Pause & listen

A favorite poem says “Shepherd show me how to go…”. Recently, when trying to quiet the mind so I can fall asleep, I pray: Shepherd, show me how to listen.

Listening is an activity and requires quieting one’s own will and stilling the human mind to be receptive to the divine Mind communicating quiet, calm, confident, peaceful ideas.

These ideas lead up to their divine Source; they take us higher to behold spiritual views (mentally and spiritually) and feel refreshed by this communion with a Holy Presence.

The poem continues: I will listen for Thy voice lest my footsteps stray…

We can strive to maintain this conscious communion with God throughout the day. Even while you are in a conversation, you can listen for divine Mind to communicate the words and ideas for you to share. If you feel your mental, spiritual footsteps beginning to stray, take a timeout to center yourself and bring your focus back to Good.

This also demands spontaneity and flexibility. It’s pretty hard to move a boat with an anchor down. Being open to new ideas will assist you to feel Divine Presence moving you through the day as naturally as a river current moves above the rocks in its way.

(The words of the poem mentioned are by Mary Baker Eddy.)

Everyone is special

My family has a tradition of celebrating Special Days. It started with my husband and I because we like to buy each other little gifts. We also don’t like the silly focus on how old someone is that comes along with birthdays. So we celebrate Special Days several times a year. It’s a surprise because your Special Day falls on whichever day the family has decided to honor how special you are.

I love how it reminds me to show my appreciation for my family members frequently. And isn’t that the best part about birthdays — to honor someone’s unique, God-given identity?

I don’t think God knows about our age or personality or what color hair we have. I think God has a completely different view because God isn’t like man, God is a Spirit. The one and only Spirit. Infinite Life. Everlasting Love.

It’s nice to know that there is One out there who is seeing us as we really are — spiritual, unique, and free; Her adoring image & likeness; The reflection, the mirrored image, of the Perfect One.

I hope to see everyone around me the way God sees us today: made of beautiful, shining qualities radiating & shining out to warm & bless everything around you.

Clarity heals depression

Several years ago, I felt depressed and alone. I didn’t want my boyfriend at the time to leave my side (which of course added strain to the relationship). But one night when he had other plans, I was left alone wallowing in this deep depression.

I sat in bed crying and crying. I couldn’t go to sleep or do anything else, it seemed. I reached out in prayer (I had just been learning how to pray, although this was going to be a simple and desperate prayer).

“God, help me”.

The next moment I heard these words “you don’t have to be tempted by this.”

Well, in that instant, a light went on in consciousness. I was completely healed. I rolled over and went to sleep.

What I learned in that moment was this: thoughts of negativity (sadness, hatred, depression, etc) are unsolicited thoughts. They exist outside of us and are never within us. We can defeat them by simply recognizing who we are as the spiritual, beloved children of God.

Even though these negative thoughts seem to be prevalent, they have no actual power or life because they don’t originate in God, good (the only, true power). Through God’s help you can defeat them, like I was able to do in that moment of clarity.

Do you have an experience of spiritual, mental clarity that is meaningful to you that you’d like to share?