As I wake up, I’m learning more about love, true love.
True love, unconditional love, is not about limitation, judgment, or comparison.
True love accepts beings as they are and offers compassion and mercy. It extends itself out. It is awareness. It is present.
It is Presence.
Thank You, Spirit, for the dissolution of the old earth that obscures love, and for the new earth arising in which waking up reveals our true love for all.
Showing posts with label present. Show all posts
Showing posts with label present. Show all posts
Monday, May 24, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Within
Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith. - Henry Ward Beecher
I’ll take hold of tomorrow with faith.
Better still, I will remain in the present, and feel God within me now.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
I’ll take hold of tomorrow with faith.
Better still, I will remain in the present, and feel God within me now.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Present Demonstration
My prayer this morning was...
Dear God;
Thank You for this day.
In this moment, all is well - may I stay here, in the Now. Let me not look to the future, nor even to the past. For it is only in the Now that You are. It is only here that I am in peace. There is no fear here.
And then I read...
“... there is not the slightest reason to be discouraged merely because one’s present demonstration seems to be very poor and spiritual power entirely lacking.” - Emmet Fox, in his essay The Everlasting Gates
Granted, it is not true that my present demonstration is “very poor” nor my spiritual power “entirely lacking.” However, there are a couple of areas in my life that I feel fearful about. These are pointers that tell me I need to focus on God, on the Now. Here is where there is power, strength, faith. And peace.
It’s always about (getting back to) peace.
Dear God;
Thank You for this day.
In this moment, all is well - may I stay here, in the Now. Let me not look to the future, nor even to the past. For it is only in the Now that You are. It is only here that I am in peace. There is no fear here.
And then I read...
“... there is not the slightest reason to be discouraged merely because one’s present demonstration seems to be very poor and spiritual power entirely lacking.” - Emmet Fox, in his essay The Everlasting Gates
Granted, it is not true that my present demonstration is “very poor” nor my spiritual power “entirely lacking.” However, there are a couple of areas in my life that I feel fearful about. These are pointers that tell me I need to focus on God, on the Now. Here is where there is power, strength, faith. And peace.
It’s always about (getting back to) peace.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
KP Learning
Learning can occur anywhere, anytime.
This morning, as I was putting away the coffee cups from yesterday afternoon’s coffee vacation, I knocked one into the shelf. No damage to the cup or my hand – but an “Ah-ha!”. I immediately got that I was not exercising ‘consciousness’. Really – that’s the word that came into my head. If I’d been paying better attention, I’d have lifted my arm sufficiently to clear the shelf.
It’s food for thought. Putting the dishes away is a relatively minor task in the grand scheme of things. But, it made me aware of how many things, large and small, I often am not as fully conscious about as I could be.
When I’m on KP (kitchen patrol) duty preparing potatoes, am I focused enough so that I slice them into consistent cubes while not cutting myself? When I pay the water bill, am I mindful of all the blessings that come from having water flow directly into our house and as much as we want? What about gratitude for the channel God used to get the money into our checking account to be able to pay the bill? How present am I when I’m in conversation? Reading? The list goes on and on...
Gratefully, I am becoming more focused on the Now and attending to it. And, the more I do so, the richer my relationships and my life are. No doubt the better a human being I am to my fellows and Spirit.
Whether involving my inner life or my outer one, every situation is an opportunity to practice the present, the Presence, to be fully conscious. Every encounter is a holy one, and I want to be involved to the fullest.
This morning, as I was putting away the coffee cups from yesterday afternoon’s coffee vacation, I knocked one into the shelf. No damage to the cup or my hand – but an “Ah-ha!”. I immediately got that I was not exercising ‘consciousness’. Really – that’s the word that came into my head. If I’d been paying better attention, I’d have lifted my arm sufficiently to clear the shelf.
It’s food for thought. Putting the dishes away is a relatively minor task in the grand scheme of things. But, it made me aware of how many things, large and small, I often am not as fully conscious about as I could be.
When I’m on KP (kitchen patrol) duty preparing potatoes, am I focused enough so that I slice them into consistent cubes while not cutting myself? When I pay the water bill, am I mindful of all the blessings that come from having water flow directly into our house and as much as we want? What about gratitude for the channel God used to get the money into our checking account to be able to pay the bill? How present am I when I’m in conversation? Reading? The list goes on and on...
Gratefully, I am becoming more focused on the Now and attending to it. And, the more I do so, the richer my relationships and my life are. No doubt the better a human being I am to my fellows and Spirit.
Whether involving my inner life or my outer one, every situation is an opportunity to practice the present, the Presence, to be fully conscious. Every encounter is a holy one, and I want to be involved to the fullest.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Like a Child
It’s been coming to my attention a lot lately how far ‘advanced’ of me children are.
Children know without question that God answers every prayer. They see majesty in even the most minute elements of the world, like a flower, or a raindrop, or a smile. They trust and love with ease. Children delight in what they do and operate in the Now.
As I venture into some relaxing time in nature and with dear ones, my intention is to be like a child: to be in wonderment and joy – and above all, in the present.
Just like a child, just like God.
Children know without question that God answers every prayer. They see majesty in even the most minute elements of the world, like a flower, or a raindrop, or a smile. They trust and love with ease. Children delight in what they do and operate in the Now.
As I venture into some relaxing time in nature and with dear ones, my intention is to be like a child: to be in wonderment and joy – and above all, in the present.
Just like a child, just like God.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Certainty
“The only certainty is that nothing is certain.” – Pliny the Elder
‘Tis true that not much in this world and life is certain. Here’s my short list of what I bank on:
- God exists (what a switch for me from 19 years ago!).
- God wants only the highest good for me (I sometimes get in the way of that).
- God is ever present, in me, and outside of me.
- I need to give attention to my relationship with Spirit if I desire a meaningful one (as with other relationships).
- I can communicate in this relationship through prayer and meditation.
- God will always be around to help me and to provide guidance to me (if I ask and am open).
And, it is certain that the only time is now, and God is here with me, now.
‘Tis true that not much in this world and life is certain. Here’s my short list of what I bank on:
- God exists (what a switch for me from 19 years ago!).
- God wants only the highest good for me (I sometimes get in the way of that).
- God is ever present, in me, and outside of me.
- I need to give attention to my relationship with Spirit if I desire a meaningful one (as with other relationships).
- I can communicate in this relationship through prayer and meditation.
- God will always be around to help me and to provide guidance to me (if I ask and am open).
And, it is certain that the only time is now, and God is here with me, now.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Time
Several weeks ago, a friend appeared on my doorstep, after us losing touch for a year or so. It was a wonderful delight and I realized how much I missed not having her in my life.
A week ago I started culling through six boxes of documents and files spanning back more than a decade, many of which were related to my life when I lived in Santa Fe. It was a lengthy stroll down Memory Lane. The next day I received an email informing me about the death of a 12 Step friend/client from that time in my life. I thought it synchronistic.
Yesterday, I received a Facebook invitation from someone I’d known in undergrad days, more than 35 years ago. His name had crossed my mind just a day before, but it had rarely done so in all these years. I thought it weird; perhaps it was synchronistic too. As we emailed back and forth, I was amazed that so many years could have passed – how could that be?
As I pack for our move, I’m being given the opportunity to clean up and get rid of stuff – and that includes more than just the physical. Going back in time to remember my philosophy, my lifestyle, my career, etc., I’m getting to see how much I’ve grown spiritually (I was an atheist until 19 years ago) as well as how the essence of Joyce has remained the same. And, I am getting to decide what I want to keep in my life – possessions, relationships, ideas...
There really is no such thing as time, and we live in multi-dimensions simultaneously. Still, I could spend many hours living in the ‘past’ and communicating about the old times, but I don’t want to get stuck there. The present is what matters. God isn’t in the past or in the future. God is here now.
A week ago I started culling through six boxes of documents and files spanning back more than a decade, many of which were related to my life when I lived in Santa Fe. It was a lengthy stroll down Memory Lane. The next day I received an email informing me about the death of a 12 Step friend/client from that time in my life. I thought it synchronistic.
Yesterday, I received a Facebook invitation from someone I’d known in undergrad days, more than 35 years ago. His name had crossed my mind just a day before, but it had rarely done so in all these years. I thought it weird; perhaps it was synchronistic too. As we emailed back and forth, I was amazed that so many years could have passed – how could that be?
As I pack for our move, I’m being given the opportunity to clean up and get rid of stuff – and that includes more than just the physical. Going back in time to remember my philosophy, my lifestyle, my career, etc., I’m getting to see how much I’ve grown spiritually (I was an atheist until 19 years ago) as well as how the essence of Joyce has remained the same. And, I am getting to decide what I want to keep in my life – possessions, relationships, ideas...
There really is no such thing as time, and we live in multi-dimensions simultaneously. Still, I could spend many hours living in the ‘past’ and communicating about the old times, but I don’t want to get stuck there. The present is what matters. God isn’t in the past or in the future. God is here now.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Prime Real Estate
Many of my readings this morning were about the present.
It is indeed true that the past and the future are beyond my control: what is done is done, what is yet to be is yet to be. Of course, I have no power of this – how could I?! And, I limit myself each time I dwell upon the past or the future.
I do have the power to clear my mind and to experience the present. It’s my choice, but it does take commitment and practice. It’s been a habit, I guess, to let my mind wander away from the now, into the neighborhoods of the past and the present. These are dangerous places for my peace, especially since God is not there. God is here, now.
With God’s help, I endeavor to stay in the neighborhood of the Now where peace, love, and faith reside.
It is indeed true that the past and the future are beyond my control: what is done is done, what is yet to be is yet to be. Of course, I have no power of this – how could I?! And, I limit myself each time I dwell upon the past or the future.
I do have the power to clear my mind and to experience the present. It’s my choice, but it does take commitment and practice. It’s been a habit, I guess, to let my mind wander away from the now, into the neighborhoods of the past and the present. These are dangerous places for my peace, especially since God is not there. God is here, now.
With God’s help, I endeavor to stay in the neighborhood of the Now where peace, love, and faith reside.
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