Trusting God

T.G. Henderson House, in Lake City, Florida

Yes, even more Melody Beattie!

A married couple, friends of mine, decided to make some changes in their living situation. They had always lived in the city, and now they decided they wanted to live in the country, on a lake.

They found a small, lake home. It wasn’t the house of their dreams, but when they sold their city home, they would have money to remodel it. They had saved some money, so they moved into their lake home before selling their city home.

One year passed, and the city home didn’t sell. My friends went through many changes during this time. They had times of patience and impatience. Some days they trusted God; other days they couldn’t figure out why God was mak­ing them wait so long, why God wouldn’t let them move forward with their plan. The doors just wouldn’t swing wide open.

One day, a neighbor came to visit my friends. His home on the lake was my friends’ dream home — everything they wanted, plus more. The first time my friends saw this house, they admired it, wishing they could have a home just like it, but then they forgot about the idea. They didn’t believe it could ever be possible.

The reason the neighbor came to visit my friends was that he and his wife had decided to move. He offered my friends the first option on purchasing his home.

My friends accepted his offer, and signed a purchase agree­ment. Within two months, they sold their city home and their small but adequate lake home. A short time later, they moved into the home of their dreams.

Sometimes, we experience times of frustration in our life. We believe we’re on track, trusting God and ourselves, yet things don’t work out. We have false starts and stops. The door refuses to swing wide open.

We may wonder if God has abandoned us, or doesn’t care. We may not understand where we’re going, or what our direction is.

Then one day we see: the reason we didn’t get what we wanted was because God had something much better planned for us.

Today, I will practice patience. I will ask, and trust, my Higher Power to send me His best.” via June 26: Trusting God.

Where is God?

“God is near me (or rather in me), and yet I may be far from God because I may be far from my own true self.” C. E. Roll.

Our relationship with God and our relationship with ourselves are always interwoven. Sometimes we feel disconnected from ourselves or emotionally flat. We may block the flow of communication with our deeper selves by trying to evade a difficult or painful truth. At those times we grope for some kind of contact and may even ask, “Where is God?”

God is always with us, but sometimes we are the missing party. In the past, most of us were deeply alienated from ourselves and from our Higher Power. Our first moments of spiritual awakening may have been when we saw how far we were from our true selves. This honest message from ourselves to ourselves was painful but was also a re-contact with the truth that made it possible to find God.

I need not ask where God is because God is loving and always near. I only need to ask, “Where am I?” via Just For Today Meditations » Daily Recovery Readings – June 26, 2012.

Confusion

English: Dry Garden in Ryoanji (Kyoto, Japan) ...

“Imagine a sculpture

You work on every day.

If you stop, the beauty

Will slowly go away.”

What if you were at work on a beautiful sculpture but your material reverted or decayed if you ever ceased to progress? This is the unfortunate nature of spiritual efforts.

You can never stop trying to purify yourself, improve yourself, strengthen yourself, and cultivate the sacred that is inside you. If you do well one day, that is good. But if you cease your efforts, you will slide backward. That is why you must strive on every level, from the physical to the mental to the spiritual. Your vigilance must never flag. Your determination must never waver.

Paradoxically, there is nothing to achieve. It is only our minds that convince ourselves that we must do something. We are already pure, already sacred. But we live in a polluted world, we have egotistical thoughts that constantly divide us from the true Tao, and we cannot remain forever in a pure state and still function in the world. If you attained the higher levels of Tao, you would appear to an outsider as if in a trance, and it would be impossible to interact with others. So if you are trying to be spiritual in today’s world, you must never cease striving to keep yourself pure. Once you are not with Tao, you must constantly struggle with the impurity of the world.” via Just For Today Meditations » Daily Recovery Readings – June 25, 2012.

Figuring out God’s will

Melody Beattie writes:

It was a stressful time in my life. I didn’t know what to do. I had pressing business decisions to make, and painful relationship issues to face. Everything felt like a mess.

I gathered up a few favorite books, the Bible, a journal, and some clothes. Then I headed for the mountains, a resort that was a favorite place of mine to hide out in and gather my thoughts.

I told myself, “I’m going to stay in there. Write in my journal. Pray. And meditate. I’m not coming out until I know what to do.”

After forty-eight hours of writing about my problems, praying about my problems, and meditating about my problems, I remembered something a friend had said to me.

“What are you doing?” he had asked.

“I’m trying to surrender to God’s will.”

“No you’re not, you’re trying to figure it out.”

Within six months, each of the problems I was wrestling with worked themselves out. I was either guided into an action that naturally felt right at the time, or a solution came to me. The immediate solution to each problem was the same: let go. Just surrender to the situation taking place. Sometimes, what we need to do next is surrender.

If you don’t like the word surrender, try calling it making peace.

God, help me surrender to your will, especially when I don’t know what to do next.” via Just For Today Meditations » Daily Recovery Readings – June 25, 2012.

Uh-oh once again…

This cartoon perfectly illustrates a profound thought. I think that when we die we will ALL find out that we were wrong. Christians, I believe that in the first ‘Monday morning meeting’ in Heaven, God will say in his best Dr. Phil imitation “Dudes — this denomination thing. What were you thinking?” Religion is man’s feeble attempt to placate and ultimately control God. God, however, has a different plan I believe. He says:

1Cor 2:9: “as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”[b]
the things God has prepared for those who love him—

10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.[c] 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

I’m fully aware I may be wrong about everything I believe, but I think God is more about relationship than religion. Cartoon via Anderson Layman’s Blog Uh-oh once again…………...

Tolerance and Diversity…

I’m against all forms of intolerance. Even my own! Tolerance and Diversity… | Liberal Logic 101.

Seek out the happiness in all of life’s crappiness. – Karen Salmansohn poster crappy doodle – notsalmon.

The feminine side of Loki

Now THAT looks like a god of mischief! :-D The Meta Picture via The feminine side of Loki.

Eating

boiled green soybeans

“Eating is really one of your indoor sports. You play three times a day, and it’s well worth while to make the game as pleasant as possible.” via Dorothy Draper.

Scraping barnacles, losing spiritual fat, cleaning house

Barnacles (Chthamalus stellatus) and Limpets (...

Jon Swanson writes:

I wish I’d seen barnacles sometime in my life. I don’t like using cliche metaphors unless I’ve seen what I’m talking about. And I’ve heard that barnacles cling to the bottoms of boats and slow them down. And I’ve heard that it’s important to scrape them off from time to time lest the boat gets bogged down.

I spent the day yesterday scraping barnacles out of my office and off my heart. But since I’ve never seen barnacles, I can’t use that image.

Parts of my office hadn’t been adjusted since I moved in 53 months ago. A drawer was full of empty router boxes from some network projects we’ve done. There were drafts of various sorts, old catalogs, and pictures from projects that are long over.

I also took a couple steps on major projects, steps where the absence of action was slowing the progress of my heart. I was feeling trapped until I brushed off the inertia with a few keystrokes.

As I was thinking about my experiential ignorance, I remembered another image, this time about running. I’m not a runner, but I’m walking and riding more. And realizing the way baggage limits progress. Sometimes it’s the baggage of wrong actions and wronged relationships. Other times it’s just distractions we picked up along the way. The writer of Hebrews says,

It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever..

Spiritual fat. Parasitic sins.  That’s cleaning my office, clearing piles, ending collections.” via Scraping barnacles, losing spiritual fat, cleaning house..

I hope that Jon won’t mind that I added barnacles to his post… :-D

Four Steps To Cleanse Toxic People And Thoughts

Donna Gates shares this…

Sometimes when we experience a massive shift in our mental, emotional or spiritual life, things can get worse before they get better.

One of the first things that we must confront with any addiction, whether it is to a toxic substance, an unhealthy distraction or an abusive relationship, is the level of honesty that we bring to the table.

This means that in addition to coping with the neurochemical balancing act that is taking place in the body, we also must look closely at what we desire, our resolve and long-term objectives.

These are big questions. And asking them can stir up quite a storm. Nonetheless, every day many of us are making a change for the better. We are making changes, weathering the storm and seeing the benefits.

How we nourish our physical body is very similar to how we nourish our mental and emotional body.

When I cleanse or detoxify my physical body, I always apply four straightforward steps to the process. Guess what? These four steps work with the fundamental process of detoxification. They can be applied to any area of life!

Source: Four Steps To Cleanse Toxic People And Thoughts!

Go to the source if you’d like to know the 4 steps – they are full of ‘practical, tactical’ information you can use to detoxify spiritually, physically and emotionally…

BackOfAnEnvelope: Career Growth

Nicholas Bate via BackOfAnEnvelope: Career Growth. How? Read Linchpin by Seth Godin!!!

Buddha on gratitude…

English: The moment of revealing four noble tr...“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.”  Buddha. via Buddha on gratitude……..

Own Your Day With A Morning Ritual

Curated from FinerMinds:

Morning Rituals are not difficult to define – it’s basically something you do every morning after you wake up, as part of your daily schedule. This alone may sound trivial, but you’d be amazed at how a simple ritual could impact the rest of your day, and ultimately – your life.

What’s awesome about morning rituals is that you’re in control of whatever you choose to incorporate into it. What matters is deciding why you want to add a ritual into your morning and how doing it repeatedly will boost your spirit. See it as the opening credits to your day’s TV show starring you as the main character. Are you a stage owner like X-Factor, quirky but witty like 30 Rock or part of a lively bunch like Modern Family?

Morning Rituals give you a reason to get out of bed in the morning, and helps to prepare you mentally and physically for the day’s tasks and challenges. It also plays as the more tolerable (and likable) sidekick to your alarm clock, helping you to develop the habit of waking up at a certain time every day and going through an enjoyable routine until you leave your house.

Morning rituals are about you, and, depending on how well you’ve allocated your time for it – are also about indulging in the luxury of not having to rush to work or wherever it is you have to be. Organization is key!

Don’t have a morning ritual yet? To develop your own and stick to it firstly pick an appropriate wake-up time. How long would you need before you have to surrender yourself to reality? Next, pick your objective for your ritual – do you want to use it as a mood lifter, as a mean to improve your health, an opportunity to catch up with or a hobby, or extra quality time with your family?

Test your new ritual for a week or two to make sure if it sits with your personality and your schedule, and if you are able to practice it consistently. Allow time to experiment with what works best. Here are some great ideas we found online for a little inspiration:

1. Welcome the day at sunrise. Even if you don’t have to be up that early, just drag yourself out of bed and watch the sunrise whilst absorbing the stillness around you. Use this opportunity to have your alone time with you and the universe. The first break of light, the slow wakening of traffic, the morning dew – bask in the moment and breathe in this start to a positive day.

2. Start the day healthy. Take advantage of the morning quiet to meditate, which will help you connect with yourself to better prepare your body and mind for the day. Or break into a quick sweat with some yoga or exercise. Morning exercise jumpstarts your metabolism and will instantly energize you, not to mention regulate your appetite so you can make better food choices and not fall to the hands of irregular eating and bad snacking. In fact, exercise can improve brain power and protect against memory loss as you age. And who said you needed a whole hour to meditate or exercise? 15 minutes is all you need!

3. Include your loved ones in the ritual. Snuggle up together with your children and exchange dreams from the night before. Engage in a loving or relaxing chat with your partner (you may need to encourage them to participate but it will be worth it!). Open the door and let your cat or dog in; they are always happy to greet you in the morning! Or even spend 10 minutes mentally planning the day ahead and ensuring that all family members and tasks are accounted for (we recently read Victoria Beckham left her son Brooklyn at home as she drove to his school to drop him off…)

4. Dance the grogginess away. Pick an anthem for yourself, put it on and dance around in your bedroom or anywhere in the house. Even if you don’t dance or sing along, a little background music is sure to put a little bounce or pep in your steps as you prepare for your day.

5. Take breakfast outside. Or by the window. Or wherever you can get a decent view. Sink your feet into the grass as you walk around your garden, sipping on a mug of coffee. Have your cereal on the porch. Walk to the nearest cafe to get a freshly baked pastry or a smoothie. Watch your neighborhood come to life, and you will come to life too ;)

Do you already have a morning ritual? If yes – share it with us! If you don’t have one yet, what do you think yours could be, and would you be willing to start it soon? We’re all ears, and eyes!” via FinerMinds

A prayer…

“May today there be peace within.  May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.  May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.  May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.  May you be content with yourself just the way you are.  Let this knowledge settle into your bones and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love.  It is there for each and everyone of us.” St. Theresa’s Prayer via A prayer……………. Photo via Popsdigital.

Who Owns Your Time?

“What you do today is important, because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.” Unknown.

When you take cash out of your wallet to give to someone, you surely expect something of equal or greater value in return. Do you treat your time the same way?

At one of my first jobs, I found myself spending a massive amount of time on tasks that didn’t really add value to me or my purpose.

“Ah well, at least I got something done today,” I would often mutter to rationalize wasting time on just busy work. Or even better: “Well, that took a lot of my time, but at least I’ll have tomorrow to take care of what I really need to do.”

I found that I didn’t truly own my time. I would arrive home from work exhausted, unwilling to do anything, and dreading that I only had an hour to sleep before waking up to do the whole thing over again.

Why did all of this happen? Because I let my boss, my friends, and poor decisions take ownership of my time.” Get more here: Why Owns Your Time? | Tiny Buddha: Wisdom Quotes, Letting Go, Letting Happiness In.

Are You Shut Down and Disconnected?

“When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another—and ourselves.” Jack Kornfield. Get more here: Are You Shut Down and Disconnected? | Tiny Buddha: Wisdom Quotes, Letting Go, Letting Happiness In.

Let Go of Perfectionism

“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” ~Proverb

I’m a “recovering perfectionist.”

I make perfect plans. At times, when I’m really working on my plans, I forget to live my actual life.  Because I’m planning. Perfectly.

I had my first strategic plan when I was 10.

“Be a really, really good girl. Then, when you are 16, borrow the car and say that you are going to Drug Fair to buy hairspray. Instead, drive the 15 minutes to your daddy’s house so that he’ll want you back.”

A year later I had to revise my first strategic plan. My alcoholic father died.

Here was the second plan:

“Now you’re all alone.” (Which wasn’t true, by the way. It just felt that way. Anyway, back to the plan.)  “Now you’re all alone. Be perfect.”

In the first plan, I just had to be “good” to be rescued.  In the second one, there was no rescue.

I needed to be perfect.” Get more here: Let Go of Perfectionism: It’s the Leap That Counts | Tiny Buddha: Wisdom Quotes, Letting Go, Letting Happiness In.

The Rock-Solid Foundation of Christian Hedonism

Desiring God Blog via The Rock-Solid Foundation of Christian Hedonism.

No More Excuses!

The Daily Love via Visual Inspiration: No More Excuses!.

Remember when life’s path is steep to keep your mind even….

Remember when life’s path is steep to keep your mind even. – Horace

via Remember when life’s path is steep to keep your mind even…..

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