* I extend a warm invitation to the worldwide meditation and prayer effort currently underway through July and August 2019. This is an international, concerted effort specifically addressing the inhumane conditions at the southern border of the United States of America and Mexico. I am inviting all churches in all denominations in the world to invite all their parishioners to take part; and include all people without any church affiliation to participate. Scroll down to see how meditation and prayer reduced crime in Washington, D.C. by 48 percent.
Have you ever found yourself taking on more than you planned or want to take on? Are you stressed???
There are many things we can do in these stress filled times that are self-help antidotes. They are things we already know. But in the snap decision moment, we can find ourselves doing the exact opposite of what we want to do, like staying calm, cool and collected.
How many times have we been in the middle of a project, or a meal, and the telephone rings, or our electronic gadget alerts us that some new bit of information is coming in? What do we do? Are we in the habit of constantly jumping at everything else’s beck and call?
Are we a slave to modern technology, or are we free ranging humans?
Depending on what we have going on in our life, there are times when we absolutely have to take this call. It could be the doctor, or an urget call from our boss. There are many valid reasons we, from time to time, should drop what we are doing, and answer that call. It would be irresponsible not to.
But is this the normal routine for us every day, in every situation? Do we let everything everybody else wants to come before our peace of mind, our plan for our day, or our priorities? We need to become aware and take stock of our triggers, from time to time, because nothing stays stagnant. Things always change. It is a matter of staying in balance no matter how chaotic life gets.
Becoming aware of how we are feeling is the first step in the right direction to correcting what is off with us. Feelings are not right or wrong, they just are. Good feelings are affirming and are a sign we are doing OK. Feelings of discordant energy are a sign that we need to make a correction somewhere to bring us back into alignment with our true purpose, goals, and get back on track.
Where is our Bliss? This is something we take it with us no matter how busy we let yourselves get. One self-help tool is to remember to take three, count them three, deep, cleansing breaths each time a challenge comes our way. Seldom is the case when we need to react so fast, as if we are running from a burning building. Yet that is exactly how we tend to dash through our lives, putting out everyone’s elses fires.
An amazing thing to remember is, just because someone throws us the ball, we don’t have to catch it. What a relief it is to remember this. Yes, we already know this, but somehow someone throwing the ball to us plays to our ego and we can find ourselves rising to the occasion when we don’t really want to. If this happens to us occasionally, then we are doing a good and noble thing. However, if this happens to us every time, then we are doing ourselves a disservice.
When and how do you start your day? Some of us wake up and immediately jump on the treadmill of life. No wonder we get so exhausted. This tends to be one of the best places to introduce change if we are not happy with our state of affairs.
What part of the day is your best work production, alert time? What part of the day is best for you to exercise? What part of the day for you to meditate, pray or recollect in peace and quiet? This is different for different people. There is not one best answer here. What is important is to take a moment to reassess our life. Are you a morning person, afternoon person or evening person? Does the life you are living match your most optimum work load times? What do you want to do about that?
You don’t have to catch the ball. Isn’t that awesome to remember?
If we are people pleasers, this concept may be somewhat startling. What is it about false pride that makes us think we have to come last in everything?
Are we addicted to technology, social media, work, play, or anything that has taken over our life making us feel that our life is running us, rather than us living our lives?
Jesus of Nazareth, Son of the Living God gives us words of hope as to where to find our bliss in Matthew 6:24-34: “No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate one and like the other; or he will honor one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (wealth, technology, social media, etc).
“For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat and what you will drink, nor for your body, what you will wear. Behold, is not life much more important than food, and the body more than clothing?
“Observe the birds of the sky, for they do not sow, neither do they harvest nor gather into barns, and yet your Father in heaven feeds them. Are you not much more important than they?
“Who is among you who by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
“Why do you worry about clothing? Observe the wild flowers, how they grow; they do not get tired out, nor do they spin.
“But I say to you that Solomon with all of his glory was arrayed like one of them.
“Now if God clothes in such fashion the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow falls into the fireplace, is he not much more mindful of you, O you of little faith?
“Therefore do not worry or say, what will we eat, or what will we drink, or with what will we be clothed?
“For worldly people seek after these things. Your Father in heaven knows that all of these things are also necessary for you.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will look after itself. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.”
When we remember the words of Jesus. It helps us to put our daily lives in perspective. Then our bliss will shine forth.
God is closer to us than our next breath.