Repost: Inspiration from the Olympics

Published on August 8, 2012August 7, 2012 by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

The Olympics are so inspiring! And this blog post by a Christian Science practitioner and teacher points out so many ways the Olympics have propelled mankind forward to break even more limitations!

Olympic Freedom

by Virginia Harris, CSB

Oh the glorious Olympics! It seems like everyday since the Games began there has been some new ‘first’, some previous limitation or barrier broken through, left behind, gone beyond!

Almost daily there are new world records being established, and each breakthrough lifts all of us by showing the potential to surpass previously believed limits. And once a threshold has been crossed, there is only going forward to cross the next.

But there have been so many other breakthroughs as well…

Repost: Lessons from sunflowers

Published on August 7, 2012 by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

This is a such a beautiful analogy. And a wonderful prayer for our political climate.

Sunflowers’ promise of hope and unity

by Janet Hegarty

When you travel through western Kansas in August, near the town of Goodland, you’ll see huge fields of sunflowers in full bloom. The sudden burst of bright yellow against the green landscape is stunning, but the behavior of the sunflowers is even more impressive. All of the flowers face toward the sun and move together in unity as they follow the sun throughout the day.

Against the backdrop of the current contentious political landscape, the thought of these sunflowers moving together in unity is refreshing. It stimulates hope that there might be a way to move beyond antagonistic, divisive political differences. Granted, the life of a flower is simple compared with the complexities of human existence, but I believe there’s much to learn about how we might establish harmony by considering the sunflower’s activity.

The flowers move in harmony because they are all seeking and finding the good they need from the same source. This is what unifies their actions. Their need for the sun is intrinsic. They naturally follow the sun, and their needs are supplied in the process.

Much political discord today comes from disparate points of view as to how the social and economic life in the United States should be managed. These conflicting ideas have polarized the country. This polarization has been so extreme at times that it has severely slowed the normal effective action of the government. Thinking of the sunflowers has made me wonder if there isn’t a higher source of good we could focus on that might unite us all in progressive activity.

Repost: In Jesus’ footsteps

Published on August 2, 2012August 7, 2012 by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

I can’t resist reposting this blog post by my husband that appeared on CSMonitor.com today.

I love these opportunities we each have to step out of our comfort zone and really delve deeper. Truly inspiring growth always comes from such opportunities!

In Jesus’ footsteps

by John Biggs

While power washing my back porch the other day, I accidentally aimed the nozzle too aggressively at the deck. The dull gray color suddenly vanished, replaced by a vibrant red cedar tone. At first, I was upset with myself for scarring the deck. Then I realized that this was the actual deck. I was very pleased with the color and cleanliness, but I hesitated to pursue the in-depth cleaning because halfway was probably good enough, and company was expected soon.

Isn’t this story symbolically familiar? The comfort zone threatened. Something that disturbs the norm. The aha moment telling you that what lies beneath the surface is so much better. Then hesitancy about reaching for that depth and substance. Right here is where so much of life is decided. Do we stay comfortable or dive deeper? The good … or the best?