Self-sacrifice

Today is Memorial Day in the United States. Many people enjoy a federal holiday and some may reflect on the significance of this day.

Regardless of the diverse opinions out there about war, the military and patriotism, each person who has served in the military and each civilian are united by Christly qualities. It is the Christ which impels us to give unselfishly — to sacrifice ourselves so that others may experience some happiness and good. This sacrifice may come by serving in the military, as a schoolteacher, giving to a non-profit, or devoting one’s life to helping others in some way. We each give self-sacrifices of time, patience, money, and devotion to one another everyday, for which I am grateful.

These qualities and the impulsion to do so doesn’t come from who we are humanly; it comes from deep within our divine nature. It is God who is impelling us to give, guiding us, blessing us and replenishing us. It speaks of our eternal identity, which He created, that is all-good, skilful in expressing divine intelligence, compassion and integrity.

It is this eternal identity which unites all of us in appreciation, love, and forgiveness for one another. We have a deep well of divine strength that we can draw on each moment. This Source gives us solutions and answers to the problems we face and the skill to act on them. It is a deep spiritual love, compassion and integrity which unites us all.

Thanks to everyone who serves in whatever capacity they feel divinely led to do. Your self-sacrifice blesses you and all the world.

Water into wine…

In the Bible we read about Jesus attending a wedding reception and turning the water into wine after the wine had run out.

I think of this Bible story as a symbol for how the Christ – the divine message from God – can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary in any situation throughout our day.

I’ve enjoyed praying with a poem, which reads in part:

Walking into a church
should be like walking into a manger, —
a place so shorn of self-righteousness,
so free of all reproach,
that the hungering heart will feel no
shame, no awkward fear,
no insecurity.

Sitting in a church
should be like sitting in a field of sunlight—
comfortable and warm…

And it closes with:

Oh, yes—I know how I expect my
church to feel ….
Dear Father-Mother, teach me
now the way to make it real.

We may feel this way about a number things of life.

For example, I know how I want this relationship to feel — teach me how to make it real; I know the way I want my career to feel — teach me how to make it real.

What makes this ideal model in thought a reality? I find that it is divine Love, which can be felt through humility, unselfishness, and being ready and willing to listen and follow the inspiration of this Love.

The wonderful thing about this spiritual animus – the activity of divine Love – is that it is always present in our consciousness; It lifts us up and points the way toward Spirit and away from materiality. It is an attraction, a law, a buoy; It saves us, so to speak.

It is present in every relationship, every encounter, every job assignment to turn the “water into wine” in our experience — to take us from feeling ordinary to feeling touched and blessed by Love, which feels extraordinary.

Perhaps this love is a gift you can give to someone today; or perhaps it is a gift you have received. Either way, the activity of divine Love is always here, and the opportunity to recognize it and utilize it shows we live at one with divine Spirit and Love, which is extraordinary.

Mother’s Day inspiration

Reblog: Health and the Mother-love of God

by Virginia Harris

…As a spiritual healthcare practitioner for many years, I have seen that the closer a patient feels to this presence – actually, the more one understands that he cannot be separated from the blessings of an all-loving, all-good supreme being – the more tangible these blessings become in his life, in improved health, positive relationships, better financial circumstances. Who wouldn’t want to be close to this beneficent Parent?… Read more

Daily Lift: Happy Mother’s Day (2 min podcast)

by Fujiko Signs

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