Good morning, God, and thank you for today. It's going to be another cold and snowy day--winter is back, with a bit of a vengeance, isn't it? That's okay, though, as it's still winter and the few spring-like weeks of weather that we had were very nice to experience. Thanks very much for them--they will make the end of winter something much more bearable.
I guess my major concern today is with nagging thoughts--thoughts and ideas that are always at the back of my mind, trying to bring me down in one way or another, making me think about things that I don't want to think about, making me worry about things that I don't want to worry about. They're almost always there, making me worry or stress about things that are outside of my control. They're about money, about people, about tasks that are ahead of me or already done, about others judging me and/or things that I do. They're about students and colleagues, they're doubts and concerns, they're tiny but they're very strong. I make my very best effort to keep them at the back of my mind, but the truth is that sometimes my best isn't as good as it could be--I still feel stress and I still feel fear.
I wish there were some way that I could banish them for good, or even just evict them whenever they show up to bother me. I know that there are those people who would say that they're the result of a lack of faith, but I don't buy that--my faith is quite strong, and I know that it's not the source of these thoughts. The source is fear, and fear has always been a pretty constant presence in my life. Rarely do these thoughts grow strong enough to ruin a day or create extreme amounts of stress, but they are consistent, and they are unnecessary--they accomplish nothing for me. Any thoughts?
A response:
Of course there are thoughts. First of all, you're welcome. Enjoy the day and all that it brings to you. That's why I made it in the first place.
Second, thoughts like this are a problem for virtually everyone. You have a bit of an advantage in the fact that you're able and willing to recognize them for what they are and accept the fact that they're there--most people do themselves quite a bit of damage when they refuse to acknowledge their existence, much less take them on and try to do something about them.
Your faith does have something to do with them--no, they're not "caused" by a lack of faith, per se. They're not punishment for not believing something strongly enough. But they are let into the back of your mind through spots that your faith isn't strong enough to fill. Think of a bucket full of water--it it's completely full, there's no place for anything else to fit in the bucket. But if there's room anywhere, there's space for something else to get into that bucket. In a way, it depends upon what you fill your mind with, and how full you fill it. You've noticed that when you get completely immersed in something, your mind somehow doesn't have space for those nagging thoughts to be running around in there because you're concentrating so fully on something else. The nagging thoughts that you mention tend to be with you during times when you're not concentrating fully and intensely, no? They kind of sneak in there when there's open space to sneak into.
If that's the case, then it seems obvious that one way of dealing with such thoughts is to keep your mind occupied. That hardly seems possible, does it. Another way of dealing with them is to keep your mind empty, through meditation, which is something that you've never really tried. One of the goals of meditation is to empty the mind of thoughts that are there in order to achieve peace and balance. It's a very effective way of dealing with such thoughts, but in reality, relatively few people choose to meditate regularly.
Another way of dealing with those thoughts is to deal with them actively without banishing them or crowding them out. Accept them, consider them, and learn about them. If it's a thought about money (and many such thoughts are), understand why the worry about money is there and keep in mind that worrying won't change the money situation. Perhaps you're afraid that you'll run out of money--that fear is logical and understandable, but the thoughts that results from that fear are not. Understand that they originate in that fear and that by running around in your mind, they're perpetuating the fear that you feel. The fear may even be subconscious, but it's manifesting itself in your consciousness by creating thoughts that plague you throughout the day. So accept the thought and try to understand it so that you can understand some of what's going on in your mind on deeper levels.
It takes work. It takes effort. Most worthy endeavors do. But freedom from such thoughts most certainly is worth any effort that you may expend in an effort to reach it, isn't it?
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Monday, March 7, 2016
Acceptance
Good morning, God, and thank you for this new day--thank you for the opportunities that I have to make the day into something special if I choose to do so, and for the chances I have to do things I haven't done and to encourage people and to try to help others out.
I read some quotations on acceptance this morning, and it's a good topic to read about. Sometimes I still try to make things happen in the ways that I want them to happen and it's difficult for me to simply accept that the way things are is the way things are, and that sometimes it's better that way. The balance in my account is what it is, and there's nothing I can do about that at the moment--though I can plan on making important changes so that the balance improves, that road lies in the future--right now it is what it is. And until I accept it, perhaps the plan never would come about.
You've given us an amazing world, but that world is filled with a lot of struggles and challenges, isn't it? I think that most of the stress that we experience, though, is more a result of us trying to fight the way things are in a futile wish that they were otherwise. No matter what my account balance is, no amount of stress that I feel will change it. And my plans for changing things will come from a much better place and be much more effective if I make them from a calm and rational place, right?
I guess I'm just pondering now, rather than actually asking anything specific. In any case, thanks again for this day!
A response:
You're more than welcome, as always. And I think you're right--you're pondering more than asking, but that's okay sometimes, isn't it? Bouncing our ideas off of others is a very effective way of coming to important--and accurate--conclusions. I think that you're definitely on the right track as far as acceptance is concerned, for life is what life is, and you'd be condemning yourself to a pretty miserable time if you fought against everything that came along and accepted none of it. What you didn't mention were the things that you shouldn't accept, things like racism and hatred and prejudice. That said, though, if someone makes a racist comment, it's important not to accept it, but sometimes it's not in anyone's best interests that you speak up against it immediately. Also, you do have to accept that the person who made the statement has at least racist tendencies, and deal with that person with that knowledge from then on. Keep in mind, though, that my acceptance is complete for all people. That racism comes from somewhere--that person didn't ask for it.
I read some quotations on acceptance this morning, and it's a good topic to read about. Sometimes I still try to make things happen in the ways that I want them to happen and it's difficult for me to simply accept that the way things are is the way things are, and that sometimes it's better that way. The balance in my account is what it is, and there's nothing I can do about that at the moment--though I can plan on making important changes so that the balance improves, that road lies in the future--right now it is what it is. And until I accept it, perhaps the plan never would come about.
You've given us an amazing world, but that world is filled with a lot of struggles and challenges, isn't it? I think that most of the stress that we experience, though, is more a result of us trying to fight the way things are in a futile wish that they were otherwise. No matter what my account balance is, no amount of stress that I feel will change it. And my plans for changing things will come from a much better place and be much more effective if I make them from a calm and rational place, right?
I guess I'm just pondering now, rather than actually asking anything specific. In any case, thanks again for this day!
A response:
You're more than welcome, as always. And I think you're right--you're pondering more than asking, but that's okay sometimes, isn't it? Bouncing our ideas off of others is a very effective way of coming to important--and accurate--conclusions. I think that you're definitely on the right track as far as acceptance is concerned, for life is what life is, and you'd be condemning yourself to a pretty miserable time if you fought against everything that came along and accepted none of it. What you didn't mention were the things that you shouldn't accept, things like racism and hatred and prejudice. That said, though, if someone makes a racist comment, it's important not to accept it, but sometimes it's not in anyone's best interests that you speak up against it immediately. Also, you do have to accept that the person who made the statement has at least racist tendencies, and deal with that person with that knowledge from then on. Keep in mind, though, that my acceptance is complete for all people. That racism comes from somewhere--that person didn't ask for it.
Acceptance is a fascinating concept. Keep reading about it and keep practicing it, and you'll find that your experience of life improves pretty dramatically as you get better at accepting things for what they are. Just as I accept you unconditionally for who and what you are.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
New Changes
Hello, God, and thank you very much for this new day in my life--I hope that I'm able to make the most of this day by doing good things and helping people in positive ways. It's a gift that you've given me, so I also hope to be able to be aware of the gift in all its forms--the weather, the beauty, the opportunities, the music--everything. If you can help me with that, I'd much appreciate it!
There are new changes coming up in our lives, especially the one about moving to a new place. It looks like it will be a good opportunity, though the idea of living in a building that's kind of like a dorm and that has a lot of different groups having meetings and such does seem a bit daunting--it will take some getting used to, obviously, but I'm sure that we'll be able to make the transition smoothly. I do thank you for this opportunity that you've given us, and I ask you to help us to make the most of it.
It's coming at a very good time, for various reasons, not the least of which is financial. Our finances are getting stretched, as you know, due to circumstances completely beyond our control (money not being paid back on loans that we have to make up for), and this new situation will be a great help. In the past, I'd be worrying now that something is going to fall through and that we'll end up not getting the apartment, but this isn't the past, and I'm not worried about that at all. It's not that I'm cocky, but just trusting in life and you. So there is progress on some levels!
There are new changes coming up in our lives, especially the one about moving to a new place. It looks like it will be a good opportunity, though the idea of living in a building that's kind of like a dorm and that has a lot of different groups having meetings and such does seem a bit daunting--it will take some getting used to, obviously, but I'm sure that we'll be able to make the transition smoothly. I do thank you for this opportunity that you've given us, and I ask you to help us to make the most of it.
It's coming at a very good time, for various reasons, not the least of which is financial. Our finances are getting stretched, as you know, due to circumstances completely beyond our control (money not being paid back on loans that we have to make up for), and this new situation will be a great help. In the past, I'd be worrying now that something is going to fall through and that we'll end up not getting the apartment, but this isn't the past, and I'm not worried about that at all. It's not that I'm cocky, but just trusting in life and you. So there is progress on some levels!
In any case, thanks, and have a beautiful day (if we make that even possible for you).
A response:
Yes, I can have a good day. My days are always tinted with sadness and pain because of things that humans do to themselves and each other, but there's still plenty of beauty and many people doing wonderful things for each other. So I can have a beautiful day, because that's what days are at their core.
I'm glad that you're grateful for your new situation, and I'm sure it will work out well for you because you're going into it with a positive attitude. With such an attitude, even if not everything flows smoothly or is enjoyable, things can still go well because you're learning from adversity, so to speak. That's not to say that this situation will be like that, of course, but the attitude is a huge determiner of the outcomes.
Yes, I can have a good day. My days are always tinted with sadness and pain because of things that humans do to themselves and each other, but there's still plenty of beauty and many people doing wonderful things for each other. So I can have a beautiful day, because that's what days are at their core.
I'm glad that you're grateful for your new situation, and I'm sure it will work out well for you because you're going into it with a positive attitude. With such an attitude, even if not everything flows smoothly or is enjoyable, things can still go well because you're learning from adversity, so to speak. That's not to say that this situation will be like that, of course, but the attitude is a huge determiner of the outcomes.
And while I'd love to say "you're welcome," it isn't simply my doing. It's the culmination of many different factors that have been in place for a long time--it's how life works. I very rarely just reach out and make certain things happen, even in response to fervent prayer. The prayer itself changes the people who pray and makes them more receptive to new situations, so that those situations now find a fertile ground in which they're able to grow. Your new situation is a result of prayers and hopes and dreams of you and others, and it's now ready to come to fruition. And your contribution in that situation will be a very positive one--if you're willing to make the effort to make it so.
So enjoy. And you have a beautiful day, too.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Stress
Good morning, God--
And thanks much for this new day that we have. Here in the early hours of the morning, the day is still full of promise and potential, depending on what I give to it. And I thank you for the fact that I'm here and alive and able to do so many things on a day like today.
I thank you for the potential changes coming up in our lives, too. You know just as well as I do how difficult things are going to be financially without some sort of significant change, and that change looks to be right around the corner for us--so thank you for that! Of course, it's still in the future and there's always the fear in the back of my mind that something won't work out as it should, but for that fear I have to keep my faith strong so that I don't end up actually inviting the calamity into my life!
Things are going pretty well, all in all, and I thank you for this time of relative comfort. We have our difficulties, of course, but we're getting through them well. We do have money issues, but again, the new plans that have come up will go very far towards helping us to cope with them. It's always fascinating to see how things change through no doing of our own--life has its way of throwing all sorts of different kinds of pitches that can catch us unaware and throw us into a completely new set of feelings and experiences that we never thought we'd be going through. While I'd like to keep them coming and keep on learning from them, there's a certain point at which a little less stress would be nice for a certain period. . . .
A reply:
Of course, you're welcome for the day. And thank you for thanking me--not too many people do so, relatively speaking.
Yes, you're under stress. And yes, you're learning from it. I know that certain periods of being free from stress are necessary, and you will get those--at least, from certain kinds of stress. But the kite can only fly because of the tension created by it fighting the wind to stay in place--think of me as a very strong string that you can hold on to while you're flying because you're fighting the wind. I'm the string and I'm the wind, and I'm also in you, so you can tap that resource within yourself to keep your faith strong.
It's good that you recognize that fearing disaster too strongly can court disaster, even invite it into your life. I would just say this: just because you have a fear of certain things happening doesn't mean that I'm going to punish you for having that fear. I don't see that as a lack of faith--I see that as a fear that's been instilled in you by a lifetime of experiences, and one of your goals in life is to learn how to deal with such fears. If you dwell too strongly on those fears, then you may start to behave in ways that will make the feared outcome inevitable, but that's not necessarily going to happen. Keep your faith strong, and you'll strengthen the chances of those fears not coming true.
Keep your spirit strong, for that's something that no one or situation can take from you. And it's that faith that will help you to act in ways that will invite positive situations and occurrences into your life.
And thanks much for this new day that we have. Here in the early hours of the morning, the day is still full of promise and potential, depending on what I give to it. And I thank you for the fact that I'm here and alive and able to do so many things on a day like today.
I thank you for the potential changes coming up in our lives, too. You know just as well as I do how difficult things are going to be financially without some sort of significant change, and that change looks to be right around the corner for us--so thank you for that! Of course, it's still in the future and there's always the fear in the back of my mind that something won't work out as it should, but for that fear I have to keep my faith strong so that I don't end up actually inviting the calamity into my life!
Things are going pretty well, all in all, and I thank you for this time of relative comfort. We have our difficulties, of course, but we're getting through them well. We do have money issues, but again, the new plans that have come up will go very far towards helping us to cope with them. It's always fascinating to see how things change through no doing of our own--life has its way of throwing all sorts of different kinds of pitches that can catch us unaware and throw us into a completely new set of feelings and experiences that we never thought we'd be going through. While I'd like to keep them coming and keep on learning from them, there's a certain point at which a little less stress would be nice for a certain period. . . .
A reply:
Of course, you're welcome for the day. And thank you for thanking me--not too many people do so, relatively speaking.
Yes, you're under stress. And yes, you're learning from it. I know that certain periods of being free from stress are necessary, and you will get those--at least, from certain kinds of stress. But the kite can only fly because of the tension created by it fighting the wind to stay in place--think of me as a very strong string that you can hold on to while you're flying because you're fighting the wind. I'm the string and I'm the wind, and I'm also in you, so you can tap that resource within yourself to keep your faith strong.
It's good that you recognize that fearing disaster too strongly can court disaster, even invite it into your life. I would just say this: just because you have a fear of certain things happening doesn't mean that I'm going to punish you for having that fear. I don't see that as a lack of faith--I see that as a fear that's been instilled in you by a lifetime of experiences, and one of your goals in life is to learn how to deal with such fears. If you dwell too strongly on those fears, then you may start to behave in ways that will make the feared outcome inevitable, but that's not necessarily going to happen. Keep your faith strong, and you'll strengthen the chances of those fears not coming true.
Keep your spirit strong, for that's something that no one or situation can take from you. And it's that faith that will help you to act in ways that will invite positive situations and occurrences into your life.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Being Vulnerable
Good morning, God--
And thank you for this new day and this new week in my life. I hope that I'm able to make the most of all the gifts that you've given me, and that I'm able to give to others in positive ways this week.
It's astonishing that it's almost February already. Time seems to be going faster and faster the older I get--will a year seem like a month if I ever hit 90?
I'm kind of perplexed about how I feel right now. I feel extremely vulnerable and not very confident. It's not a good feeling. I know that much of it has to do with having a class to teach with no materials--that makes me feel that the students aren't getting the continuity and coherence that they need to be studying a language, and I feel responsible for that. I know that it's not my responsibility at all, but the feeling is still there. It makes me hyper-sensitive to any criticisms or negative reactions, and I don't like that feeling, either. So the next few months are going to be challenging, I think. I don't even want to look at the evaluations from last semester because I feel so vulnerable right now, even though I don't believe that there's any reason to fear seeing them. It's crazy. I guess it's good in a way that I'm placed in a situation in which I'm learning more about the triggers for my fears and vulnerable feelings, but it's not easy to go through, especially with no one to talk to about it.
So here I am, sharing it with you.
A reply:
And I'm glad that you've done so. As you well know, though, even more important than talking about something like this is actually listening to the reply. And I'm glad that you do listen.
You are vulnerable. Everyone is. People who live from their hearts and spirits are even more vulnerable than those who try to live from their logic and brains. The paradox, of course, is that that vulnerability is the very thing that makes you stronger if you live from your heart and spirit. A threat to you may make things difficult, but you have your spirit to fall back on; you have your faith to carry you through the difficult situations. You also understand where people are coming from when they criticize you or try to knock you down--such actions are coming from who they are as people, and you know that.
Feeling your vulnerability isn't necessarily the problem--the problem comes if you allow that feeling to control your actions or words. It's completely normal to feel fear if you walk into a burning building, but sometimes it's necessary to do just that. It's normal to feel trepidation when you confront a loved one about a serious problem, but the problem still must be faced. You don't want to read the evaluations because the students may make some harsh criticisms based on their very limited perspectives, yet you've been teaching for many years and your evaluations have consistently been quite high. What is it about the possibility of harsh evaluations now that makes it more difficult? Your teaching hasn't changed much, but it is your first semester back at college after many years of secondary school--and thus your first semester of evaluations written by students in a very, very long time.
You are vulnerable. Everyone is. Perhaps everyone can use a constant reminder of just how vulnerable everyone else is around you. You feel fear and trepidation, but you're not showing it to the people around you. Other people feel those same fears, yet they're not showing them to you. Let it be for you an important lesson about the people in your life so that you might treat them with dignity and respect, even when their actions may reflect more their hidden fears than their true thoughts or feelings. Perhaps this feeling is a lesson in compassion.
And thank you for this new day and this new week in my life. I hope that I'm able to make the most of all the gifts that you've given me, and that I'm able to give to others in positive ways this week.
It's astonishing that it's almost February already. Time seems to be going faster and faster the older I get--will a year seem like a month if I ever hit 90?
I'm kind of perplexed about how I feel right now. I feel extremely vulnerable and not very confident. It's not a good feeling. I know that much of it has to do with having a class to teach with no materials--that makes me feel that the students aren't getting the continuity and coherence that they need to be studying a language, and I feel responsible for that. I know that it's not my responsibility at all, but the feeling is still there. It makes me hyper-sensitive to any criticisms or negative reactions, and I don't like that feeling, either. So the next few months are going to be challenging, I think. I don't even want to look at the evaluations from last semester because I feel so vulnerable right now, even though I don't believe that there's any reason to fear seeing them. It's crazy. I guess it's good in a way that I'm placed in a situation in which I'm learning more about the triggers for my fears and vulnerable feelings, but it's not easy to go through, especially with no one to talk to about it.
So here I am, sharing it with you.
A reply:
And I'm glad that you've done so. As you well know, though, even more important than talking about something like this is actually listening to the reply. And I'm glad that you do listen.
You are vulnerable. Everyone is. People who live from their hearts and spirits are even more vulnerable than those who try to live from their logic and brains. The paradox, of course, is that that vulnerability is the very thing that makes you stronger if you live from your heart and spirit. A threat to you may make things difficult, but you have your spirit to fall back on; you have your faith to carry you through the difficult situations. You also understand where people are coming from when they criticize you or try to knock you down--such actions are coming from who they are as people, and you know that.
Feeling your vulnerability isn't necessarily the problem--the problem comes if you allow that feeling to control your actions or words. It's completely normal to feel fear if you walk into a burning building, but sometimes it's necessary to do just that. It's normal to feel trepidation when you confront a loved one about a serious problem, but the problem still must be faced. You don't want to read the evaluations because the students may make some harsh criticisms based on their very limited perspectives, yet you've been teaching for many years and your evaluations have consistently been quite high. What is it about the possibility of harsh evaluations now that makes it more difficult? Your teaching hasn't changed much, but it is your first semester back at college after many years of secondary school--and thus your first semester of evaluations written by students in a very, very long time.
You are vulnerable. Everyone is. Perhaps everyone can use a constant reminder of just how vulnerable everyone else is around you. You feel fear and trepidation, but you're not showing it to the people around you. Other people feel those same fears, yet they're not showing them to you. Let it be for you an important lesson about the people in your life so that you might treat them with dignity and respect, even when their actions may reflect more their hidden fears than their true thoughts or feelings. Perhaps this feeling is a lesson in compassion.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
New
Good morning, God, and thank you for this new day and this new year in our lives! It's been a couple of weeks since I last spoke with you here, though I hope that communication is open between us all the time, blog or no. I've been working on a project that I just finished yesterday, so now I actually have some time to do something other than that project.
We've started a new year, as you well know. Personally, I don't see it so much as a start as a continuation--we left 2015 and entered 2016, but we also just finished Thursday and started Friday, when all is said and done. Life keeps on keeping on, and the new years just keep on coming, don't they?
On the other hand, I like the idea of a new start. I like the metaphor of the new year being a book with empty pages that we're going to write our story on for the next 360-some days. Somehow, having the idea of a new start in my mind helps me to get focused on certain things, and that focus helps me to accomplish things that I want to accomplish.
I suppose what I mostly want to say is thank you for the promise of the new year. None of us knows if we're going to be around for the entire year, of course, but we have to start it as if we are. We can't start the year hesitantly and hope for the best--we have to enter the year boldly and make our goals and do our best to do the things that we hope and dream we'll be able to do. I'd like to ask your help with that. I'm not good at stopping and asking for help when I start something, but I know that I don't have to stop and ask you every time for you to be there with me, helping me out. So as this new year goes on and I start to take on different tasks and challenges, I hope that you'll be there with me to help me to do things according to your will, the will of love, as I make decisions and start projects and take on challenges. Even if I don't physically stop and ask you at the time, I'll still have the same standing request for your help and guidance. And I thank you in advance for being there.
A reply:
You're right--you don't have to ask me over and over again. In fact, it's mentioned in the Bible that you actually shouldn't do so. People have been wise for a very long time, and one of the indications of their wisdom was the recognition that I'm not petty. I'm not going to say "Well, he didn't ask me in the right way, so I'm not going to help him at all." If your heart is always with me and hoping to do things for the good of the world, then I'm with you. Any of you, and it doesn't matter what religion your parents have taught you--if goodness and love are being spread, I'm there helping. Remember that the motive is also important, because a kind act done with the motivation of receiving something in return is no longer a kind act--it's a form of barter. And thank you for asking--keep me in mind and you'll also keep your motives pure.
A new year is a nice gift, though it's based on the concept of time, which isn't nearly as important as many other things. Love is a good example. A new start is fine, but many people want to keep doing the same things, even with a new start. When they do that, they get the same results, of course, and then they start to feel negative about new starts. They don't keep in mind that if they continue to act in the same ways, they're going to get similar results. They want to change the results without changing the actions or the beliefs, and life just doesn't work that way. So look at your new year as a chance for you to start acting in different ways, and you'll see some significant changes. Look at it with the hope that it's going to bring you new results all on its own, and you'll be quite disappointed. Some new results will indeed creep in, but they generally won't be of your doing.
So enjoy the year. It is a gift, and it is for you. Make the most of it by making some of the changes that you've been longing to make. Take risks. Do things differently. Meet new people and give new gifts and share new ideas and act in new and positive ways. Think about it--if I were to give you a new canvas to paint on, would you use old paint that has faded and dried out, or would you use new paint with brilliant colors and high quality? Yes, buying the new paint is a risk that you'd have to take, and the picture may not turn out exactly as you envisioned it, but the risk is worthwhile, for that is how you grow in life!
We've started a new year, as you well know. Personally, I don't see it so much as a start as a continuation--we left 2015 and entered 2016, but we also just finished Thursday and started Friday, when all is said and done. Life keeps on keeping on, and the new years just keep on coming, don't they?
On the other hand, I like the idea of a new start. I like the metaphor of the new year being a book with empty pages that we're going to write our story on for the next 360-some days. Somehow, having the idea of a new start in my mind helps me to get focused on certain things, and that focus helps me to accomplish things that I want to accomplish.
I suppose what I mostly want to say is thank you for the promise of the new year. None of us knows if we're going to be around for the entire year, of course, but we have to start it as if we are. We can't start the year hesitantly and hope for the best--we have to enter the year boldly and make our goals and do our best to do the things that we hope and dream we'll be able to do. I'd like to ask your help with that. I'm not good at stopping and asking for help when I start something, but I know that I don't have to stop and ask you every time for you to be there with me, helping me out. So as this new year goes on and I start to take on different tasks and challenges, I hope that you'll be there with me to help me to do things according to your will, the will of love, as I make decisions and start projects and take on challenges. Even if I don't physically stop and ask you at the time, I'll still have the same standing request for your help and guidance. And I thank you in advance for being there.
A reply:
You're right--you don't have to ask me over and over again. In fact, it's mentioned in the Bible that you actually shouldn't do so. People have been wise for a very long time, and one of the indications of their wisdom was the recognition that I'm not petty. I'm not going to say "Well, he didn't ask me in the right way, so I'm not going to help him at all." If your heart is always with me and hoping to do things for the good of the world, then I'm with you. Any of you, and it doesn't matter what religion your parents have taught you--if goodness and love are being spread, I'm there helping. Remember that the motive is also important, because a kind act done with the motivation of receiving something in return is no longer a kind act--it's a form of barter. And thank you for asking--keep me in mind and you'll also keep your motives pure.
A new year is a nice gift, though it's based on the concept of time, which isn't nearly as important as many other things. Love is a good example. A new start is fine, but many people want to keep doing the same things, even with a new start. When they do that, they get the same results, of course, and then they start to feel negative about new starts. They don't keep in mind that if they continue to act in the same ways, they're going to get similar results. They want to change the results without changing the actions or the beliefs, and life just doesn't work that way. So look at your new year as a chance for you to start acting in different ways, and you'll see some significant changes. Look at it with the hope that it's going to bring you new results all on its own, and you'll be quite disappointed. Some new results will indeed creep in, but they generally won't be of your doing.
So enjoy the year. It is a gift, and it is for you. Make the most of it by making some of the changes that you've been longing to make. Take risks. Do things differently. Meet new people and give new gifts and share new ideas and act in new and positive ways. Think about it--if I were to give you a new canvas to paint on, would you use old paint that has faded and dried out, or would you use new paint with brilliant colors and high quality? Yes, buying the new paint is a risk that you'd have to take, and the picture may not turn out exactly as you envisioned it, but the risk is worthwhile, for that is how you grow in life!
Friday, December 18, 2015
Coming up on the end
Good morning, God, and thank you much for this new day. We've had quite a bit of snow this week, and the world outside is quite pretty--and cold! It's appropriate, of course, for the season in which we find ourselves. It's almost Christmas, and the snow and the cold help to make the season seem even more Christmasy--to me, anyway.
Now that the end of the year is almost upon us, I find that I'm not quite sure how I feel about the year that's just gone by. It's been a challenging year in many ways, and strangely unfulfilling in many ways. I published a novel, but I don't have any marketing or sales success. I've started a new job, but while I've felt good about teaching the class, now that I'm back at the university, I'm back to having much less of an idea of who my students are, what they need, and how to help them. While I obviously don't want to dwell in the past, it is important to take lessons from what has gone by in order to do things better in the future, isn't it?
These landmarks of our lives--new years, birthdays, graduations, moving, etc.--can help us to keep focused, I suppose. They can help us to reflect upon what we're doing and how we're doing it. But I also know that if we're living life day by day, then we have to be focused on this day right here, right now, not dwelling on the past or thinking about the future. So when something like this changing of the year comes along, I do have to wonder just how much I should be focused on reflection. The year just gone by has been positive for the most part, but with significant negative elements added in. Can pondering these things really help me with the next year of my life, or would it be better for me to simply focus on the present moment and keep on keeping on.
A reply:
It's an interesting balance, is it not? From one side you hear "stay focused on the moment," while someone from a different direction is telling you that it's important to reflect on what has gone and what's to come if you want to live life fully. Still another side might tell you to just do as you're told and don't worry about things that aren't what you're supposed to be worrying about, while another will tell you to accept all things that come your way without worrying about what they mean or how they affect your life. Perspective--it's a wonderful thing.
There are certainly drawbacks to thinking too much about what has been. Yes, you can avoid future problems if you're able to identify causes and effects, and avoid the particular causes in the future. You can pacify yourself and make yourself feel better if you reflect on something and realize that you did the best you could, even if the outcome wasn't what you hoped it would be.
But remember something very important: all of these so-called "landmarks" are artificial, created by human beings in order to bring some order to an existence that they saw as unordered. Does time even exist, if we consider it subject to certain rules that can prove existence? What is a birthday but a designation that on this day, something happened. If there were no calendars, would there be birthdays? Would there be a New Year? Absolutely not.
You're a part of a race that feels a bit lost if it loses its methods of measurement, especially where time is concerned. You depend on your watches and calendars to give you a sense of place in time. Your home gives you a sense of place in space, but your watch gives you a sense of place in time. If you value that sense of place less than others, then your watch becomes less important to you. If you're comfortable with a higher level of uncertainty than other people are, then you won't need to feel that sense of place nearly as much as your fellow humans do.
That said, if you are able to function with a greater level of uncertainty, then you probably are a person who reflects on life and living on a regular basis, and there's a good chance that you don't need the artificial reminders of the passage of time to remind you to stop and take stock of where you are, what you're doing and what you've done, and perhaps even where you're going. And shouldn't that be a goal of life if you don't want to be centered in the material world--to be centered on life and living and the passing of each moment rather than trying to think about an entire year near the end of December. Think of all that you have to consider if you wait--and how much you'll forget and miss.
Life is a process, not an end result. You live the process each day, each moment. All forms of measurement of these moments are artificial, and they sometimes lead to less effective decisions about how to lead your life ("Oh, that can wait until the end of the month" isn't always the best thing to say!).
I've given you moments. Lots of moments. My hope is that you'll fill them with positive, loving, and compassionate thoughts and actions. If you want to know how to do this, just ask!
Now that the end of the year is almost upon us, I find that I'm not quite sure how I feel about the year that's just gone by. It's been a challenging year in many ways, and strangely unfulfilling in many ways. I published a novel, but I don't have any marketing or sales success. I've started a new job, but while I've felt good about teaching the class, now that I'm back at the university, I'm back to having much less of an idea of who my students are, what they need, and how to help them. While I obviously don't want to dwell in the past, it is important to take lessons from what has gone by in order to do things better in the future, isn't it?
These landmarks of our lives--new years, birthdays, graduations, moving, etc.--can help us to keep focused, I suppose. They can help us to reflect upon what we're doing and how we're doing it. But I also know that if we're living life day by day, then we have to be focused on this day right here, right now, not dwelling on the past or thinking about the future. So when something like this changing of the year comes along, I do have to wonder just how much I should be focused on reflection. The year just gone by has been positive for the most part, but with significant negative elements added in. Can pondering these things really help me with the next year of my life, or would it be better for me to simply focus on the present moment and keep on keeping on.
A reply:
It's an interesting balance, is it not? From one side you hear "stay focused on the moment," while someone from a different direction is telling you that it's important to reflect on what has gone and what's to come if you want to live life fully. Still another side might tell you to just do as you're told and don't worry about things that aren't what you're supposed to be worrying about, while another will tell you to accept all things that come your way without worrying about what they mean or how they affect your life. Perspective--it's a wonderful thing.
There are certainly drawbacks to thinking too much about what has been. Yes, you can avoid future problems if you're able to identify causes and effects, and avoid the particular causes in the future. You can pacify yourself and make yourself feel better if you reflect on something and realize that you did the best you could, even if the outcome wasn't what you hoped it would be.
But remember something very important: all of these so-called "landmarks" are artificial, created by human beings in order to bring some order to an existence that they saw as unordered. Does time even exist, if we consider it subject to certain rules that can prove existence? What is a birthday but a designation that on this day, something happened. If there were no calendars, would there be birthdays? Would there be a New Year? Absolutely not.
You're a part of a race that feels a bit lost if it loses its methods of measurement, especially where time is concerned. You depend on your watches and calendars to give you a sense of place in time. Your home gives you a sense of place in space, but your watch gives you a sense of place in time. If you value that sense of place less than others, then your watch becomes less important to you. If you're comfortable with a higher level of uncertainty than other people are, then you won't need to feel that sense of place nearly as much as your fellow humans do.
That said, if you are able to function with a greater level of uncertainty, then you probably are a person who reflects on life and living on a regular basis, and there's a good chance that you don't need the artificial reminders of the passage of time to remind you to stop and take stock of where you are, what you're doing and what you've done, and perhaps even where you're going. And shouldn't that be a goal of life if you don't want to be centered in the material world--to be centered on life and living and the passing of each moment rather than trying to think about an entire year near the end of December. Think of all that you have to consider if you wait--and how much you'll forget and miss.
Life is a process, not an end result. You live the process each day, each moment. All forms of measurement of these moments are artificial, and they sometimes lead to less effective decisions about how to lead your life ("Oh, that can wait until the end of the month" isn't always the best thing to say!).
I've given you moments. Lots of moments. My hope is that you'll fill them with positive, loving, and compassionate thoughts and actions. If you want to know how to do this, just ask!
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