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Posts Tagged ‘God consciousness’

HOLIDAY SURVIVAL KIT

Posted in faith, Holiday giving, Love, tagged , , on December 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I used to both love and hate the holidays.  In many ways, I still think my “best” holidays were when I was a child and when my children and grand children were young.  Having youngsters around helps us all to see holidays through the eyes of a child, and that is something we all need now and then.

 

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Over the years, I have prepared for myself a virtual kit of tools that allow me to enjoy the holiday season and keep my sanity.  The tool I use the most is keeping my expectations realistic.   I used to have so many people in our house that I often wished for smaller celebrations.   I know God has a sense of humor, because he lets me know that when she gives me something I wish for, I am still frequently unhappy with it.  Our celebration these days (and for some past years) has become much smaller so I have learned to enjoy what I have instead of yearning for what it not possible.

 

 

My next most used tool is trying not to overdo anything.  I send fewer Christmas cards, I try to eat less sugar, I make sure I get more rest, I plan my shopping in small junkets.  I accept whatever physical limitations I have.  They vary from year to year, but with the aging process has come a few that are with me all the time.   This year I have had some back difficulties that make bending over painful, so I am wrapping less boxed presents and using more gift bags.

 

Another tool I need to pull out of the box frequently is to ask myself if I am having fun.  If I am not, I can ask myself “why not,” and then go on to ask myself what I could do that would make things fun for me.   Sitting by my parlor window with a nice warm shawl, a cup of coffee or tea, and a few Christmas cookies while I watch the snow fall can make me feel very peaceful and happy.  I have learned that I also need to stay focused on the fact that I am, indeed, feeling happy.  Awareness is a beautiful thing, but it is transient and needs to be cultivated.

 

I wish you a blessed holiday season, whatever you might be celebrating.   Use some of my tools or create some for yourself.  You will be glad you did.

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RENEWAL

Posted in changes, faith, Love, meditation, tagged , , on November 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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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KNOWING GOD’S WILL

Posted in Higher Power, reflection, spirituality, Uncategorized, tagged , , on August 25, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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

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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CONFORMITY OR SELF AWARENESS

Posted in changes, meditation, reflection, spirituality, tagged , on July 14, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Rom. 12:2)

 


As you reflect today, think about the way in which you relate to the world. Do you conform and do what most of your fellows are doing, or do you have the courage to avoid the patterns of the world? It is most likely always easier to simply conform. When you do what everyone else is doing, no one notices you. However, some of the things everyone else is doing may be wrong for you. How will you know? Keep in contact with your Creator, and regularly ask Him/Her what you should do.

I know you have heard the story of the lemmings that, once started, follow their leaders off the cliff and into the sea. Many of us are a bit like those lemmings; we are compliant and do what we are told without giving thought to whether what we are doing is right, or if there might be something better to do.

If we are willing to renew our minds on a daily basis, we will be able to examine some of the things we do just by rote. We may begin to see places where we do something merely because it is the way we have always done it. Must it be done this way? Might we find a better way, one that creates fewer problems and betters our environment? Take a look at some of the automatic things you do today. Ask God to help you keep your mind alert and aware, and who knows what you may be able to see!

Taken from “Ta;ls with our Creator” for March 5th

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