Simply Soul Searching
HOW IS GOD LOVING ME – AND WHERE IS GOD LEADING ME?
LONGING FOR GOD’S PEACE, DAY FOUR
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Monday, April 7th
(An excerpt from my memoir, * written when I was enduring the worst of the chemotherapy treatments.)
Dear helping and healing Creator God, what would you have me know today?
My child, I know it’s so very challenging to just BE in the present moment. Your present moments aren’t as exciting, productive, or varied as they once were. Your present moments are quiet, routine, limited with boundaries, and often filled with worry.
The present moment is not where you like to be.
But allow me to work in you during this wilderness time. With many distractions removed, I can work on your soul and mind more readily. Don’t block my work with your distractions of fear and crankiness—or at times, with Spider Solitaire. Open your heart to notice how I am teaching, helping, inspiring you for each moment of the day. Please take time to be with me. Practice disciplines and creative spiritual exercises in your free moments. Let yourself freely and fully accept this time of liminal space as my workspace for you.
Better days are coming. You know this. I am the One who gives you hope and healing. Be thankful for the many prayers from many people, and let your spirit be held by them. You will sense this grace if you remain aware of the many prayers and my generous love for you and Jim. Be a gentle presence today.
~~~~~
May you feel the peaceful presence of God in this very moment, dear reader friends.
* What Would You Have Me Know? Contemplation and Companionship in a Time of Cancer, available on Amazon.
(Photo by Karen)
LONGING FOR GOD’S PEACE, DAY THREE
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Friday, April 4th
The Sacrament of the Day
(KLW, May 2023)
Now the day gently rises
upon early dawn
and the choir of creation
soon bursts into song.
May I join with the praise
of each songbird chorus
and in giddy delight
applaud with the forest.
May I glean inspiration
through nature, your teacher
proclaiming your presence
and kinship with creature.
May I speak of your hope
and divine mystery;
let each word of comfort
be a kind liturgy.
May I seek out the sacred
with deep reverence,
through holy, awed silence,
and sweet penitence.
May I share the communion
of human connection
through the breaking of bread
with love and affection.
May I sense you are moving
in breezes that blow,
in the smile of another,
in the soft morning glow.
May I savor the rituals
that order my day
with the walking, the writing,
the moments I pray.
May I find each day holy,
a blessed sacrament,
and so honor each moment
with sacred intent.
May I feel benediction
as day becomes night,
when I peacefully thank you
and turn out the light.
(Photo by Karen)
LONGING FOR GOD’S PEACE, DAY TWO
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Thursday, April 3rd
At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
~ John 8:2-11
This passage holds so much tension! There is the tension of the woman who is embarrassed, helpless, and even fearing for her life… the tension of the teachers and Pharisees, who have been seeing their systems of law and justice being undermined… the tension of Jesus, who knows that the group is trying to threaten him–perhaps more than the woman… the tension of the potential rock throwers, who certainly must question what they are about to do.
Jesus then demonstrates several ways he can give peace—for them, and for us.
~ We can experience peace as an absence of judgment—Jesus’ lack of judgment for the adulterer and for our own imperfect selves.
~ We can experience peace when we pause to consider before we react, as Jesus did with his writing in the sand.
~ We can experience peace in knowing that Jesus is by our side, protecting and defending, as he did for the woman.
~ And we can experience peace when we drop our stones of self-righteousness, judgment, condemnation, or short-sightedness, as did the people who walked away.
Where do you most long for peace today…
for the peace of acceptance after being misunderstood or wrongly judged?
for the peace of forgiveness for behaving badly?
for the peace of silent reflection before making a decision?
for the peace of companionship along a difficult journey?
for the peace of surrendering stones of guilt, prejudice, or hypocrisy?
for the peace of trust in times of stressful uncertainty?
May you feel the presence of Christ near to you, revealing exactly what you need for peace.
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.
~ 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Bible passage and verse are NRSVUE, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
(Photo by Karen)
LONGING FOR GOD’S PEACE, DAY ONE
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Wednesday, April 2nd
In our times of trial, hardship, sorrow, pain, or fear, when we find ourselves desperately longing for a sense of God’s peace, isn’t it a gift to know that God is longing for us to have peace, too? Jesus gives his disciples (and all of us) these comforting assurances:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ~ John 14:27
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. ~ John 16:33
The peace of God can be understood as the well-being of our souls throughout our daily living. Yes, “in this world we will have trouble,” but God’s peace can come to us regardless of our circumstances…
I recall a time when I could not discern an easy answer or a happy ending for a very difficult situation. As I hid away in the bathroom one night, crying and praying but receiving no direction, I finally said, “Whatever happens, God, I will be okay if you are with me.” And I was suddenly overwhelmed by an incredible sense of peace! Oh, there would be many difficult days ahead–and many more prayers–but my sense of this certain, inner peace and God’s comforting presence remained with me through it all.
Paul’s guiding words for the Philippians reveal the reason for my peace:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:6-7
The peace of God does transcend our understanding! And this peace comes when we open ourselves to receive it, when we present our requests–surrendering ourselves and our predicaments–into God’s good care. Trusting in God’s perfect love, relinquishing our desired outcomes, letting God guide our next steps, and clinging to God’s perfect goodness, we will discover the peace that only God can give.
Whether I am feeling my small anxiety of boarding a plane, or my greater worry for a family member facing trials, or my deepest fear of losing a loved one, I can only find peace when I finally entrust everything to God. God is the One who loves us all with incredible, infinite love… the One who longs to bring our peace… the One who IS our peace, our peace beyond all understanding.
Bible verses are NIV, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
(Photo by Karen)
LONGING FOR GOD’S PURPOSE, DAY FIVE
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Tuesday, April 1st
The purpose of God isn’t to save us from Hell. The purpose of God is to make us like Christ.
~ Aiden Wilson Tozer
I love this quote! A.W. Tozer’s words reveal two different (and life-changing) perspectives about God’s purpose for our daily living.
When we believe God’s purpose for us is to solely avoid hell, our days may be lived in the fear of letting God down, with our focus on rule keeping, and the tendency for judging, comparing, and defending ourselves against one another. With our attention on the hereafter, we may even squander or discount our earthly days while we await this reward of hell-avoidance.
When we believe our purpose is to live and be more like Christ, our days may be lived in the peaceful trust that we are beloved, with our focus on soul keeping, and a desire for loving, forgiving, and accepting others while maintaining personal integrity and humility. With our attention on our earthly days, we can live in the joy (and yes, challenge) of the heavenly kingdom that is already present with us.
I have often said, “I don’t know how all of this works.” But today, I find these questions worth considering:
Could our earthly life be this figurative hell?
Could God, Infinite Love, one day welcome, transform, and bless everyone with eternal peace and joy?
Could Jesus’ plea, “Father, forgive them,” for those who had mocked, tortured, and watched him die, also include the rest of us?
Could the present-day gifts of our faith be the hope we cling to as we face the trials of this life, the peace we find as we trust in our benevolent God, the inspiration and courage we receive from the Spirit’s movement within us?
Could our salvation be the grateful joy we find in God’s loving presence that abides with us through the hellish moments we encounter today?
I don’t know how all of this works. But as I reflect on A.W. Tozer’s words, I do believe that God’s essential purpose for us is to live like Christ. And when we do, we are already being saved from hell–by helping to make this earthly life more like the eternal kingdom, here and now.
(Photo by Karen)
LONGING FOR GOD’S PURPOSE, DAY FOUR
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Monday, March 31st
(This excerpt from my memoir * was written after my chemotherapy was finished and I was feeling stronger.)
On another cold December morning, I sat at my desk, ready to write my journal reflections. The day was going to be a full and busy one, so I was eager to get on with my tasks. I struggled to settle my thoughts in contemplation. Then I felt a nudge to be silent for a moment, and looking up, my finger labyrinth on the shelf above my desk caught my attention…
God of Promise, what would you have me know today?
Restless Karen,
Your life has been much like a labyrinth. You have been journeying in new directions, taking unexpected longer routes, finding yourself going in opposite directions from your original path, and letting the path itself guide you. In doing so, you are drawing ever closer to me. Center yourself on me. Keep focused on my love for you and for all people. Savor each step and observe what is around you.
Your journey is your life. Your destination is me.
Questions also arose: “Why did you create me, God? Did you create me with intention, for a special purpose, or am I a random result of your creation?”
You need not know these answers, Karen. Trust that your life is rich, full, and blessed because you happen to be alive and you know of my love. From the day you came into being, I have loved and guided you. I love you, no matter how you live or for how long. Simply find what brings you joy and look for ways to use your joy to bless others. Let the rest of your purpose fall to me. Place your life in my care. Trust that I am in control, and my love for you and this world is beyond your comprehension. Your questions and fears are tiny matters, but your humble life is significant to me.
~~~~~
Reader friends, may you also rest assured that your life, no matter how humble, is significant to God.
* What Would You Have Me Know? Contemplation and Companionship in a Time of Cancer, available on Amazon.
(Photo by Karen)
LONGING FOR GOD’S PURPOSE, DAY THREE
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Friday, March 28th
Benediction
(KLW, October 2021)
As you go about your daily life
may you attend to deeper meaning.
May you notice all the quiet nudges
and the wisdom you are gleaning.
May God give you good clarity
for which purposes to pursue
to help you find and keep the ones
which are genuine and true.
May you even hear the whispers
you may not wish to hear;
just bear in mind how much God loves
and holds you close and dear.
May you check your motivation
and let God help you decide
what is pure determination
and what is stubborn pride.
May each new day bring inner joy
and purposes that bless
while tending to your spirit –
knowing when to work and rest.
May your life become a vessel
of God’s love poured out through you,
but keep your vessel lifted up;
God’s love will pour in, too.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ~ Colossians 3:17
Bible verse is NRSVUE found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
(Photo by Karen)
LONGING FOR GOD’S PURPOSE, DAY TWO
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Thursday, March 27th
During a recent morning retreat, our group reflected on God’s purpose for us by asking ourselves this question: What would I want engraved on my gravestone?
I appreciate this question because it invites me to see my purpose in a different light; to consider less about what I can accomplish and more about the differences I might make. I have written before about my need to feel productive, to call my day worthy by the tasks I have completed. When I am on a “mission” to finish a project, I become less gracious about welcoming interruptions or allowing times for respite. But these interruptions and respites could be the places where life’s deeper meaning and purpose are found.
The question also helps me see my purpose beyond my identity or role, to how my unique self might bring better days or greater good. I am a regular walker, but do I want to be remembered for the miles I have covered–or the friends I have made along the way? I am a contemplative writer, but do I want to be remembered for the number of words I have written–or the one person I have encouraged? I am an organized homemaker, but do I want to be remembered for clean closets–or the memories made with people we have welcomed into our home?
Perhaps God’s purpose for our lives is to be fruitful more than productive. God has created each of us uniquely, with certain capabilities and interests to pursue. We are not meant to exhaust these gifts, but to steward them wisely, to share them in service to God and others, and to find and share our joy in doing so.
May we so live that when we look at our unfinished checklist of goals at the end of the day, we can trust that God has used the spaces of our interruptions and respites for more meaningful, significant purposes. May we so live that we are open to receive each moment of life as a possible movement of God. May we so live that at the end of our earthly days, even if our personal goals have not been achieved, God’s greater purpose for us has been fulfilled.
Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches… I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ~ John 15:4-5a, 11
(Photo by Karen)
Bible verse is NRSVUE, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
LONGING FOR GOD’S PURPOSE, DAY ONE
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Wednesday, March 26th
In my younger years, I sincerely longed to know God’s purpose for my life and vocation. I wanted to please God by choosing the right career path, the right way to live and serve each day, and honestly, I longed to please God in order to be “blessed” with a happy and fulfilling life. Now I understand that neither is contingent on the other. I am loved and blessed by God through all of life–in every disappointment, sorrow, failure, success, joy, and surprise.
Yet, I still carry this holy longing to somehow know and fulfill God’s purpose for me. I long to live in meaningful ways, to discover a sacred reason for my existence, to have a holy purpose to pursue. This is a universal longing many of us share.
Jesus and (author) Barbara Brown Taylor have wise words for us and our longings. First, Jesus gives us the foundation for a life of holy purpose with his simple and succinct instruction:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” ~ Mark 12:30
Then, Barbara Brown Taylor shares a personal insight (in Chapter 7 of her book, An Altar in the World):
Then one night when my whole heart was open to hearing from God what I was supposed to do with my life, God said, “Anything that pleases you.”
“What?” I said, resorting to words again. “What kind of an answer is that?”
“Do anything that pleases you,” the voice in my head said again, “and belong to me.”
Isn’t this so comforting and reassuring? Our purpose and our joy come from belonging to God and loving what we do. But there is more. We find additional wisdom in what Jesus says next:
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these. ~ Mark 12:31
And Barbara Brown Taylor’s thoughts help clarify what we are seeking…
Call me a romantic, but I think most people want to be good for something. I think they want to do something that matters, to be part of something bigger than themselves, to give themselves to something that is meaningful instead of meaningless. *
Whatever we do in life, we can give ourselves to something meaningful, something that matters, by loving God and caring for one another. Small or mundane tasks become meaningful when we use them to serve, reflect, pray, or listen in love. Less than ideal vocations become opportunities to kindly serve clients or coworkers (perhaps while we search for a better place to be). Delightful vocations and creative outlets become venues for sharing our joy with others as we gather in community, teach our skills, or offer our expertise.
By loving God and one another, our daily, ordinary lives will naturally become part of something bigger than ourselves–and we will have found our holiest call and purpose.
* Taylor, Barbara Brown. An Altar in the World. New York, Harper Collins, © 2009.
Bible verses are NIV found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
(Photo by Karen)
LONGING FOR GOD’S PERSPECTIVE, DAY FIVE
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Tuesday, March 26th
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. ~ Romans 12:1-2
Paul’s words of instruction, written long ago, are so timely and necessary for today. This is a time to truly consider how I might renew my mind, transform my thoughts, and no longer be conformed to this age, my usual ways of living and being. I hope you recognize this, too. For I was recently both alarmed and inspired by this insight from human rights lawyer, Payam Akhavan on the podcast, “Soul Boom” with Rainn Wilson:
World peace is not only possible, it’s inevitable. The problem is that we’re holding on to divisive, myopic, materialistic ideologies that are inconsistent with the reality of the oneness of humankind. The question is whether we will achieve it through a common vision or only after unimaginable catastrophes leave us with no other choice. Climate change is the game changer and those leaders that today are saying that this is a hoax, they will be answerable to history. We will transform our patterns of thought and behavior because we have no choice. That is what our collective survival requires. *
As climate protections, social services, human rights provisions, global alliances, health care organizations, and public education are being undone in this country, many of us are distraught and bewildered by the careless, vengeful disregard for our planet and for one another. We all need to change our ways–and soon–because this is “what our collective survival requires.”
But Justin Hall (American journalist, entrepreneur, and blogger) names one perspective that hinders us from doing what we can: It’s this perspective of us as humans to look at our world through the lens of ‘normal’ [that] is one of the forces that stops us developing real solutions.
As challenging as this might be, we are called to “not be conformed to this age” (our lens of normal). Giving up our normal perspective is to rethink and adapt our usual ways of living, to look beyond ourselves to the needs of others, and to reexamine our biases, history, and culture for beliefs that do not hold true. Giving up our normal perspective is to embrace “the reality of the oneness of humankind,” as Payam calls it, and together, work to save our global community and life itself. Giving up our normal perspective is to have the courage to steward the earth by living more simply, to find gifts in community over consumerism, to foster understanding over fear, and to live with holy, humble integrity.
When we live in faith, this desperate imperative is our sacred and delightful invitation. When we live with an eternal perspective, we find joy in pursuing the things that are good, acceptable, and perfect; we cherish the gifts of kindness, compassion, generosity, and love; we need only the precious gifts of God that will last forever. With an eternal perspective, our lives become more peaceful, joyful, and hopeful–while we also contribute to the saving of our world.
* https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/soulboom?selected=LLUOO4976248041
(Photo by Karen)
Simply Soul Searching 