that shame is lifted by grace, torn and tattered into tiny pieces to fall to earth and bloom as wildflowers. Thank You.

Thank you.

TWO WAYS TO SEE ONE THING, II

[The following is a reprint of my post of December 24, 2016.]

I just read an old note I wrote in my God Calling, and it thrilled me to my toes. All I had written was, Yesterday, I gave over to John in a very small but ego-denying way. Thank you.

I made note of it because I had just started the big turn from thinking any giving over was proof I was gutless and would never be able to stand up for myself, take my own part, know and show that I'm just as good as anyone...the poor-pitiful-put-upon-me list drags on.

I'm glad I date my notes and that I made note of this because, in truth, it isn't all that old. In my mind, I've been doing this for a long, long time..."this" being giving over. And there it is...that is my ah-ha. I've given over for a long, long time, only I've just begun to realize it as God's better way and not ego's wimp-out.

This is proof again that there are two ways of looking at every one thing...through our ego's eyes and whine or through God's eyes and bask in sunshine.

Thank you.

PRAY THANK YOU...THEN LOVE AND LAUGH

We pray for the crooked places of life to be straightened, the rocks and rivers to be smoothed and quieted. Then we recall Meister Eckhart's If the only prayer you ever pray in your life is thank you, that would suffice, and our crooked road du jour is met with our heart's thank you, and we breathe a tish more freely.

God is everywhere, but he seems more present when we feel the need...in the rough and tumble of life when we fearfully call for him. Again, we realize his presence is our gift and remember his always presence as our duty.   

I have pondered that and to me, the obvious question is: How could he be of help to one who knows no problems, no fear, no strain? Frankly, I doubt there is such a sentient person. God is present, it is the one who is closed to his presence that receives him not. 

Ah, that person is me, is thee, is each of us at any given time when fear comes riding herd, and, in that unending instant, we're feeling unloved, unwanted, unneeded and unappreciated...all alone. 

Yet, here comes our miracle...nothing brings God into our consciousness faster than fear. We know this to be true for our first incoherent thought is Help! Followed by whatever words pour forth but all of them seeking solace, comfort, aid...help, in a word, from an invisible Source. 

We become peaced...we are not relieved of our "problem," but we are no longer paralyzed with the fear of it. That is the gift of crash and burn, that which we go to great lengths to avoid is just another gift of God. 

Again and again and again...we pray thank you then love and laugh.

Thank you.

ON SOLVING A SPIRITUAL QUANDARY

Mother Teresa has said that the task is not to do big things but to “do small things with great love.” We invite you to scan your nation, our planet, and the natural world and ask where is there suffering, especially innocent suffering, that you might respond to with love. -- Fr Richard's Daily Bulletin, date unnoted.

That is a big invite...to scan our natural world to find innocent suffering that we might respond with love. 

My thoughts skipped a worldwide search and went to my small world...to a fairly minor error in judgment I made recently that may or may not have bruised the sensibilities of a dear acquaintance. 

My quandary is whether to bring the error to the other's attention and learn they had not even noticed it (and now....), or to not bring it up and learn they are growing a resentment because of it. 

The spiritual quandary is how to solve this so that each party comes out the winner. 

Maybe "the winner" is the sharing of warm feelings through the realization that God's will, God's way ever proves no error made, just an opportunity to love given and grown.

My definition of "winner" -- all parties feel the presence of God in the midst of a quandary and love and laugh. 

Thank you.

TO LOVE THE UNLOVABLE...JOY!

Life with Me is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties....Joy is the result of faithful trusting acceptance of My will when it seems not joyous. -- God Calling, January 8

Almost everything I have read this morning has mentioned joy. What a sweet way to begin a life change...a new month, a seasonal weather change...joy! (Especially for the likes of me, a spring/summer lover...joy in learning to love.) 

God Calling, my first read of a morning, leads today with Joy is the messenger, dear Lord, that bears our prayers to Thee. Immediately on reading that, the thought flashed that same Joy bears happy nonresistance back to me.

There...my just-realized definition of joy...happy nonresistance. Happy nonresistance fits all...in the face of a boon, in the face of a bane, happy nonresistance, or joy!

I suspect I've considered joy to be a feeling only of exuberance, of happy bursting at its seams. This morning I can accept that as true, too, on occasion, but it is possible...preferable...to live joy in happy nonresistance to life itself.

All of this shows the way of the above God Calling quote of January 8: Joy is the result of faithful trusting acceptance of My will when it seems not joyous.

One difference between the material mind and the spiritual mind...materially, we usually think of joy as akin to a personal goodie bag, while spiritually we accept joy as the way of life. No matter what is occurring before our eyes, it is God's will, God's way and, therefore, for our benefit...joy!

Thank you.

PRAY TO UNTHINK, TO UNLEARN...FOR FAITH

I am beginning to suspect...realize?...that all my learning is leading me to unthink. The reasoning mind is essential to us daily...but gets in our way a lot when our spiritual mind is aborning.

I do not doubt that a great mental burden will be lifted when we begin to unlearn and rely on our inner self. Face it, our main security blanket is just words, pretty words and true, words of gold even...but He will not remove the gold from the crucible until all the dross has gone... [God Calling, p. 5].

We may speak pretty but until we are living upright and righteous and without forethought, we are missing the Source...we are speaking by rote and expecting riches.

Maybe unlearning and unthinking are the roots of faith...and I say without blushing, no wonder faith is so hard to grow into...it asks us to go against our natural self. From the eyebrows up, that makes sense...moving it down to heart and soul is for God to do His thing.

Then we shall no longer complain. / Then everything that God has done with us / Will suit us just fine, / If you will now only stand fast / And keep hold of sweet hope. —Mechthild of Magdeburg from Fr Richard's Daily Meditation, October 28, 2023

Thank you.

ON LIVING BY SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES

Blinding flash of the obvious: It is not what is said that hurts my feelings, it is how I choose to hear it that hurts my feelings.  

Our need is to upgrade our hearing, meaning lift it from the egoic plane up to the spiritual plane. That process requires "Sermonizing," or, living by spiritual principles.

First, we pray thank you which turns us to our Inner Power for acceptance of what we have heard and from whom we heard it. Second, same as first unto infinity which is now our life. 

Acceptance is not questioning the mystery of divine/human union...clean acceptance is based on that mystery. "It" keeps coming back egoically until we get it right spiritually...meaning all sides come out the winner. 

All sides come out the winner is the rub, of course. Short and to the point, we gotta get over our own self. 

As in every religion, there are times, places, and people who 'get it'—the mystery of divine/human union. There are different stages and states of consciousness, and all are part of the journey. -- Fr Richard's Daily Meditation today.

Thank you.