Advent Series #18
I sit this morning, the 18th day of the Advent Season, in prayer and meditation, reflecting on Joy, and choosing it as my experience for today. I offer you my prayers, as well…that each of us experience the radiant health and Wholeness, the forever-present Faith, the deep Peace, and the boundless Joy of the One, in this and every moment.
I realize that sometimes Spirit gets a little bit long-winded by means of my writings. This morning, though, I feel a short, sweet message coming on…it is only in the here and now that we find Joy. It is not something that we hope will come someday when…and it is not meant to be something that we look back upon with longing.
In times such as these, when uncertainty seems a more pronounced way of life, when things are changing around us daily…sometimes moment-by-moment…it is tempting to check out. Distractions surround us and fill our minds with everything that is not this moment. Some of these activities are simply intended to uplift and enrich our lives as we learn to adapt to being at home and alone with ourselves more than we were previously accustomed to. They can be healthy ways to support ourselves in engaging with the Now, bringing full presence to what is before us, something we deeply enjoy.
At other times, though, we may use these or other activities to escape what is happening now. We may find that when we try to sit in silence and stillness, our minds run away with us. And so we turn to something outside of ourselves to distract us from our inner ramblings. Even our reading, study, and guided meditations can be tricky diversions…while being healthy activities to keep us spiritually fed, they are not replacements for silence. I ask you to consider resisting that temptation, to spend time in the silence every day. It is only by attending to the silence that we come to know what needs our focus…we may come to see what is stealing our Joy. It is in this place of quiet stillness that we uncover thoughts and emotions that might be carrying us to the past or the future…away from what is before us. Even when these musings hold a positive energy, they keep us from experiencing the qualities of Spirit in the here and now.
Time in the silence helps us clean the windows of our perception so that we can re-enter the world grounded in Love and Compassion, Faith and Joy. We can only adapt gracefully to life’s changes when we are witnessing the world through clear lenses. Allowing ourselves to fall into thoughts of the past tends to bring either remorse over things that might have been, or a sense of longing for what used to be. Even when thinking back to days gone by brings pleasant memories, we tend to compare then with now, and end up in a state of melancholy. This steals the Joy that is available in this moment. The same can happen when we spend too much time thinking of the future. Life will be better when we can all be together again. Life will be better when there is a vaccine readily available. Life will be better when…you get the picture. Again, there are blessings and miracles in every moment. When we spend our
time engaging with life will be better when, we miss the Joy that is Now.
The invitation is this…spend time in the silence every day, alone with your God…alone with the Higher Wisdom that is ever available, with the One Source of all of Life, with the Comfort and Peace that resides within you. Build your Faith through deep connection and communion. Ask for what you need and affirm that it is already yours…it will surely be given in form and experience. Come to know who you really are and what is calling for your Loving presence and attention. There is nothing to fear in learning to be still. There is only here, there is only now. There is only Spirit…Love, Life, Light, Peace, Power, Wisdom, Beauty, Freedom, Compassion, and Joy. May you find these gifts in the silence today.
Know that today and always, I am here to support you.
Know that today and always, you are stronger and wiser than you know.
May we each live from our deep and abiding Joy.
May we be well…stay in touch…know our unity…and thrive!
And…may we know the Absolute Beauty and Wonder of this Grace-filled, once-in-a lifetime day, as Infinite Intelligence continues to pour Its blessings upon our world.
