I do…

In a time when the news is overrun with reports of less than honorable behavior by politicians and leaders; widespread violence; and devastation from war, poverty, and natural disaster, it was refreshing to receive word of a family member’s engagement to marry. It was such wonderful news! What a great reminder of the love and good that still exists despite all that would seek to destroy it. Yes, there is always light.

Delighted for this newly engaged couple, I recall, so vividly, the day my oldest nephew was born. I had just finished taking a final exam for a course titled, “Western Civilization.” Upon opening the door to my dorm room, there were two blue paper balloons that my roommates had taped to the wall. They exclaimed, “Congratulations, Aunt Carissa!” “It’s a boy!” I will always remember what a joy the news of my nephew’s birth was. It was of the same magnitude and kind of joy that has accompanied each of the births in the family that has followed.

What a blessing new life is, bringing excitement and hope…also gratitude. Any time there is a birth of any sort (a child, an idea, a beginning) there is beauty in the moment, pure love, and the promise of possibility. These all seem to exceed by far any potential obstacles or pitfalls that may come down the road.

As I look back to what was, and then to all that is, I recall at different points wondering…worrying…about the future. I remember, especially around my own engagement, there were so many thoughts beginning with the word, “How.” How will we afford a home? How will we provide for a family? There were so many questions. There are still so many unknowns. Then I think, “We first began, and then we took one step at a time.”

I feel grateful for Grace that leads the way, the faith that grows as we continue the journey, and the examples of both those that came before us, and those who walk beside us. Bit by bit, step-by-step, slowly, but surely things that seem to be so far away or even impossible at times become reality.

“Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – St. Francis of Assisi.

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Action flows from Passion…

“One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.” I recently heard this E.M. Forster quote while listening to a eulogy. I am sure we can all think of people whom we consider passionate.

I wonder though, what makes me see someone as passionate? How do I recognize passion? Do I seek to support and encourage it? Am I intimidated by passion? Do I only encourage that which falls within my understanding or my way of doing things? How do I try to see the root of my, or another’s, passion? Or, do I just make assumptions about desires, whether they are mine or someone else’s?

Over the years, I have come to believe more strongly that God places desires within us and when we are attentive, looking more closely at our desires, God helps us to sift through them. God helps us to focus on our desires that are best, helping us “to stir into flame the gift of God…” (2Timothy 1:6). In this process, as one continues to pray with a desire, passion is often born and a path begins to unfold.

The more consistent the prayer…sharing with God one’s thoughts and feelings…the waiting and listening, the stronger the passion, trust and patience grows. Anyone can care about something, but unless one cares enough to not only do something, but to do something that is born of prayer and fueled with a passion shaped by God, little changes in a way that is truly beneficial.

“The thought of God’s presence will put us in the habit of doing God’s will.”
– St. Vincent DePaul

Why is that important? Simply put, God’s will and way is the only One that truly benefits all. Try as we may, or give up as we may, in terms of desire and passion, there are always things that are beyond my control, but not beyond God’s. God’s will sees possibility and solutions when all we may see is roadblocks and impossibility.

“If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.” – Psalm 95

In order to hear God’s voice, I must stop using mine, at least temporarily. I must take time regularly for solitude and prayer if I want to have a sense of God’s will for me. How can God reveal the way to me without having my attention? I must listen with open ears…open mind and heart.

There are times when we all get off track or take what we believe God wants for us and run with it. Times when we are off to the races only to have things unravel down the road. Sometimes we can get impatient when things are not happening fast enough, or in a way that we can see, and we leave God behind. We can be tempted into interactions with God that are more like a baton being handed off to us along the race, rather than like a tandem. We can forget that we (oneself and God) are in it together, and for the duration.

“For the vision is a witness for the appointed time,
a testimony to the end; it will not disappoint.
If it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.” – Habakkuk 2:3

I need to remind myself “The word of the Lord remains forever…” (1Peter 1:25). It helps me to grow in faith. A faith that is not stagnant, but that challenges me to be all that God created me to be. I need to listen and allow myself to be directed.

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Peace is waiting…

It seems rather easy, almost effortless, to receive and experience peace when in a tranquil setting. When surrounded by the beauty of nature or standing on a mountain top looking down at the cars and passersby, that seem so minute and far away, it can be so much easier to let go of and release the cares or concerns that can bear down on us at times.

The song goes, “peace is flowing like a river.” Yes, that is true, except for the times when it is not…the times when someone or something becomes an obstacle or intrusion to our peace…the times when we allow external things to form a dam and block the flow. How do I recognize when that is happening? What can I do to stop or reverse it?

Oftentimes, peace can seem so elusive in the world. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about peace is that almost everyone seems to want it, yet instead of it being a constant companion it seems more of a guest that pops up here and there before disappearing. Why is that? What is it that causes peace to leave?

From song to saying, “Peace is not the absence of conflict; but the presence of God no matter what the conflict.” It seems to stand then that lack of peace is the absence of God. Or rather, lack of peace is a sign…a flashing beacon…the result of somehow, someway removing God or one’s higher source from the equation.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27). Perhaps sometimes peace slips away from me or becomes smothered beneath the weight of the world. How do I get out from underneath? Perhaps sometimes, whether knowingly or not, I become wrapped up in the busy-ness of the world or I seek peace, or a sense of security, outside rather than allowing it to rise from within; it has already been granted to me.

Peace is often equated with adjectives such as calm, mild-mannered, soft or gentle. These are all words that indicate or are often the result of surrender. When I think about the experience of peace, whether through hiking in the mountains, laughing and enjoying my children, or sitting by the bedside of a loved one battling illness, they all seem to be preceded by or involve a sense of gratitude and a handing over…letting go, quieting down, listening and simply “being.”

peaceiswaiting“By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies.”
– Isaiah 30:15

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Wondrous…

When you love you should not say, “God is in my heart,” but rather,
“I am in the heart of God.” And think not you can direct the course of love,
for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
– Kahlil Gibran

A young seal slowly traverses the sand toward the shore. A sight I have never seen before in the location where I stand. As it journeys, it pauses along the way, sometimes a longer, more drawn out pause, as if it were giving up. The three to four hundred feet to the shore seem more like miles as I observe. The seal is not alone though. With each stop, a steady, patient companion encourages the seal on, and soon a couple more join in support.

As I witness this journey from sand to shore, it makes me think of what happens when one catches a fish. As it is reeled in and out of the water, you can see it floundering. Then as it is removed from the hook or net, it continues to flounder back and forth, with even more vigor. However, once it is released back into water, it finds its bearings and once again, it swims.

We all have moments in life where we flounder as well as moments where we see others floundering. In some of those times, we may be close by or intimately involved and in other times, we may be watching from a distance. In either case, we can pray in a way that is up close and personal. Whether we realize it or not, our hopes and prayers are often the beginning steps toward God’s wondrous love flowing through us.

When we begin with and persevere with prayer, the path frequently becomes clear, showing us when and where it is time to act and when and where it is time to stand by, silently supporting and encouraging or allowing others to support and encourage us…waiting with hope and confidence…always trusting that we will reach the sea.

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“What wondrous love is this” arranged by Peder Eide

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this
That caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down Beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

What wondrous love,
What wondrous love is this.

To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb,
Who is the great I AM,
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
While millions join the theme, I will sing.

To God and to the Lamb I will sing.

Waves of opportunity…

About a week ago, I was at the beach experiencing the powerful, driving wind and waves created by a storm that was off-shore. As I watched there was one wave after another. At times there were waves on the way out crashing into ones that were incoming. As wave after wave came, there were also gusts of wind that were almost constant, some carrying with them droplets or a fine mist of sea water.

While I would not want to be offshore, in the throes of the storm, it was an invigorating experience from where I stood. There was so much movement around…awakening so many senses…stimulating body, mind and soul. With each wave, sand, rocks, seaweed and more washed on shore, some remaining there and others swept back out to sea by the outgoing current. All of them, though, changed, whether visible or not, to varying degrees and, at the very least, by physical location.

Sometimes with lots of motion around us, things…more than things—people, values, sense of direction—can get lost or distorted in the shuffle. The moment of encounter can slip away…the opportunity for birth or re-birth that comes with each wave, whether gentle or rough and tumble, missed. Like the waves though possibility often reaches the shore, and beyond.

In the Gospel according to Luke, the tax collectors and sinners recognized Jesus as a source of Light, found treasure (their lost coin), so they draw near to him. The Pharisees and scribes had chosen a different kind of treasure. They believe they already “have it all.” They hold, or manipulate and control, power and all that they can. They are filled up with this “treasure” and all the illusion that comes with it. There is no room for anything else.

In order for the Pharisees and scribes to receive Jesus, they would need to let go of their love of power and control, and their fear of losing it. They would need to look beyond themselves. Without openness and meaningful encounter, living with greater purpose cannot occur.

“Never mistake motion for action.” – Ernest Hemingway

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In the Clouds…

A calm peaceful feeling stirs within as I watch the clouds make their way across the light blue sky on a breezy, sunny Sunday morning. Looking on I see clouds that vary in size, some even appearing to stretch…grow…spread out as they drift by. How similar to life.

Each event in one’s life varies. Although some experiences may seem to be the same or “repeats,” oftentimes there is something, even if ever so slight, that differs. The opportunity for change, of any kind, is always within and around us.

Some days there are storm clouds. Other days there are puffy, cotton ball clouds that seem like a soft place to rest. Then there are the streaking, strained or dissipating clouds, and still, other days there are no clouds at all. Whatever the day, the clouds are always passing. Sometimes they pass slowly and sometimes more quickly. What remains throughout and beyond though, is hope…possibility…Light.

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”
– Walt Whitman

Clouds

A Broad View…

Sometimes the happenings in the world, or even in one’s own family, can seem so big or unmanageable. They can bear down, throwing things out of whack, making them, and us, off balance or unsettled. We all can experience times of feeling swallowed up or spit out and washed up.

In such times it can be easy to place a lot of importance and attention on where we are and what is happening rather than on whom we really are and, “all that we can be.” Still, we must remember, calling ourselves to the truth, that we are much more than the happenings in our lives and times. They, the externals, are not a reflection of who we are. However, the way in which we respond is.

Oftentimes stepping back and taking the time to look within enables us to look up, and out, with a renewed perspective, a greater sense of inner strength and insight or wisdom…making it possible to once again, carry on with greater confidence and hope.

“I am the eagle, I live in high country in rocky cathedrals that reach to the sky.
I am the hawk, and there’s blood on my feathers.
But time is still turning, they soon will be dry.
And all those who see me, and all who believe in me
share in the freedom I feel when I fly.

Come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops.
Sail o’er the canyons and up to the stars.
And reach for the heavens and hope for the future
and all that we can be, and not what we are.”

– “The Eagle and the Hawk” by John Denver

MountainView

We are all teachers…

There is a saying that people learn what they live…what they experience. As I have gone through life there are many people who have had an impact on me through both their words and actions. With the month of August mid-way through and faith formation registrations in progress, I think of my first Sunday school teacher. I recall the love and care with which she taught and interacted with me and my fellow kindergarten classmates. I can still hear the sound of her voice as she taught and as she sang to us, and with us, “Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me…”

Years ago while I was driving, out of the blue, that long forgotten song came into my mind; a much needed reminder at the time. Only as I reminisced about that time in my life, did I realize how deeply touched I was by Mrs. Lahage’s words and actions, and the way they reflected her faith. Most of all, I remember her gentle, loving presence and the generosity with which she shared her faith with us; a faith so genuine and far greater than any obstacle that might occur.

As I think about how much I learned from that experience, I feel grateful to God for the gift that Mrs. Lahage was. I also feel thankful for the grace that has enabled something that happened so long ago to become a source of strength and inspiration today. There really is an appointed time and place for everything.

Continuing to reflect, there are many others who have made an impression on me and from whom I have learned. There are some who have made a more profound impact than others and some in more positive ways than others. There are also some who have done so perhaps knowingly and others not. Similarly, I also have impacted others along my journey. There are some of which I am aware and others of which I am sure that I am not.

In a sense we are all teachers in one way or another. Sometimes it is through a specific role and sometimes it is unknowingly as our words and actions may simply be observed by another. Rare, if it all, is the person whose life does not touch that of others. And, more often than not, it is the spirit in which we live and share with others rather than what we know or exactly how we do what we do that makes a difference as we make our way. Then, again, isn’t that what being a disciple is all about?

“Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.” – Luke 13:22

Take your mark…

The other day I saw a photograph of two swimmers competing in the Olympics. The caption underneath the picture called attention to the fact that one of the swimmers was so focused, his head straight ahead, while the other swimmer’s head was turned in the direction of his competitor rather than toward the “finish line.” The picture and accompanying story made me think about focus and attention in everyday life.

What catches my attention? Or more importantly, what do I allow to hold my attention? On what do I focus and to what does it lead?

The ability to focus is a gift. How do I use it? How do I recognize when I have become too focused, or when my attention has shifted to something of little or lesser importance in a particular situation?

Most often, there are clues when I am drifting (or about to) away rather than toward that which is good, or better, for me. To see or sense them though, is not necessarily easy especially with all the distractions that society offers. What is one to do?

Looking back to the Olympics, with the dedication, discipline and focus required to get there, it is clear that there is something far greater than a bunch of sports being played. It’s as if we are all pulling for each other without necessarily even trying all that hard. There is something that pulls us out of our own world…our own country as we often watch other countries competing and begin cheering them on, too. There is a Spirit that transcends all that is visible. One that propels and lifts both the athletes, enabling them to dig deep down, and the spectators, allowing them to enter the journey.

That same Spirit, creating a sense of unity and providing inner strength, and so much more, is available and waiting to capture our attention. Waiting to lead and guide us whether we are competing in the Olympics, going to school, working a job…doing anything at all…or doing nothing.

It’s a matter of Light…

Each afternoon as the sun begins its descent, it shines in through one of the side windows on our house. As it does, it reflects off of a crystal prism that resides on the windowsill. The result is an array of light and rainbow spots on the walls and ceiling of the living room. The pattern that is displayed changes depending on whether there is a breeze and the branches of the nearby trees are swaying, and therefore interrupting the flow of light. Whatever the pattern may be, it’s always quite beautiful.

On this particular day as I sit and observe, I wonder to myself, “What do I reflect?” As I think of a particular situation, there is much that quickly comes to mind. I slow down and look more closely. Then, I catch myself. “The things I am afraid of”; that is the category on which I have landed. Could it be that my fears are leading me and guiding my responses when it comes to this situation?

As I look up and around at the reflection of light and color, it becomes clear. Zoom out. Re-focus. “What are my hopes regarding this situation?”

“May your choices reflect your hopes not your fears.” – Nelson Mandela

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