"Be still. Be still. Be still. God in the midst of you is substance. God in the midst of you is love. God in the midst of you is wisdom. Let not your thoughts be given to lack, but let wisdom fill them with the substance and faith of God. Let not your heart be a center of resentment and fear and doubt. Be still and know that at this moment it is the altar of God, of love; love so sure and unfailing, love so irresistible and magnetic that it draws your supply to you from the great store-house of the universe. Trust God, use God's wisdom, prove and express God's love."
"We must have quiet and opportunity for inward searching, for we must go beyond what we have heretofore attained. There is nothing in hearsay or in observation or in the evidence of the senses, apart from spiritual discernment, that can take us beyond our present footing."
"A period of quiet and rest each day is your opportunity to establish yourself at the center of your being, the one place where the supply of life and substance is inexhaustible. God is this eternal life that we make into living. Each day you should have a period of stillness when the soul may gather sustaining power and restoring life. God gives freely; it is for us to keep the receiving channels open, to keep attuned to the realities so that our intellect does not take us out among the limited ideas of the world."
~Myrtle Fillmore from: Healing Letters
Not being a member of the Unity Church, I really hadn't known much of Myrtle Fillmore. She was quite the lady! I am reading some of her Healing Letters (you can online) and am challenged by her comments about stillness, quiet and prayer. Making time each day has always been difficult for me. I seem to always be doing something, dishes, laundry, work, walking the dog. The thought that the "supply of life is unexhaustible" when we can spend time in quiet and prayer drives me to make sure I do have that time each day. Using this deep well of Life helps to sustain us as we live out our lives in faith and love each day. Trying to keep going without restoring Life will eventually leave us fatigued and without hope. It's like a well, you can pump most all of the water out of it, but you need to let it recover (allow the ground water to restore the level of the water in the well). The amount of recovery time depends on many factors, one being how much demand you place on the well. We get so preoccupied with life, we demand more from ourselves than we can supply without sufficient recovery time. We must go into silence, connect with our source of ground water, God, and allow our systems to recover. The more regularly we allow ourselves to recover, the more resources we have to call on each day.
Be Still.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Time
Today my car clock/radio quit working. It was 11:01 for a very long time. I was amazed at how often I check the time on that clock. Still 11:01. But the up side to that is that it took no time at all (literally) to go across town. It was like I was riding with Dr. Who in the Tardis. Time just stood still! A couple of times when I looked at the clock (11:01) I thought, what does it matter what the EXACT time is? I'm here, headed toward a goal and the time doesn't really matter. Well, of course, in certain circumstances, time does matter. But more often that not, when my eyes glance down to that clock, knowing the exact time is not vital.
Without music, I did notice and listen my inner chatter more. It's so much easier to mindlessly sing or whistle along with my favorite tunes. Kind of lets me zone out....although there is that feeling of arriving somewhere and not remembering the trip that scares me occassionally. I decided that we can control our chatter, but that our chatter controls us, too. I found myself deciding that certain things I was telling myself (and the other drivers around me) weren't too positive. Or at the least they greatly influenced the way I was looking at the world. I could change that chatter to a different tone or direction and felt better about the world around me. I never cease to be amazed at the connectedness of our lives. Right after I was thinking about all of this, I was checking my email and read this great quote that sums it all up:
"Affirmations are statements chosen and spoken consciously. Once they enter our realm of consciousness, they also enter our subconscious mind where they have the power to change our lives." The Daily OM
That chatter, in our head or spoken, needs to be chosen and spoken consciously. It truly does have the power to change our lives. I used to think that chatter was sub-conscious, but after my non-music driving experience I discovered I was very in control of that flow of words in my head. I found if I spoke it outloud (yes, I'm one of those crazy people you see talking to themselves in the car), I had a choice. I didn't have to just listen to music and have the flow of words go on almost without notice. I did notice. I chose words. I listened to myself. Some of what I said was pretty insightful.
Now, back to that clock. I've decided when I get in the car, time CAN stand still and I have time to listen to what I have to say. Maybe when I get the radio/clock fixed I'll turn it off to listen.
Without music, I did notice and listen my inner chatter more. It's so much easier to mindlessly sing or whistle along with my favorite tunes. Kind of lets me zone out....although there is that feeling of arriving somewhere and not remembering the trip that scares me occassionally. I decided that we can control our chatter, but that our chatter controls us, too. I found myself deciding that certain things I was telling myself (and the other drivers around me) weren't too positive. Or at the least they greatly influenced the way I was looking at the world. I could change that chatter to a different tone or direction and felt better about the world around me. I never cease to be amazed at the connectedness of our lives. Right after I was thinking about all of this, I was checking my email and read this great quote that sums it all up:
"Affirmations are statements chosen and spoken consciously. Once they enter our realm of consciousness, they also enter our subconscious mind where they have the power to change our lives." The Daily OM
That chatter, in our head or spoken, needs to be chosen and spoken consciously. It truly does have the power to change our lives. I used to think that chatter was sub-conscious, but after my non-music driving experience I discovered I was very in control of that flow of words in my head. I found if I spoke it outloud (yes, I'm one of those crazy people you see talking to themselves in the car), I had a choice. I didn't have to just listen to music and have the flow of words go on almost without notice. I did notice. I chose words. I listened to myself. Some of what I said was pretty insightful.
Now, back to that clock. I've decided when I get in the car, time CAN stand still and I have time to listen to what I have to say. Maybe when I get the radio/clock fixed I'll turn it off to listen.
Guidance
So, today I had an email from a friend, much like my last post but rather than reconcile, the word is guidance. It was so good, I wanted to pass it along:
Dancing With God:
When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing 'dance' at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other. My eyes drew back to the word Guidance. When I saw 'G': I thought of God, followed by 'U' and 'I'. 'God, 'U' and 'I' dance.' God, you, and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead. My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday. May you abide in God, as God abides in you. Dance together with God, trusting God to lead And to guide you through each season of your life.
I hope you'll dance!
Lorette
Dancing With God:
When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing 'dance' at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other. My eyes drew back to the word Guidance. When I saw 'G': I thought of God, followed by 'U' and 'I'. 'God, 'U' and 'I' dance.' God, you, and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead. My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday. May you abide in God, as God abides in you. Dance together with God, trusting God to lead And to guide you through each season of your life.
I hope you'll dance!
Lorette
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
