Simply Soul Searching
HOW IS GOD LOVING ME – AND WHERE IS GOD LEADING ME?
CONNECTIONS: COMPANIONS ON THE WAY
Last weekend Jim and I were eager to hike Meek’s Mountain, but both of us also longed for some solitary reflection time–so we decided to walk the path in opposite directions! And as I walked along in my private contemplation, I felt a sacredness, a holiness in our shared journey. Knowing he was heading toward me on the same path, I sensed our love connecting us through the woods, over the green hills and valleys. We had a happy moment of reunion at the midway point and then continued on in opposite directions, physically apart but tethered in spirit.
Then a few days ago, I stopped by the Valley Park amphitheater to pray again. As soon as I returned home, I received a message from my dear friend Debbie. After reading my earlier post* about praying at the amphitheater, she had also stopped there to pray for me! Her thoughtful gift was certainly a holy moment of friendship and affirmation, especially as my recent reflections had centered on the connections we share in life.
And finally, there was the gracious woman I met on my path a few weeks ago. I had asked her just to see if there was something caught in my eye. She saw there was a gnat and then offered to remove it for me! As I handed her my tissue, she told me that she had been an Emergency Medical Technician, and her name is Karen–the same as mine. We laughed and agreed that our connection was meant to be!
Companions are precious gifts for this journey of life, and all of humanity is connected in more ways than we can comprehend.
There are companions who walk the same path but from different directions and perspectives. Companions who think of us, pray for us, hold us in love on their similar journeys. Companions who come along in our times of need. Companions who once blazed the paths we now follow. Companions who have gone before us, saints with whom we remain eternally connected. Our companions connect with us and help us on our journeys–at times in moments, often through years, and always for eternity.
Our companions in life are essential links in the holy connection of God’s love for us all.
*(Spiritual Spaces, October 1st)
Photo by Karen, Meek’s Mountain
SECOND THOUGHT: SPIRITUAL SPACES
(Additional reflections on this week’s post, Spiritual Spaces)
Along with the spiritual spaces we create in special places, we can also extend spiritual spaces into our daily living. Each time we are prayerfully attentive to the task or experience before us, mindful of its holy place in our day, we open sacred spaces in our souls for God’s presence.
I have a few favorite rituals, simple acts that foster attentiveness to God and appreciation for my day.
Opening the front door each morning, I carry on my departed dad’s ritual of saying, “Good morning, world!” as I gratefully welcome the new day. When I turn off our small tulip light before going to bed, I thank God for the day and whisper, “Goodnight, God.” I often light a candle when I want to remain prayerful, mindful of someone; its flame and scent keep my prayer intentions with me as I go about my routine. The act of taking off our shoes can inspire thoughts of being on holy ground. My daily walks in nature are a contemplative prayer and worship time. Sunrises and sunsets always inspire thoughts of hopeful beginnings and peaceful endings, the wisdom found in the rhythms of days and seasons, the wonder of our universe and God’s infinite majesty.
In designating our ordinary, daily routines as holy observances, the day itself begins to feel more sacred. And when we observe each day as holy, we become more mindful to regard our interactions and experiences as holy, too. The whole world is filled with the glory of God. We only need to pause and pay attention.
Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!”
(Genesis 28:16, NRSVUE)
Photos by Karen
Bible verse found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
SPIRITUAL SPACES
When we moved into our current home six years ago, I had the movers place my desk in a corner between our kitchen and living area. At the time, I felt that this location would be sufficient until I could move the desk to a bedroom and have a separate office for my writing space. Now I no longer wish to do that. These six years of reflecting, writing, praying, and journaling in this corner have created an atmosphere that fosters my creativity. When I sit down at my desk, my spirit quietly settles, becoming more readily reflective and open to inspiration.
I notice similar feelings about our back porch. As long as the seasons allow, Jim and I have our early morning coffee, devotional readings, and prayer in our cozy outdoor space before we begin our day. We gather again before dinner to chat over beverages. Each time I head out to our porch, I can feel my spirit slowing, relaxing, opening to God and nature. This is the space where I am invited to simply BE.
And one day on my walk at Valley Park, I impulsively stopped to pray in the outdoor amphitheater. This spot is now a spiritual stopping point on my walks, a moment of sanctuary where I pause to consider the day and my life’s journey within it.
God is omnipresent, not confined within sanctuaries or designated spaces. But our spiritual spaces help foster our sense of God’s presence with us. Perhaps this is another reason that Jesus tells us, “But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” A place set apart to pause and pray in solitude can become a sacred space, a place in which we let our thoughts ebb, our hearts open, and our awareness deepen.
The whole inhabited earth is sacred space in which God lives, breathes, and acts. ~ Carter Heyward
Yes, “the whole inhabited earth is sacred space…” and our personal daily sanctuaries give us room to pause, remember, and notice this holy presence of God, around us and within us.
The Bible verse is Matthew 6:6 (NRSVUE), found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photos by Karen
SECOND THOUGHT: GLIMMERS OF LIGHT
(Additional reflections on this week’s earlier post, Glimmers of Light, with a nod to Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening)
As I walked through the forest green,
within the darkness there was seen
small glimmers of your radiant light,
a light so hopeful and serene.
You guide my steps with love so bright
and draw me near, so that I might
find calm within the stormy fray,
feel peace within your watchful sight.
So, as we journey on each day,
may everything I do and say
become your opportunity
to bless another on the way.
Oh God, reveal your love through me;
reveal yourself in all I see.
For you are here–above, behind,
below, within–and soaring free.
Remain within my soul and mind
so everywhere I seek, I’ll find
your holy presence, pure and kind,
your holy presence, pure and kind.
(Photo by Karen)
GLIMMERS OF LIGHT
While hiking along Meek’s Mountain, surrounded by lush green darkness, I noticed these glimmers of light on the leaves. They radiated hope for my discouraged soul…
Recent weeks have felt heavy for Jim and me. He and other high school teachers were told to remove signs that designated their classrooms as “safe spaces”–places where students are welcome and free from harassment (largely because of their gender or orientation). We feel even more compelled to stand up for social justice, to offer refuge and inclusion, to serve with compassion, kindness, and love. I and many others have spoken before county commissioners and school boards; Jim has affirmed, comforted, and encouraged others as a teacher, pastor, and friend. Yet it seems that the loudest and angriest voices are the ones being heard and heeded, and at times we can become weary or discouraged.
These patches of sunlight in the dark woods have inspired me to keep watch for other glimmers of light, those soft yet radiant glimmers of hope we can find when we are attentive.
I find hopeful glimmers of light in teachers who wear tee shirts that display both solidarity and inclusivity; in young students who courageously share their stories before these often-volatile public meetings; in groups who work for social justice; in other stories of perseverance and progress; and in sacred words of inspiration, such as:
God loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. *
These small patches of sunlight have inspired me to provide glimmers of light, too.
Jim and I (and other teachers and students) are wearing rainbow-hued wristbands. We have no expectation that wearing these will change another’s opinion. We simply hope to quietly and visibly let others know that we are with them, supporting and standing with them. I hope that my words today will be another glimmer of light for those who struggle for acceptance.
Friends, if you are feeling alone, misunderstood, afraid, or rejected, please know that so many of us are with you and love you. The One who created you is with you and loves you. Completely.
The woods may seem so dark and deep, but one small glimmer of light will shine–ever so gently, ever so softly–yet ever so brightly with radiant hope. May each glimmer encourage and sustain us, so that we too, may brighten other paths with glimmers of encouraging hope.
(One of the signs that had to be removed, made by our friend, Jill. Photo credit unknown.)
* Bible verse is Psalm 33:5, NRSVUE, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
Nature photo by Karen
SECOND THOUGHT: REVEALING GOD’S KINGDOM
(Additional reflections on Monday’s post, Revealing God’s Kingdom)
One of my favorite children’s books is Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney. The story tells of Alice Rumphius, who as a young girl would hear her grandfather’s stories of faraway places and declare, “When I grow up, I too will go to faraway places and when I grow old, I too will live beside the sea.”
To which her grandfather would add, “There is a third thing you must do… you must do something to make the world more beautiful.” 1
After a lifetime of adventures and now an older woman, Miss Rumphius looks upon her beautiful garden of lupines and wishes she could plant more of them, but a season of illness and winter weather keep her from doing so. Yet, the following spring, she is surprised to discover lupines growing over the next hill! The winds and birds had helped scatter the seeds. Miss Rumphius then begins to scatter lupine seeds wherever she goes, and by the following spring there are lupines growing everywhere.
She had helped the world become more beautiful.
Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how...”
We can freely and generously scatter the seeds of God’s goodness, trust the winds of the Spirit to carry them, let the seasons of Creation nurture them. We may not know how the seeds will sprout and grow, but we do not work alone. We can joyfully, simply open our hearts and hands to share the love of God–and together, make the world more beautiful.
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” —Desmond Tutu
1Cooney, Barbara. Miss Rumphius. New York: Penguin Books, 1982. Print.
(This story is fictional, although there seems to be an actual woman who scattered lupines in Maine.)
The bible passage is Mark 4:26-27 NRSVUE, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen
REVEALING GOD’S KINGDOM
A friend once shared with me his vision of our eternal heavenly kingdom as a time when we will get to see all the good differences we have made for others, especially the differences we may not have known.
I was reminded of this last week when writing a note of gratitude. I had recently discovered the podcast, The Stories Between Us, with Shawn and Maile Smucker. Their podcast includes interviews and conversations about the writing life, and each episode has inspired and motivated me to “Keep writing!” as they say. Their last episode was aired on June 1st, so I wrote to tell them that they may have finished their podcasts, but their good work would continue as I now listen and learn. I closed my email by sharing my friend’s vision of heaven with Shawn and Maile, adding, “Today, I want to give you a sneak preview on ‘this side of heaven’. You have made a good difference for me.”
The next day I received a grateful email from Shawn, letting me know that my words of encouragement were just what they needed that week.
Jesus often said that the kingdom of God is here with us now. We can make this kingdom more visible each time we use our gifts to help one another; encouraging, comforting, enabling, accompanying. We can also point out more of God’s good kingdom by describing the ways we notice God’s presence in our lives; how we sense God is moving, where we see God in creation, what we hear God saying in our conversations and studies.
And we can reveal more of God’s kingdom by thanking those who have revealed a bit of it to us.
Maybe you remember a past kindness that now brings another smile. Or a dedicated teacher who encouraged you along the way. Or a friend who quietly listened. As different mentors, different moments come to mind, perhaps we are being nudged to let them know the ways they have made good differences in our lives. In returning their kindness, we are extending the goodness of the kingdom once again.
Through noticing, sharing, or returning God’s goodness and love, we help reveal God’s present and heavenly kingdom. Each small glimpse, each story of faith, each word of gratitude, helps to spread more of this eternal joy and gladness among us… within us… here and now.
If you would like to hear Shawn and Maile’s podcasts or check out their other offerings, visit: https://www.thestoriesbetweenus.com/
(Photo by Karen)
SECOND THOUGHT: VENTURING…
(Additional reflections on Monday’s post, VENTURING OUT–OR NOT)
When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:32-33 NRSVUE)
After Jesus rescued him from the water, Peter then stayed on the boat with the other disciples and worshiped Jesus. If I were in Peter’s situation, I would feel embarrassed by my failure. And if Jesus had asked, “Why did you doubt?” as he pulled me up, I would feel desperate to redeem myself, to have a second chance to prove my faith and trust in him. With a moment to rest and regroup–and in a now calmer sea–I would have pleaded, “Oh, let me try again!” Instead, it seems that Peter set aside any shame or need to prove himself, and simply turned to Jesus in love and gratitude.
You may also remember that when Peter later sees Jesus–newly resurrected–cooking breakfast on the shore, he eagerly jumps from the boat and swims to him (John 21). Peter didn’t see this as an opportunity to redeem himself by trying to walk on the water again. Reacting from his heart, not his ego, he swam across the sea, driven by the sheer joy of reuniting with his rabbi and friend.
I can so easily forget that with all our frailties and flaws, we are still fully loved. We are loved, not because of our perfect efforts, but because God IS perfect love. We can let go of our need to defend or justify ourselves and simply be grateful. We can imperfectly serve God with pure joy and love, unconcerned about ego or image, and at times, even through imperfect acts of foolish exuberance.
Whether we walk or swim, succeed or fail, our perfect God sees our efforts, knows our hearts–and loves us still.
Bible verses are found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen, Bar Harbor, ME
VENTURING OUT (OR NOT)
As Jim and I were quietly exploring St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, I turned into a small corner of the sanctuary and came upon this stained-glass image of Jesus rescuing fearful Peter from the water. Tears suddenly filled my eyes, for I recognized this as a God-moment. Back in January, when I chose my guiding word for this year–Venture–I had also chosen a few verses from this Bible story to enrich the meaning of my word:
Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. *
In choosing these verses, I have hoped to find the wisdom to recognize when my discernment is of God: “Lord, if it is you…”
And I have hoped to find the courage to venture–get out of the boat–when I sense that I have been invited to “Come.”
As I now revisit the rest of the story, I’m reminded that Peter had wisely discerned that it was Jesus who called him, and Peter had found the courage to get out of the boat–the very things I hope to do. And yet, he still became fearful when the storm raged on. Like Peter, our discernments may be filled with prayerful certainty, but upon venturing out we can encounter trouble and turbulence. We too, may begin to flounder when new challenges raise our fears and doubts.
And like Peter, we can call out to Jesus for help.
I find one more gift here. Jesus questioned why Peter doubted him, but he didn’t scold Peter and say, “Now go out there and try again!” Instead, Jesus brought Peter safely back to the boat. Jesus recognized this as a time not to compel, but to comfort.
When we prayerfully and courageously step out in faith, only to encounter difficulties that raise our fears and doubts, we can still turn to God in Christ for help. God knows our holy longings, but God also knows our circumstances and obstacles. As you listen to your soul today, do you hear God encouraging you to keep trying–or do you feel God leading you back to safe harbor?
Take heart. Whether we venture out at God’s invitation, or abide securely in God’s comfort, God’s presence remains with us. Is there any better place we could be?
(Photo by Karen, Kennebunkport, ME)
* Immediately he made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
(Matthew 14:22-33 NRSVUE)
Bible passage found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
SECOND THOUGHT: HOW LONG…
FINISH LINE
When I can’t see the finish line
nor even ’round the bend,
I wish that you would tell me
how this is going to end.
When every step is painful,
my spirit’s fading fast,
that anxious question haunts me:
How long will this part last?
It’s then that I remember
how in my times of fear,
in sorrow, pain, or anguish
your presence felt so near.
You drew me ever closer
and peaceful vigil kept,
giving me a breath of hope
to take another step.
The path may seem uncertain,
the journey long and rough,
but you are right here with me
and that will be enough.
No matter where I venture,
the finish line’s in view,
for you’re my destination:
my goal is always YOU.
(This new Friday series, ON SECOND THOUGHT, replaces A PICTURE AND A POEM and will offer additional reflections on Monday’s posts. The structure may vary–there may be a poem, a prayer, a benediction, a quote, or other thoughts on the meditation. My prayer is always that these will serve you well.)
Photo by Karen, Bar Harbor, ME
Simply Soul Searching 