Simply Soul Searching
HOW IS GOD LOVING ME – AND WHERE IS GOD LEADING ME?
PRECISELY PINPOINTED
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
Psalm 139:7
Though I may feel lost
you have me pinpointed
at the precise location
of your infinite time
and space
and vision
and presence.
Though I may feel insignificant
you know the exact measure of
the breadth of my thoughts
the depth of my heart
the center of my soul.
Though I may feel adrift
you know the perfect space
I hold in eternity;
the origins of my being
the places I have roamed
the paths I have explored
the distance that remains.
Though I may feel finite
you know the boundless possibility in
my next breath
my next thought
my next step
my next moment.
You see me
know me
guide me
understand me
love me.
You are
where I am
how I am
when I am…
why I am.
Bible verse is NRSVUE, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
Image of location pin courtesy of https://www.pixelsquid.com/
MOMENTARY, MEANINGFUL COMMUNITY
Jim and I spent a day at the Cleveland Clinic this week, where Jim had scans and met with physicians to determine if he had any serious heart issues. We are now relieved and grateful to know that he does not need heart surgery! There will be some additional monitoring and follow-up tests, but most of what we learned was reassuring and hopeful.
On the morning shuttle from our hotel to the clinic that day, we talked with a gentleman from Pennsylvania who was going to sit with his (sedated) wife as she continues to recover from major heart surgery. He described her long journey and his gratitude for the staff at the CC. We were gifted by his words, as we were wondering what might be ahead for us. He seemed to be comforted as we listened to his story, too.
When Jim and I were ready to return to the hotel later that afternoon, we began chatting with three women who were also waiting for the shuttle. The older woman was going to have heart surgery the next day, and her two daughters had accompanied her from Texas. But just as the van pulled up, the mother learned she had to return to the pharmacy, so she told her daughters she would find another way back to the hotel.
The rest of us boarded the van, and Jim and I were happily surprised to find our morning friend on the same shuttle. He shared his wife’s progress and we let him know our good news. Then, the daughters received a call that their mother was just leaving the pharmacy–so we all assured the shuttle driver that we would gladly wait for her. Eventually our new little community was on our way to the hotel, and as we rode along, we discovered that this mother was to have the same surgery as the man’s wife! The assurance and information he offered was so helpful for her and her family.
The shuttle pulled up to the hotel entrance and I asked the woman if we could pray for her. She was deeply touched and delighted to share her name. I then turned to ask the gentleman about praying for his wife, and smiling, he replied, “Sure!” and did the same. We told the group that Jim is a pastor, and we all chuckled about having a “direct line of prayer.” I suddenly felt overwhelmed with peace, gratitude, and love. It seemed as if we were meant to be together for that short time, for each of us benefited and blessed one another in small but remarkable ways.
Could every moment, every person, be a threshold to a sacred experience of community? Perhaps every connection may not be divinely orchestrated, but each one offers us the opportunity to recognize that God is present–in this person, in this moment, and in us–and to open ourselves to that presence. Six strangers drawn together in a time of vulnerability became caring, compassionate friends in a matter of minutes.
Some of our most meaningful communities are not determined by length of time or number of people, but from our awareness that we are standing together in a sacred moment of solidarity and love.
(Photo by Karen)
MY GUIDING WORD FOR 2024
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
As a new calendar opens, so do my hopes to live the year well. You may have heard of the practice of prayerfully choosing a word* each year to guide and inspire our ways of living and being. I began doing this in 2015, and I have found that the word not only helps my focus and discernment throughout the year, but it also often surprises me as the year ends, when I reflect and discover how much the choice influenced my life.
This time, my discernment took me through two other words before I discovered the right one for 2024: Cherish.
After my ovarian cancer (eight years ago!) and with my increased age (67), I sense the fragility and fleetingness of life. I also have a tendency to want to somehow justify my presence here, to merit these bonus days I have been given–so I sought a word that would guide me to make each day worthwhile, to never waste a moment. First, I chose Prepare, intending to organize my schedule for maximum productivity. Then I went to Steward, to include mindful gratitude as I manage my days as gifts from God.
But during my morning journaling last week, I suddenly sensed God asking me to wait and listen. And as I walked later that day, the word, Cherish came to mind. I looked up its meaning and my word was confirmed! Merriam-Webster defines “cherish” as: to hold dear; to feel or show affection for; to keep or cultivate with care and affection; nurture; to entertain or harbor in the mind deeply and resolutely.
“Cherish” encompasses everything I had intended with my other words but changes my perspective. Cherish reminds me that I need not try to merit my bonus days or make them worthy through productivity; I can cherish each day for what it holds, not for what I can wring from it. The day itself is valuable as a gift from God with its lessons, blessings, and experiences that teach, enhance, or perfect my life.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
The meanings, to hold dear will serve to remind me of the preciousness of each day and to use care and affection in managing my life choices. I want to savor my ordinary days and to regard them as holy, to harbor (them) in my soul deeply and resolutely. With God’s help, I will deeply cherish my days and their precious gifts: God, Jim, our family and friends, my body, my spirit, the earth–and you, dear readers–and to fill them with goodness and love.
The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it. ~ Richard Bach
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Every moment of light and dark is a miracle. ~ Walt Whitman
Live quietly in the moment and see the beauty of all before you. The future will take care of itself.
~ Paramahansa Yogananda
Do you have a word for 2024?
*I began this practice of choosing a guiding word from Abbey of the Arts (https://abbeyofthearts.com/). You may appreciate their podcasts and other excellent resources!
Bible verse is NRSVUE, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen
BEGIN AS BELOVED
As we reflect on 2023 and look ahead to 2024, I like to learn how others are planning to enter the new year. I have found a variety of ideas–resolutions to change, goals to pursue, things to surrender, practices to follow. Some see 2024 as a fresh start with 366 daily opportunities to live differently. Others may see the coming year simply as a continuation of regular daily living. One of my favorite practices is to choose a guiding word for the year (I will share my word later this week).
The best place to begin our new year discernments and decisions is in the loving embrace of God.
Centering ourselves first in God’s all-encompassing love, we will find that our dreams, goals, hopes, and insights can flow more readily from that perfect place. A desire to improve can flow out of gratitude rather than fear. A willingness to surrender can flow out of a sense of provision rather than scarcity. The courage to venture forth can flow from feeling securely held. A longing to perfect ourselves can flow from experiencing mercy and grace over our personal striving. Any challenges, obstacles, uncertainties, and criticisms that may come our way can be faced with the strength, trust, and peace found in God’s immense and infinite love for us.
We can begin as beloved.
We do not know what the year will bring, what journeys we will take, what joys and sorrows may come our way. But we can take our first step knowing we do not go alone. With this incredible gift, we may even find that we no longer need resolutions, plans, or goals. For as we begin each day centered in God’s loving embrace, we will also discover God’s guidance, instruction, preparation, and inspiration to live well–for each moment, each day of 2024.
New Year blessings, dear friends. May every goodness shine upon you. You are so beloved.
O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. *
* Prayer of Good Courage, Lutheran Book of Worship. Augsburg, 1978
(Written by Eric Milner-White, dean of the chapel at King’s College, Cambridge, the prayer, titled “The Call of Abraham,” was first published in 1941 in a little book titled Daily Prayer, compiled by Milner-White and G.W. Briggs.)
Photo by Karen; walking bridge–once a train trellis–in Peak, SC
NURTURE OUR HEARTS IN LOVE: REST AND REFRESH
FRIDAY, CHRISTMAS WEEK: LOVE
As we close our Preparing Room series, I thank you for your presence and for your kind words and prayers along the way. I hope that you had a blessed Christmas, and that goodness will shine upon you in the new year.
During Advent, I came upon several social media posts that either doubted or defended the nativity story, especially concerning the immaculate conception of Jesus. As I learn more about the Bible, its context, and the intention of the writers, I too, have questions–but here are my heartfelt thoughts for the season…
I treasure the nativity story for its beautiful narrative and meaning as part of my faith tradition. Whether the story is fact or folklore, I long to love God with the trust of Mary, the acceptance of Joseph, the eagerness of the shepherds, the joy of the angels, the desire of the magi. I can set aside the accuracy of the details and cling to the holy mystery and essence of the story–the wonder, humility, joy, and simplicity of the birth of Jesus. The truth I glean is that God’s Love is present with us here, expanding our own capacity for Love.
Considering the miracles of how the universe first came to be, the intricate complexity of creation, the power in particles of energy, I find it possible that Jesus was conceived immaculately, but my faith in Jesus is not contingent on this detail. I follow Jesus, not for the way he came to be, but for the way he lived. I am drawn to him–compelled by him–because he revealed God’s love for us, God’s presence with us, by living in radical love, defending the marginalized, healing and feeding those in need, teaching with wisdom and insight, extending and encouraging forgiveness, inviting us to follow him, and loving God and all people.
I love Jesus as a beloved son of God–and trust that his life was created in whatever perfect way God allowed that to happen.
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“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:36-39)
In all my uncertainty, I know that we are called to follow the ways of Jesus; we are to love God and one another. With all my doubts, I trust that I am understood and forgiven. Amid all my questions, I rest in the assurance that we are loved by God–for Jesus has certainly shown this to be true.
Bible verses are NRSVUE, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen
NURTURE OUR HEARTS IN LOVE: FURNISH
WEDNESDAY, CHRISTMAS WEEK: LOVE
How will we work with Jesus to furnish our heart-rooms with more Love? Will he help us find more time for serving, more patience for caring, more generosity for sharing, more awareness for acting? Do you envision an open door for welcoming, a table for nourishing, a quiet corner for listening?
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Jim handed me a tissue, and as I dabbed my eyes and wiped my nose, he asked, “Looking at Instagram again?” We both laughed; recently I seem to have a nightly ritual of being moved to tears by the compassionate, uplifting posts that flow into my Instagram feed. I watch videos of tender, caring acts of lovingkindness–surprise reunions, adoption announcements, animal rescues, outstanding teachers, innocent children, helpful strangers. When the world often seems harsh and cruel, these little moments have a huge impact on my hope and joy. I am deeply touched to know that everywhere, every day, individuals are coming together to make good differences for others.
This visible love of caring for others is the Love of Christ in action.
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The Love of God in Christ is meant to be shared in community. Jesus even promises that when we lovingly gather with one another, he will be with us, too. “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20). Author John Pavlovitz notes that Jesus especially appreciated gathering for meals, forming relationships and community through hospitality and nourishment.
What struck me when I began to read the Gospel stories was Jesus’ table ministry, the way he so often used the act of sharing a meal, the act of breaking bread, as a way of letting people know that they were seen and heard and known and respected… The table was an altar around which he welcomed the world to experience communion with God and with one another.1
We are all invited, all welcome. This is the Love of God in Christ. How might we open a place for someone at the table of our heart-room (or dining room) today?
1Pavlovitz, John. A Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community. Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville. 2017 (page 58)
Bible verses are NRSVUE, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen
NURTURE OUR HEARTS IN LOVE: REARRANGE
MONDAY, CHRISTMAS DAY: LOVE
A blessed Christmas to you all! Jesus has been born–and born once again in our hearts! The Advent season has come to an end, but we will continue working on our heart-rooms to increase space for the Love of God revealed to us in Christ Jesus.
As you look around your room this week, how might you rearrange your spirit to receive and share more of this Love? Would you rearrange your heart to accommodate more understanding, hospitality, generosity, compassion? Would you find more time to serve, allow more space to listen?
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In his beautiful book, Living the Quaker Way, Philip Gulley shares one question that I find helpful for my rearranging. As a child, he was traveling on vacation with his family and was given a bottle of soda to enjoy. When he had finished, he tossed the empty bottle out of the car window. His mom then asked, “What if everyone threw their trash out the window? What kind of world would we have?” Philip then goes on to describe the Quaker way of making community a priority…
To be human is to bear in mind one’s connectedness and responsibility to others…
It is the language of imagination, of reflection, of always wondering what the world would be like if everyone did what you were doing, be it good or ill. To be a Quaker is to always understand yourself and your actions in terms of the world. It is an invitation to reflect, not simply react, to keep before you the question, “What would the world be like if everyone did what I am doing?”1
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So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. (Luke 2:16)
On this Christmas Day, we happily welcome Jesus into our heart-rooms once again, and we can ask for his help as we continue to make our hearts more like his–filled with compassion, generosity, kindness, devotion. With humility, sacrifice, service. With hope, peace, joy, and love.
With every quality that will help make the world as he would like it to be.
1Gulley, Philip. Living the Quaker Way: Discover the Hidden Happiness in the Simple Life. Convergent Books, 2013.
Bible verse is NRSVUE, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen
NURTURE OUR HEARTS IN LOVE: DECLUTTER
SUNDAY, WEEK FOUR: LOVE (CHRISTMAS EVE)
On this last day of Advent, Christmas Eve, we take another look around our heart-rooms. Have we made space for the Love of God incarnate in the infant Jesus? Or, as in the nativity story, do we have no room available? What might be cluttering your ability to love fully and freely? Do you notice any wounds that intimidate, hard feelings that isolate, prejudices that separate?
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I have this box of memories on the floor of our closet, filled with cherished cards, letters, and emails from loved ones. Interspersed among these are a few notes that were exchanged years ago in times of anger and hurt. Initially, I kept these as written confirmations that I was justified in having bitter feelings and in ending relationships. But I haven’t looked in this box for years, and I thank God that in each relationship, we eventually were able to share mutual forgiveness. To reread these now would only rekindle sadness, bitterness, or regret. Now is the time for the next step–to pull these notes and discard them.
The Advent season is a perfect time to remove these remnants from my heart and make space for more Love.
Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
(Ephesians 4:31-32)
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On this Christmas Eve, as we hear the stories and reimagine that holy night, may we come to the manger with open hearts to fully embrace this Christ Child, Jesus–and all the gifts of Love that he brings.
(The Advent season has been shorter this year; my reflections on Love will continue through this week as Christmas thoughts.)
Bible verse is NRSVUE, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen
DELIGHT OUR HEARTS WITH JOY: REST AND REFRESH
FRIDAY, WEEK THREE: JOY
As we now rest and refresh ourselves in the Joy of God in Christ, I share a post from my blogger friends, Don and Jo. When I read the post, I was profoundly touched by their beautiful example of the Joy we can find when we let God lead us. Jo’s painting of Jesus really uplifts my spirit–she seems to capture the Joy of Christ so well! I had commented on their inspirational post and painting, and in his reply, Don said,
“I read your comment to Jo, and she teared up. She is practicing painting portraits in case the Lord gives her another assignment. Jo and I are trying to learn to overcome our human desire to do things for the Lord and replace it with doing things with the Lord. Thank you for your kind comment.”
Their words open up another path to Joy! We can rest and refresh in Joy as we “learn to overcome our human desire to do things for the Lord and replace it with doing things with the Lord.”
Thank you, Don and Jo, for allowing me to share your post–and your Joy.
DELIGHT OUR HEARTS WITH JOY: FURNISH
WEDNESDAY, WEEK THREE: JOY
What inspires your Joy? Many of our homes are now furnished with joyful decorations of the season; what “furnishings” might be added to your heart-room as reminders of God’s presence with us, our Joy in Christ? Do you envision festive celebrations, quiet moments, seasonal gifts, happy memories, inner gratitude? Are there any tangible reminders of Joy to carry with you this week?
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We adopted this little bench when Jim’s mom moved to a smaller place, and now we sit here to remove our shoes when entering our home. In those moments, I often think of God’s words to Moses at the burning bush, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground,” for I like to envision our home as a spiritual sanctuary for us and our guests to abide (Exodus 3:5).
Even as God gave Moses a very difficult role–one in which he felt inadequate–Moses knew that he was on holy ground in the incredible presence of God. The awe and wonder of that moment before the burning bush must have been a source of courage, inspiration–and Joy–for his purpose and journey ahead.
Truly, all of life is a holy experience beyond our understanding, filled with the creativity and mystery of God’s infinite love. A deep sense of Joy fills my soul when I behold this “ordinary” life with reverence, awe, and wonder; when I, like Moses, sense God’s presence and feel the Joy of the amazing miracle of my existence, the rich purpose of simply being alive and loving God.
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Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (James 1:17).
Glimmers of our Joy in Christ are here with us in our everyday lives. As we begin furnishing our rooms with greater Joy, may we remember that we always begin on holy ground–and may we expect to be surprised.
Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let’s not be afraid to receive each day’s surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy. It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity.
~ Henri Nouwen
Bible verses are NRSVUE, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen
Simply Soul Searching 