The older I get, the more convinced I am that every human life is an evolutionary process...
we are offered an experience of divinity, an opportunity, great or small,
to share in the ongoing act of creation.
--Morris West
Good morning, gentle Heartlighters,
Last Sunday (our last of 2012), I asked if any of you had made New Year resolutions, and whether you’d been able to keep the ones you’d made last year about this time. The answers were generally “yes” to the first question and “not necessarily” to the second. I think those both hold true for most of us. So why do we do it?Seems like a good idea. Seems like a good time to do it.
While I don’t like to cast aspersions on resolutions in general, since acting with resolve can be empowering, I do think we attach a lot of “shoulds” to our New Year ambitions. We say, “I should to this or I shouldn’t do that…” and there isn’t a great deal of joy behind the decision; sometimes it’s more of a grim determination—and isn’t that fun? We also tend to put pretty stringent conditions on ourselves. We say we are going to do this, or not do this, forever. We are never going to have judgments of people again; we are never going to entertain negative thoughts about ourselves; we are never going to utter a single word that doesn’t easily pass through the three gates of speech (is it true, is it kind, is it necessary)….. Right. Those statements are likely to be true only if we are planning to depart planet Earth right about now.
Does any of this imply we need not make any changes in what we do or think or say? Of course not! Life is all about change. I’m simply suggesting that we take a gentle, centered approach to the development of our inner selves. I’m suggesting we see change as something that occurs gradually over time—not in a day or a week or even a year. Most of all, I’m suggesting that we apply our diligence to staying focused on the now moment (the only place real change occurs) rather than wasting precious thought energy on regretting what we didn’t achieve yesterday and worrying about what we might or might not achieve tomorrow. Today is where the magic happens—gratitude, joy, understanding, realization, healing, and transformation.
I encourage you to see each and every day as an opportunity to begin again, to hone your talents as a spiritual being having a human experience. Remember that the person who looked back at you from the mirror yesterday is not the same person looking back at you today. It’s all new and it’s all good.
Tomorrow I shall unveil our theme word for the year, as we also acknowledge our previous themes: Believe; Trust: and Create. They have served us well, and we shall not leave them behind, but keep them in our tool box as we add yet another.
Let me close with this Thought from the Universe (TUT):
“I was about to wish that your every dream come true. That you find yourself surrounded by friends, laughter, and good times. I almost wished that your every cup runneth over financially, romantically, spiritually, and creatively. That good health be your faithful companion, peace your guarded ally, and love your perpetual guide. When suddenly, it dawned on me that as an infinite, powerful, fun-loving being of the Universe, with eternity before you and the power of your thoughts to help shape it... it's you who will be granting wishes this year, it’s you who will create the future.”
Here’s to another extraordinary year at Heartlight.
Love and blessings overflowing,
Rev. Lauren
No comments:
Post a Comment