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Archive for the ‘faith’ Category

MARCHING ORDERS FROM GOD

Posted in faith, Higher Power, reflection, tagged , , on August 22, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Incline thy ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. (Ps. 86:1)

 

 

 

Today, begin your meditation time by going to one of your favorite spot and spend several quiet minutes there. Don’t try to stop your thoughts, but don’t allow your mind to focus on any of them. Note them briefly and let them go until the next thought appears.

 

Whenever we pray, we no doubt wish there was a way for us to hear God’s response to us. Our prayers always receive a response, but not always as quickly or in the direction we would like. We are all poor and needy at times, and our prayers, our connection to our Creator, make us aware once again of the tremendous source of power that is always available to us.

 

I have often remarked to others that I wish God would send me a written list of instructions for what I need to do that day. Or I have wished that I would actually hear a voice in my head, telling me what to do. Lately, however, I have begun to believe that it is better the way it is. I need to be a part of the “marching orders.”

 

If I simply got written instructions, I would only be following orders, not making choices of my own. When I am forced to make choices, when I must decide for myself what God would will for me, I learn from the process.  God may direct us and our thinking, but we also need to learn to think for ourselves. As we listen for answers today, let us tune into God and show a willingness to follow good orderly direction.

 

Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for November 18th

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SAYING GOODBYE TO FALL

Posted in changes, faith, spirituality, tagged , , on August 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither future, not any powers, neither heights nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Rom. 8:37-39)

 

 

Do you have a feeling of sadness as the calendar moves from September to October? Fall can be glorious, of course, but I tend to think beyond it to winter; in addition, I resist change. And yet, God created our Universe to be one of constant change. And often we see examples of how the death of one thing can transform itself into the birth of another.

 

Every fall, it seems, I can not help but feel sorry for the loss of summer’s bounty. Rationally, I realize that trees probably do not mourn the stoppage of chlorophyll to their leaves, creating the changing colors, or the fact that the leaves will eventually dry and drop off their branches.  Have you ever been fanciful enough to wonder if the trees feel regret when the leaves flutter away one by one? They are most likely wise enough to know that spring will come again with its rebirth and its greening. They accept the process. We humans may have to accept that we occasionally feel sad, but perhaps we need to recognize that our sadness might indicate a lack of faith. If we take the time to reflect on it, we know deep inside that God’s has a plan for the seasons, and that each season will come again in its proper time.

 

Meanwhile, let us simply enjoy the fall. Make sure you have some fun out doors today. Keep in mind, as you do, that God’s script for life, death,  and rejuvenation is nothing less than mystical and miraculous.  The Universe is wonderful — enjoy the wonder.

 

Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for October 4th

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WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

Posted in faith, reflection, spirituality, tagged , on July 26, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Everything is possible for him who believes. (Mark 9:23)

 

 

 

As you reflect today, ask yourself what you believe.  If we walk a spiritual path, this indicates that we hold a number of core beliefs—essentials for the kind of life we want to lead.  Try to think about those things which make up your set of core beliefs.

 

Did you find it difficult to determine what you believe? Our language does a good job of allowing us to communicate for the most part.  However, when it comes to things of the spirit, our language does not serve us well. We know what we believe, but it can be quite hard to put those things into words.

 

For many of us, our intrinsic beliefs probably look a little like some of the Ten Commandments.  We believe that we should love God and one another.  We believe that we should worship only our God.  We should honor our parents, not kill others, respect others’ property, not steal, and not lie.  Most of our beliefs, however, have some qualifications attached.

 

We can kill others if we are defending ourselves and those we love, for example.  Probably most of us believe adultery is wrong, but it happens so frequently, some may wonder if we do believe it.  Many of us have been guilty of worshiping graven images like money, or automobiles, or mansions.  Because we are human, we slip easily into behaviors that are contrary to what we honestly believe.  Sometimes our definitions are at fault. Keeping the Sabbath Day holy depends on one’s definition of what is holy.

 

Today, examine your beliefs and whether or not you still believe those things. We need to know what we believe and who we are before we decide whether or not to make changes.

Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for June 5th

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CATASTROPHES AND GOD’S WILL

Posted in acceptance, faith, Love, tagged , , on July 23, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I would like to dedicate this piece to all of those in pain because of the recent massacre in Colorado.  

 

When horrific things happen in this world (and they always do, it seems) many folks seem to have some questions about how God can allow such things to happen.   I believe that God cries with us when such things occur.  While I firmly believe that God is always available to us and that He or She does direct our paths when we wish to follow His will, I believe also that God gave man free will and does not intervene to stop nature from taking it’s course.

 

There is simply no way that I could accept that the God in whom I believe would will to have tragedies happen.   Slaughters, mass murders, natural catastrophes and the like are caused either by Nature or by man himself in some sense.  I cannot believe that these things happen because God intends for them to happen.   However, I also believe that out of all tragedies come good things eventually.  I am only able to see an infinitesimal portion of the mosaic of my life, so I am required to have faith and trust that God will take care of all of us.  Our Creator knows what She is doing.

 

I hate it when others are in pain, but I know I am not powerful enough to take away that pain.  God is powerful enough and will do so, eventually, if He is summoned.   As many in the media have already said, I pray that those involved will find comfort and, eventually, peace of some sort.  God might not prevent disasters from happening, but He is surely available to comfort those who need comfort.   When bad things happen to good people, I used to feel quite cynical and insist that this was just the way of the world.    God has helped me to see that cynicism does nobody good, while prayers and hopeful thoughts can work wonders.

 
My brother recently suffered a tragic loss when his beautiful home in the Roosevelt National Forest was consumed by Colorado’s fires.   Thankfully, he and his wife (and their dogs) got out safely, but everything was lost.   Why did it happen?  Why was his home in the path of the fire?   We can always torture ourselves by wondering why terrible things happen.   Or we can slowly but surely try to accept that these things are part of our lives.  We don’t and can’t know why these things happen.  But we can help one another to get through them.

 

 

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DO NOT BE AFRAID; ONLY BELIEVE

Posted in faith, spirituality, trust, tagged , , on July 10, 2012| 1 Comment »

 

 

 

 

But when Jesus heard it, He answered him saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” (Luke 8:50)

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve never been a serious scripture reader. However, one year during Lent, I committed to daily readings of scripture. I tried to give myself enough time to pray first and then listen to hear what God might want me to get from the passage. I would then read slowly so that certain passages or phrases might stand out and/or have special meaning.  At times, nothing would leap out at me, but on occasion, it did. One time I’d been reading from the book of Luke and I got to the eighth chapter in which Jairus comes to Christ, seeking help for his dying daughter. Before they can get to her, someone comes to say that the daughter has died, and Jesus responds with the passage above.

 

 

No doubt about it! Those words did seem to leap off the page. “Do not be afraid, only believe.” I found myself saying those words over and over and realizing how hard I found this to do. Though I do believe, I often lack the faith to believe completely. I tend to believe with reservations. I’d like to fully believe, but often I don’t.

 

 

Today, I have accepted the paradox that the more I believe, the more I know I need help with my unbelief. Generally, it boils down to the fact that while I believe, I lack sufficient trust in certain areas. I know God cares for me—I know this without reservation. Still, when things don’t go my way,  I hang on to faith and trust only so long before I begin to think of things I can do to help the situation. It’s hard for me to just sit back and allow the power of Spirit to do its work, even though I know that when I manage to do so, things work out much better overall.

 

Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for February 12th

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SIGHT VS. VISION

Posted in faith, spirituality, trust, tagged , , on July 10, 2012| 1 Comment »

 

 

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (Heb. 10:23)

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all have those days when we may feel more hopeless than hopeful. It can happen even on days when we are not dealing with major difficulties or trauma. Many of us are sensitive to weather conditions and the barometric pressure may affect us both physically and mentally. The above passage points out that “he who promised is faithful.” Still, for most of us human creatures, we can begin to doubt fairly easily.

Today, let us take a few quiet moments and evaluate our emotional state. Many of us get so busy with living life that we rarely even pause to check out how we are feeling. Is something bothering us? Can we think of a way to deal with this or let go of it.  We all have some ways to stay positive and hopeful that work for us.  For me, it is a great help to remember that the sun is always shining.  Even when it is raining or snowing, the sun is there behind the clouds.

There is much in our lives that is always there, even though our vision of it may be obscured for any number of reasons. I need to be able to see the sun with my internal vision even when I may not be able to see it with my eyes. My prayer for us all today is that we may find internally sunny weather no matter what we see outside.

Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for January 16th

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DOORS VS. WINDOWS

Posted in acceptance, changes, faith, spirituality, trust, tagged , , on July 10, 2012| Leave a Comment »

 

Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock
and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks
receives; he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks,
the door will be opened. (Matt. 7:7-8)

 

 

 

 

 

We all have phrases, slogans, or sayings which especially speak to us.  One I’m fond of tells me that God will never close a door but that He will also open a window. There have been times in my life when I’ve had doubts about where that window is and how long it will take it to open, but it’s always shown up eventually.

 
Helen Keller put it this way, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” How true that can be.  Helen Keller was an extremely remarkable lady. Being human, we hate it when doors close—especially if we feel they should have remained open.
We can then get so focused on the door now shut that we fail to be open to the beauty we might find from any number of windows were we to stop bemoaning that closed door.

 
Today, examine some of the ways in which you may be struggling with doors that have closed or are closing. Are you failing to see the open windows? Have you even made an effort to look for them? Are you failing to realize that each day, each moment brings us a new beginning? Perhaps you don’t see the open windows because they are in unexpected places. If you spend some time reflecting upon where you might find those opening windows, you may have a better chance of locating them. You may also find you’ve become more accepting of those closed doors.

 

Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for July 10th

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