Tag: jesus

Water into wine…

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

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.

A prayer…humble and heartfelt

Published on by lindseybiggs4 Comments

 

God always speaks to us in a way we understand.
You may hear Him differently than I do.
This is one way that I heard him.
I’m so grateful.

God: Oh dear one, don’t worry. I see you. I see your real identity and it will so shine out and sparkle for everyone to see. The Christ is here helping you navigate through the clouds of darkness that seem to surround you.

Me: The many mistakes I have made; so many temptations – none of them resulting in anything lasting or satisfying.

God: But don’t worry you are now living the life I want you to lead. So much evidence of who you really are surrounds you.

Me: I’m so grateful I resisted; I’m grateful I pulled through. Thank you…thank you for healing me. For enabling me to see who I really am; to see my God-given dominion and authority over the darkness.

God: You’re so welcome. You couldn’t express or do anything different. You can only be what I made you to be. You are loved, so loved. Don’t worry about past mistakes. I forgive you. You are wiped clean. I have washed you clean.

Me: When I see others who didn’t have to go down that broken, stupid path, I feel left out. I am jealous. Why couldn’t I resist the darkness and they so naturally and effortlessly could?

God: My dear one, everyone goes through struggles. Some of them you don’t see. While your struggles were visible and hard to hide, others have internal struggles. They may seem to be fine from the outside, but inside they have to overcome material limitations just as you did. You all have to follow in the path of Christ and overcome hardship. No one has it easy or gets a “free-ride”. Not to worry.

Me: Ok. So even though our struggles and temptations may look different from the outside, they are still the beliefs of materiality – the cross or the world – that we have to overcome. They aren’t personal. They don’t belong to any of us. We get to see through them all.

God: Yes, dear one. They aren’t part of anyone’s identity. You all are band together with the bonds of unity, harmony, spirit, love – made in the likeness of me. You can’t be separated from anyone. You can’t be torn apart from one another. I love you. I love all. I made all. You exist in my universe that I created.

Facing your fears…like the Hobbits did

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

Recently my husband and I watched “The Hobbit” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

The “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, in particular, is quite intense with epic battle scenes and constant toil for the characters. I often find myself echoing the Hobbit’s sentiment of being a peaceful people who don’t like adventures. Even watching these movies can be quite exhausting!

As one might already know, watching the extended version of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy is quite an endeavor in and of itself. So I figured I should get the most out of it. Well, I did because I had a spiritual breakthrough!

We might want to run away from the challenges that confront us, like Bilbo & Frodo Baggins wanted to. However, we have the “sword of Truth”, the “armor of goodness” that we can wield to overcome the deception of evil.

For instance, was the ring that Frodo was carrying actually physically heavier as he was climbing up the mountain of Mordor to throw it into the fire? I don’t think so. The ring weighed the same as it always had. However, the resistance to good and the temptation of evil is what seemed to be heavier in Frodo’s thought and he had to summon the courage and will to overcome it.

What if Jesus simply wanted to have a peaceful life and avoid conflict? We wouldn’t have his supreme example of overcoming every obstacle of evil and demonstrating the victory of good, divine Love and spiritual Life. Jesus’ example proves what is possible, and his life-work has been inspiring to me many times.

So, though I may echo the sentiment of the Hobbits, I can feel the dominion of their victory by the end of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. The young Hobbits return home with an understanding of what it takes to overcome evil (love, unity, strength, etc). Conquering their fears, instead of hiding from them, has made Middle-earth a better place for all of its inhabitants.