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Thanksgiving 2013

November 24, 2013 by godawarenessdaily

How strange!  I find myself just as grateful this year as I was last year, which I take as a very good sign.  Perhaps I have finally reached the place where I more regularly see that glass as half full rather than half empty.  There is no doubt in my mind that having an attitude of gratitude can make a big difference in how we live.

Since what I wrote about for last Thanksgiving still holds true (why not take a minute and read it after you finish this) I thought I would talk about some of the things I am grateful for today.  My family will always top the list, as well as the friends who keep me on the straight and narrow.  For today, though, I am feeling lots of gratitude that all of the dead leaves that cluttered our yard have been bagged and hauled away.  We are not getting any younger, and each year this seems more difficult to accomplish.

 

ImageI am grateful for a sunny day and the reign of high pressure.  I may be especially sensitive to pressure, because I always feel so much better when the sun shines full out.  That extra pressure gives me energy, I suspect.  Just had an odd thought — perhaps I should look at the pressures life tosses at me in the same way.  I need them to energize my life.

I am grateful for all the crystals I hang in my windows so the sun can make rainbows (I seem to be back to the sun again, but then, where would we be without it.  I am grateful for mood changes, as I seem to be in a quirky kind of mood today.  I used to try to squash those feelings because I felt they made me an odd ball.  I am grateful that I have embraced my oddness.

My husband often tells people that he is grateful to be still “above ground.”  Lately I have been borrowing that phrase because as the years pass, we lessen the amount of time we can be there, so despite a few aches and pains, we should be grateful.  Nonetheless, I do not appreciate the thought of ever being “underground” so I think I will also be grateful that I am not just a body, but am spirit as well.  Indeed, I think I will be grateful this Thanksgiving for my everlasting spirit. Continue Reading »

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Practicing God’s Presence

September 7, 2013 by godawarenessdaily

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Many of us would admit that we strive to follow God’s will.  But how do we know what it is?  I have struggled quite a bit with trying to find answers to this question, and I have concluded that we may never know for sure what is or isn’t the will of God.  We just have to let our conscience be our guide.

I think (and hope) that my conscience has grown over the years.  My life experience has changed it.  For many years, I believed in God, but had no real relationship with Him or Her.  Today, I honestly do try to practice the presence of God on a daily basis.  The more God becomes a friend — someone I can talk to about anything at all that is on my mind — the more able my conscience is to act in my behalf.

It is hard to make God a priority in your life, at least it is for me.  But I try.  When I manage to achieve awareness of God working in my life, it goes much more smoothly.  And the great thing is that I can always reconnect when life’s irrelevancies have taken over my mind for a time.  Is your conscience improving day by day?

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VALENTINES DAY

February 10, 2013 by godawarenessdaily

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)

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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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SIMPLIFYING THE HOLIDAYS

December 2, 2012 by godawarenessdaily

Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless; it is like chasing the wind. (Eccles. 6:9)

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Have you ever gone hungry for any length of time? Have you ever left a table wishing you had more to eat? Think about how this feels, even if you have not experienced it. Quite a few of us doubtless have even more than we need of the world’s goods.   Many of us regularly donate used clothing and household goods to charities, which is an indication of our abundance.

It never ceases to amaze me that I can have so many “things” and still find myself attracted to more. During holiday periods, just reading the advertising (or seeing it on television) can make us long for more.   If I am honest with myself, a lot of the things I purchase are things I want rather than things I truly need.  Our culture (and our advertising and our media) encourages us to think that something new will be better than that which we already have.

Every year, I am amazed that once the Thanksgiving holiday is over in the U.S. (and now even before) people line up waiting for stores to open so they can get great “deals” on the things they wish to purchase.  Watching what happens when those stores finally open looks like a feeding frenzy in an aquarium.   Does all that buying fill some need in us?  If we feel some elation over our purchases, how long does this last?

It can be very helpful for all of us, no matter how much or how little we have, to cultivate a grateful heart. I lean toward being the kind of person who sees the negative rather than the positive side of things. It is one of the things I work on almost daily. The strange thing is that negativity produces more negativity, but when you become aware of the many things you should be grateful for, you find even more of them.

I got some help from a book called Simple Abundance which suggested keeping a gratitude journal in which you wrote down at least five things you were grateful for at the end of each day. I did it for over a year, and still do it at times. Some days my list only includes my gratitude for breath, vision, hearing, food, and shelter, but often I find other, far more specific and special things—especially if I look for them.

When we become aware of how much we have, and regularly give thanks for it, we will be far less likely to buy things just for the sake of buying them.   Cultivating an attitude of gratitude helps to feed that ‘hunger for more’ that all of us feel from time to time.   There is nothing wrong with buying gifts for others (or ourselves) when we can afford to do so.   However, we humans need to be more aware of enjoying what we already have.

Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for December 7th

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RENEWAL

November 27, 2012 by godawarenessdaily

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;  the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Cor. 5:16-17)

 

 

 

Have you taken time recently to think about renewal?  Do so now as you reflect on how you might become a new creation. Would it be a quick change, or would you more likely make a change that is slow and over  time?

 

If we think about it, it is a true miracle that we are renewed every day  if we choose to be—that Spirit has the power to change and transform us and makes us into new beings. Regular periods of meditation can facilitate this process. My knees no longer allow me to sit cross-legged on the floor, but I have found it works just as well sitting on a chair. It’s a struggle to sit still and simply follow my breathing, but I keep trying because I feel it is in those quiet moments that we most connect with God.

 

Actually, I have been largely unsuccessful in quieting my mind. But I keep trying, and keep telling myself that this is all that is required of me. Every now and then it seems I slip into a different state where I stop struggling and tune into something for which I have no name. It is then that insights apparently get implanted in my head. I wish it happened more often, but it is not something I can force.

 

We will soon be entering the month in which we celebrate Christ’s birth. What better time for us to set aside a period each day in which we can seek to feel serene.

 

Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for November 27th

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LEADING WORTHY LIVES

November 24, 2012 by godawarenessdaily

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.  (Eph. 5:15-16)

 

 

How do we go about leading worthy lives? How must we walk carefully in order to be wise? Is there something you feel God wants you to do in this life that you have not yet done? Reflect on these things as you quiet your minds.

 

It’s hard to remember that Paul spent much of his later life in prison, writing letters to the various places where the new Christian churches had been established. He must have felt that his life was worthy of what God called him to do. Being incarcerated certainly gives people time for reflection.

 

Sister Theresa certainly felt she had received a calling, and she followed through admirably and not without suffering. Missionaries who head off for possibly uncivilized places must believe that they are following God’s wishes. I have often wondered if there was something that God wished me to do that I ignored because of laziness, fears, or simply a taste for the benefits civilization brings. I admire Sister Theresa and those who are missionaries—those who put themselves out for God. However, I have never felt a need to do those things.

 

I like to think our lives are worthy if we simply have a desire to live a decent life and be as caring toward others as we can. We all make sacrifices of some kind, but I am very aware that I have given up little for my faith.  I am willing to do what I can, but wonder sometimes if I should be doing more.  Today, I will try to be open to hear if God does call and hope you will do the same.

Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for November 25th

 

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THANKSGIVING

November 22, 2012 by godawarenessdaily

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness, come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love enduresforever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.  (Ps. 100)

 

 

In the United States, a day is set aside to give thanks on the fourth Thursday in November. Why do we not, all of us, take more time regularly to be thankful for what we have? Why does it seem so much easier to complain about what we do not have than to appreciate that which we do?

Some of us may tend to feel a bit saddened as days grow shorter and we have less light in our daily lives. One way to deal with depression is to get into actions of some sort, and yet this is often the last thing anyone who feels depressed wants to do. What seems to help me most is shifting my attitude from one in which I complain about all that’s wrong with my life, and begin trying to be grateful for all the things I do have.

An attitude of gratitude can work absolute miracles in our lives. When we stop to think about it, we can usually find mountains of things for which to be grateful. Perhaps the most important is that we have allowed Spirit to be a regular part of our lives. Sometimes it’s hard to find subjects for these reflections, but I keep writing them because I have begun to believe that Spirit speaks to me (and hopefully sometimes to some of you) as I write them. Today, I am particularly grateful for the voice of the Spirit—that still, small voice that always speaks to us if we are but willing to listen.

May we all have a Happy Thanksgiving and may we remember to try to carry that attitude of thanksgiving with us throughout the year.  When we focus on our difficulties, we see more of these in our lives.  However, when we focus on those things for which we are grateful, Spirit allows us to see more and more of them.

Taken from the Thanksgiving page in “Talks with our Creator”

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KNOWING GOD’S WILL

August 25, 2012 by godawarenessdaily

Not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:42)

 

 

 

Use this phrase as a mantra for your meditation today. Relax, breath deeply, and allow these words to sink deeply into your consciousness.  Can you honestly say that you are in full agreement with them? Are you completely willing to follow God’s will?

It is true that we do not always know with certainty if we are following the will of God. However, if we are honest, we know that many of the things we choose to do would not be what God would have us do. When we deliberately antagonize a family member or a coworker in order to pick a fight, we know God would wish us to respond in a different manner. We know, that is, if we have taken the time to think before we speak. This is not something human beings do with sufficient regularity.

For the most part, if our thoughts are loving thoughts, we will speak and act in a way that is loving and caring. Why do we allow anything but loving thoughts to enter our minds? Because we are “not God,” we are human beings with human responses. When we interact with others, we frequently find that our ego is conflicting with that of another. When this happens (and it always will), our thoughts will then determine what we do

None of us will likely ever be able to hold loving thoughts all the time.But we can make significant improvements if we simply become conscious of how and what we think. Today, allow yourself to monitor your thought processes. Be aware of how often your thoughts are unkind, perhaps even downright nasty. When we become aware of our thoughts, we will naturally begin to shift them so that they are more in line with God’s will. God has told us we should love one another.

Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for December 15th

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MARCHING ORDERS FROM GOD

August 22, 2012 by godawarenessdaily

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

August 18, 2012 by godawarenessdaily

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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