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Archive for the ‘trust’ Category

If Winter Comes, Can Spring Be Far Behind?

Posted in acceptance, changes, faith, trust, tagged , , on February 27, 2015| Leave a Comment »

There are times when it seems difficult to understand why God allows excesses in some places and scarcities in others. We have droughts and we have floods. We have heat waves and “bone chilling cold.” Balance and moderation don’t seem to occur with any regularity.

In the last few years, I think I have finally reached a place where I have stopped asking God why things happen the way they do. Life is what it is! I could never really accept that God’s will causes unhappiness, struggle or pain. Today I believe (honestly) that God’s will for us is that we have freedom, joy, and happiness.

Anderson Gardens 09 017

However, God has given us freedom of choice and He/She does not intervene in the natural order of things. We are free to be happy or sad, and even though we frequently don’t want to fully accept this fact
, we are free to choose. We often choose to be miserable. I suspect it is part of the human condition that we sometimes enjoy our own misery.

I will never understand God, and today I don’t believe I was meant to do so in this human life. I’d like to think I will understand better at a later time. When I look for help, though, I find it in many places along the journey. One I would recommend to everyone is a small book I read years ago for the first time and still read today. It is called “The Will of God” and it was written by Leslie D. Weatherhead.

In the book, the will of God is discussed in three separate parts. First there is the intentional will of God. Then comes the circumstantial will of God (God’s plan within certain circumstances) and lastly, God’s ultimate will. Looking at it this way has helped me enormously to put life, death, catastrophes, pain, and suffering into perspective.

We have all seen great good come out of terrible suffering. Today I choose to believe that God never causes suffering, but does not intervene unless called upon to do so, and then the inventions come in ways we may not expect. We can’t see what lies ahead of us in our journey through life, but God can. All we must do is believe He/She desires the best for us all.

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WHOM SHALL I FEAR?

Posted in Prayer, reflection, trust, tagged , on November 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid. (Ps. 27:1)

Today, imagine you are sitting at the base of a beautiful waterfall. As it cascades down, the droplets of water glimmer in the sun. You are comfortable, warm, and at peace. Stay here for several minutes—or longer if you like.

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Why are we fearful? Most of us are, now and then, and some of us are afraid much of the time. We might want to ask ourselves what it is that we fear. What do we think might happen? Are we simply afraid of feeling fearful?
When our faith in God is secure, we might think that we should be fearless. Many of us may have faith, but still find ourselves afraid at times. Perhaps our fear is a warning and we need to take action to avoid hurt. More often, our fears are that we will not get what we want or that something we have will be taken from us. If we have sufficient faith and trust in God, we will know deep inside that nothing will ever happen to us that we can’t handle as long as we have God’s help.
There are times when God sends that help through other people, and we need to be cognizant of this. If we have prayed to have fears removed, we should then be alert for some form of assistance that God may be sending us. Often we fail to receive God’s answer or offer to help because we aren’t aware of the means God has used to send it to us. We may get relief from fear, from very unlikely sources at times. Can you recall such times in your life?
Today, be aware that God answers prayers in many different ways.  Be on the lookout for anything God may be sending to you, no matter how small or insignificant.   And be sure to also say thank you to God for all that you have been given.

Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for November 17th.

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WELCOME IN AN UNWELCOMING WORLD

Posted in faith, Gratitude, reflection, spirituality, trust, Uncategorized, tagged , on May 23, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Every now and then, something happens in our lives that really impresses us.  Such a thing happened recently to my sister who lives in Florida, and I felt a need to share this with others.  It was a sign of hope for me — one of those synchronicities that seem to sometimes come when we most need them.

 

Florida has many great places to take walks, and my sister is fortunate enough to live near Tampa Bay and thus has many places where she can walk along the water.  One such place is Phillippe Park.  She related to me that recently she went further than expected and became very tired.  There were many huge homes facing the Bay but most had high walls or were screened in some way from the public walkway.

 

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She was very pleasantly surprised, therefore, to walk past the home pictured above (and we show just the place by the water and not the home itself).  She was struck, as was I, by this note of welcome in this world where so many these days feel the need to barricade themselves behind high fences, strong walls, and heavy security measures.

This is not to say that we don’t need security measures.  In order to live safely today, most of us are very concerned with security measures for our safety and that of our families.   Nonetheless, the resting place and the sign pictured above speaks to those who still want to share what they have with others.

When I walk around our neighborhood, I often see resting places in the yards of the home by which I walk.  There have been a few times when I would have loved to sit down for a few minutes and rest.  I keep meaning to suggest to our local park district that they place benches in more of the small parks our village has scattered here and there.

I even wondered briefly what my neighbors might say were I to set a few chairs near the street and put up a welcome to rest sign.  I doubt I would have the guts to do it — and the rest of my family would likely protest.   Still, I am old enough now to be aware of how much our world has changed and how often our reaction to others is to pull away rather than welcome.  Could we be more welcoming to our human brothers and sisters?  Should we be?

I wonder.  And yet I greatly admire the people who live in the house by Tampa Bay who were gracious enough to extend a welcome to those walking by.

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VALENTINES DAY

Posted in Love, trust, Uncategorized, tagged , on February 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not
irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all
things, endures all things. (1 Cor. 13:4-7)

2010-05-09 09.05.08
Today is a perfect day to think about love. Are you aware of how many different kinds of love there are? In English, there is only one word for love, but in Greek there are several. Valentine’s Day most often, though not exclusively, seems to exemplify the romantic kind of love. But there is also a fraternal kind of love we have for close friends and family, often referred to as brotherly love. Agape love is that which we feel for all of God’s creatures everywhere.

 
And of course, there’s self-love, which all of us need, but which easily becomes complicated. We need to love ourselves, but not in an egotistical way, and that is often difficult for many of us. Right after birth, we see ourselves as the center of the universe, but we soon begin to learn that there are many others sharing the universe with us.
As you progress through life, your ability to give and receive love  changes. As a small child, my love was almost entirely conditional—I loved those who cared for me and provided for me. As I grew into my teens, I found myself starting to deal with the “sexual attraction” kind of love—exciting, frustrating at times, complicated, and at times frightening in its intensity.
Maternal/paternal love is something else again, and can feel verwhelming until you get past the fear of doing something wrong and harming your child. For many of us, it may be the first time we have truly loved someone more than ourselves. Today, think about all the kinds of love you experience.   Reach out to someone with love.   Show love in an unexpected way.   And remember that nothing can separate you from the love of God.

Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for February 14th

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POWER FAILURES

Posted in acceptance, Higher Power, reflection, trust, tagged , , on July 31, 2012| Leave a Comment »

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Contemplate today on power—where we get it, how we use it, its benefits, and its drawbacks. Don’t limit yourselves but think about any power source.  Whenever the weather gets really stormy, I tend to think about power failures in the sense of losing electricity. I suspect it might be related to childhood fears of the dark. Periodically, we hear about massive power failures in major cities. Empathy may then take me to places I would really rather not go. I am able to viscerally imagine myself under the earth in a steaming subway car in the dark. All I can do is pray that those without power will think to call upon the one source of power that never fails.

Sometimes in the past, we’ve heard horrible stories of looting and crime during power outages. Yet we also usually hear of people calmly waiting for help to come—and perhaps more importantly, knowing that help would come. They know that something is watching over them.  In some countries, the demands for electric power have gone beyond t he infrastructure set up to properly provide it. In many high-rise office buildings, it is impossible to open windows, so it makes one wonder what would happen should electricity not be readily available for long periods of time.

The Bible naturally has multiple references to power. Power comes from many sources; Mother Nature has enormous power. We ourselves have an underused power source in the Holy Spirit. Let us remain responsible in our use of power and consider ways to expand it to the benefit of all.

Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for August 9th

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IF YOU SEEK, WILL YOU FIND?

Posted in reflection, spirituality, trust, tagged on July 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt. 6:33-34)

We are told that if we seek we will find. Do you believe this to be true for you? Often we seem to be seeking specific answers. What answers are you seeking today? Are they general or specific? Ask yourself why it is that we seem to need answers so much of the time. What might it be like to inquire without looking for answers—to simply have an inquiring mind?

Usually when we ask a question, we expect to find an answer and quickly.  Everything these days seems to be available at the click of a mouse.  On some level, we believe God will tell us immediately what He/She wants us to do or at least tell us where to go for answers. We may want to Know with a capital “K.” We want certainty in an uncertain universe.

The solution is not to stop asking the questions. It’s important that we acknowledge that some problem—some tension—exists, but we sometimes need to simply allow that tension to be there. Consider for a moment what it would be like to be more comfortable with just going along, moment by moment, allowing each day to take care of itself. Perhaps it all boils down to a lack of trust when we humans get focused on the need for answers. We want to be sure—we want to be right.

Obviously, it’s important to know right from wrong. However, many of us have placed too much emphasis on doing the right thing. Perhaps there are sometimes a number of “right” ways, and we need to have enough faith and trust to allow ourselves to simply explore. Today, may we simply ask God to open our minds to possibilities and to help us be more comfortable with asking the questions but not expecting the answers. Just for today, let us trust God to direct our lives and let tomorrow worry about itself.

Adapted from “Talks with our Creator” for August 30th

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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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