Unity

♫America the Beautiful♫

"We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths –- that all of us are created equal –- is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth." --President Barack Obama, 2013 Inaugural Address

I found President Obama's speech yesterday to be very inspiring and it was hard to pick a passage I wanted to highlight.  This morning, however, when I read the day's passage in Mark Nepo's "The Book of Awakening" I realized it would be on the theme of unity.  Nepo states, "Everything that divides and separates removes us from what is sacred, and so weakens our chances for joy."

President Obama reminded us of the "We" when it comes to the people of this country....."We" as opposed to "us" or "them".  The pursuit of happiness (joy) the Declaration of Independence hoped to make possible is dependent on the "We the People" as stated in the Constitution, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."  Furthermore, the Declaration of Independence states that "We" are created equal....."our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth." 

I'd like to state this idea of unity in a different way.  It is a well-known fact that people will often come together against a common enemy such as when We, the people of the United States, fought in WWII "alongside" Communists in order to defeat Nazis.  In that vein, I say it's time we start seeing our problems as the common enemy and not each other.  When President Obama said, "We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate" I was cheering right along with the assembled crowd.  Nepo put it this way, "....realize there are no wrong turns, only unexpected paths" when it comes to finding peace, living peace, and being restored to our original Oneness--humans made in the image of God.


President Obama illustrated this point by reminding us we have made friends with former enemies.  He said, " We are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war; who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends -- and we must carry those lessons into this time as well."

I stand with our President, with my prayers and my intentions, to seek to solve the problems in our society, our country, our world with a renewed attitude of the Oneness that has always existed....the Oneness on which our country was founded....We the People....dedicated to the preservation of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness....for all.

Whether or not you agree with the programs and policies this Administration is attempting to institute, we should all come together to debate, respectfully, the issues at hand--not letting our personal preferences or beliefs to cause us to take sides before the discussion even begins.  We must acknowledge that sometimes what looks like a wrong turn is merely an unexpected path to the right path.  As a Christian I'm of the belief that God is ultimately in control, and my heart, when given over fully to God, will guide me in what I do and say.  It's not my place to judge others for their behavior or beliefs.  Even the outcome is not up to me.  My job is to love my fellow man, no matter what.

Father, my pledge of allegiance is to You, first and foremost.  I thank you for placing me in a country that allows me to do so.  May I always exercise that freedom with love and respect for my fellow humans, no matter what.

Link to scripture:  Colossians 3:12-14

Take action:  Pledge for Unity

Hope and Faith

"We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.  But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." --Barack Obama

Today is the official Inauguration of President Obama's second term in office.  I found the above quote in today's reading in Alan Cohen's "A Daily Dose of Sanity".  Cohen went on to quote President Obama's response when asked if he had doubts whether or not he'd win the election.  He said, "Yes, I had doubts that I would be elected.  But I did not doubt that I could be elected."

I think this is why I supported Barack Obama's bid for the Presidency then and again for another term.  His outlook on life and what he hoped to accomplish as President has always been positive and from a desire to serve.  And even though he did not accomplish everything he'd hoped to accomplish in his first term, I think he will be an even better President for having learned more about his own strengths and weaknesses and how he should proceed. 

I think he sets a wonderful example of what faith is--it's believing that anything is possible and then seeking to do one's part in making it happen.  Cohen points out that we close the door to miracles when we start believing in our limitations and those of others instead of believing that anything is possible.  Christians, of all people, should not have to be reminded of this!  Jesus tells us, "With God all things are possible."

Father, may I never lose sight of the possibilities that are always there waiting for me to claim if I would just believe.

Link to scripture:  Matthew 19:26

Take action:  Lord, Help Me to Know You

Looking Back

Looking back over 2012 brings a sense of excitement over all that I've been blessed with.  This Blog has enabled me to capture much of it, and I thought I'd share a highlight from each month:

January: Winter Beauty

February: Eternity

March: Sanctuary

April: Seeing

May: Becoming Real

June: Conscience

July: Purpose

August: What the World Needs Now

September: Intentions

October: Potential

November: Thanksgiving

December: Good News

May God be made Real to you this coming new year in every corner of your Heart!

Link to scripture:   Hebrews 13:20-21

Take action:  Evaluate your life

Good News!

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." --Frank & Ernest

♫Hark! The Herald Angels Sing♫

Christmas Eve afternoon the snow began to fall.  I knew flurries were predicted but it was quite a surprise to see it stick and start to accumulate.  In the midst of my busyness I noticed there were quite a few birds about the yard, so I scrounged around the garage to locate an old bird feeder I could hang from the bracket outside the screened front porch.... 

I filled it with sunflower seeds.  Ken saw the first Cardinal, a bright-red male, arrive and then herald the new feeding station in the neighborhood....       ♫Cardinal Song♫

When he told me birds started flocking in from all over I couldn't help but think of God's Good News!  The angels heralded the coming of Christ and the shepherds gathered to listen.  

This morning while writing about it I realized the analogy also applies to us who have received the Good News--the Holy Spirit, God in us.  The Bread of Life that feeds us is something we should be singing about as the Cardinal did--not because we have all the answers but because we have a song of love in our hearts.  The Cardinal could not keep it to himself nor should we keep our Good News to ourselves.  

So why is it so hard for some of us to proclaim the Good News?  I think that is the question we each need to be asking ourselves.  As each excuse rises up it should be tossed aside or else we'll never get to the truth of the matter.....even if it means continuing to ask the question every day until you get an answer that leads to a solution.

Father, it's too easy to find reasons for our lapses.  They're all excuses.  You are God of all and in You and through You we have everything we need to unlock our hearts so that we can sing Your song of Love and Peace and Hope.  May I be so present in my life that I am aware of this from moment to moment.

Link to scripture:  Matthew 19:26

Take action:  How to Increase Faith

Our Children

This is my favorite picture of my boys when they were younger.  I framed it along with the quote below and hung it by my bed so I can see it every morning while I spend time reading God's Word and writing in my journal.  It is my reminder that my life (and all that it contains) is not my own....

In light of the tragedy in Connecticut on Friday I wanted to share again Margaret Woods' writings from 1777 that I shared in my June 16th post on Fatherhood....

Here is the rest of the quote....
"We are so incapable of judging with regard to our own happiness, or that of others, that it should lead us to a patient acquiescence in the Divine will:  a resignation which would not only enable us to say, "Thy will be done," but to feel that submission of mind which would preserve us in calm composure.  Things which appear to our present unhappiness and disadvantage have frequently at a future period proved a benefit, and we have been led to acknowledge that the Lord only knows what is best for us.  Suffer us to beseech, O Lord, more and more to enlighten us with divine knowledge, and having made us sensible of thy will, enable us to obey it."

Link to Scripture:  Amos 4:13

Take Action:  ♫God is in Control♫

To Be or Not To Be

"To Be or Not To Be" that is indeed the question.  

Those are the words that came to mind as I thought about my disappointments this morning--a reoccurring theme in my life.  But I am very glad to report that I finally got to the root of it!

I used to think I had a self-esteem problem--that I didn't think highly enough of myself.  I realize now that my self-esteem has been too high and that my disappointments stem from that self-esteem because I had unrealistic expectations for myself....and this then would spill over to other people.  Because I thought too highly of them, I expected too much from them, as well.

So I endeavored to understand what could be done about this problem.  I know the answer isn't to esteem myself or others less.  And just to not have expectations doesn't get to the root.  The answer came in Julia Cameron's little book of affirmations, "Heart Steps--Prayers and Declarations for a Creative Life".  She wrote, "I allow [God] to dream through me, to act through me, to create through me."  In that moment I realized it would be impossible to suffer any kind of disappointment if I just allowed this way of being to be....and the way to allow this is to stop judging myself by what I do or not do.  Instead I am just to be the channel through which God expresses His love.  God's love has many, many different ways to be expressed, and He accomplishes this through people who are open to Him.  Our personal prejudices (which are expressed through the judgments we make) block God's use of us--judgments such as "I can't" or "I'm not good enough" or "they can't" and "they aren't good enough".  

But then I have to go a step further.  I must be on the alert for such thoughts as "I won't".  How often do we passively resist God's Will for us by declaring that we aren't able (can't) to do something when the truth is we just won't do it.

So, the question is am I to be open to God and willing?  Or am I not to be?  That is the question!

Father, too often I lose sight of my own willfulness by hiding behind excuses of inadequacy when at the same time I declare that all things are possible through Christ!  No wonder I feel confused!  May I instead allow You to dream through me, act through me, and create through me.  Amen

Link to scripture:  Mark 9:23

Take action: Trust and Obey
   

Gratitude Part 2

In the Language of Flowers the Campanula symbolizes Gratitude....

One of the first posts I did on this Blog was on gratitude, but I feel a need to revisit this subject.  Alan Cohen has written a piece called "Thanksliving".  His focus is on past relationships.  He writes, "It is important that we hold our past in a sense of reverence, along with the people we have known."  

Recently someone from my past who caused me anguish at the time started coming to the Fitness Center I visit every weekday.  She seemed not to know who I was, and I was not inclined to make myself known to her.  She never looked directly at me, so I didn't feel the need to acknowledge her.  But then God began to bring particular writings into my morning quiet time and it became clear I needed not only to forgive this person but to gain understanding to why her actions still caused me hurt when I thought about them after all these years.  

And I did forgive her...as well as discover why it still hurt....and then was able share what I had learned with someone else who was dealing with a difficult situation.  I was eager to see this person again at the Fitness Center so I could smile at her and re-introduce myself (although, I had the feeling she already knew who I was).  Of course, she wasn't there--for days-- and when she did return I never found her looking my way so I could say "hi".  But, amazingly, it didn't matter any more.  The "work" had been done in me and I was able to have this sense of reverence of how God had used her in my life at the time and was still using her to show me things about myself I needed to see.  Cohen goes on to say, "Assume that everyone who shows up in your life is here to bless you in some way."  He suggests we make a list of significant past events and relationships and note by each the gifts we received from that person or experience.  I guarantee you it will change your perspective and help to heal any hurts that still linger.

Father, I am grateful for everything that has happened in my life because now I can see Your Hand in them, working to bring good to me and to others through me.

Link to scripture:  Romans 8:28

Take action:  Gratitude