Shining Spirit

Six pieces of advice, one for each day of this week. This is day two, according to my calculation. Sunday is the first day of the week, but let’s don’t quibble about that. Quibble; where did that word come from? Have you ever quibbled in your life? Never mind; I digress. Ponder these life principles day by day. You’ll be better off for the effort.

The fundamental, basic, common life principle that is universal among all living beings:
Treat all living things the way you want to be treated. Captured in that piece of advice is the key to peace, to joy, to meaning.

Second: “To thine own self be true…” You can fool a lot of people a lot of the time. But, friend, you can’t fool yourself. You know, don’t you. Deny it; gloss it over; pretend it isn’t the way it is, but…

Third: Walk in the other guy’s shoes for a while. A soul without empathy is empty. And it’s not enough to just “know” about someone else’s situation; you have to feel it to understand it.

Fourth: Never trust a smiling dog. In the first place, dogs can’t smile. What you want to identify as a smile is really a snarl. If you can’t tell the difference, you’re in for some big trouble. Be discerning.

Fifth: If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably…. Pretending is a losing position. May as well face up to reality; name it for what it is. Evil likes to dress up in pretty clothes; likes to fool the foolish. Don’t be “taken to the cleaners” by those who are intent on shrinking the world to their size.

Six: Common sense, scientific inquiry, voices of history, these and more conclude that there is something to the notion that life is the creative expression of a moral hope. Whether you believe that or not is irrelevant. My disbelieve does not make it false. The advice? Act today on the proposition that the common good is much more important than efficiency, control, personal gain or lasting fame. Those things don’t have much staying power. You’ve heard the old saying: Put your mind to it… How about today putting your heart to it.

I can’t stop…just one more. I think it was the old baseball player, Satchel Paige, who said: “Aging is just mind over matter; if you don’t mind, it don’t matter.” And “don’t look back; something might be gaining on you.” Figure those two out and you’ll have a better day. Press on.

I had a visitor late yesterday afternoon. Unannounced, but certainly welcome. He stopped by to take a nap on a short stucco wall in our back yard. When he sensed that a meal was about to hop by, he slid silently down into the tall grass and waited. Unfortunately for him, it must have been a dream. Rabbit survived to hop another day.

Sometimes beauty strolls into our lives and reminds us that we are surrounded by a beautiful creation, and that we are part of the divine design. Lord God, for all the beauty we see and all the beauty that moves quietly though our lives, we are truly thankful. May we be so alert to life this day that we will see with our hearts, not just our eyes, and having seen, bow before your grace and generosity.

Live each moment of this good day. There will never be another one just like it. To God who creates, engages, and sustains we offer our prayer of thanksgiving. Amen.

Mary Ann Evans was not a particularly attractive child when she was born in 1819 in England. As she grew older, people thought she would have few chances at marriage; poor child, they said. But Mary Ann’s father saw beyond exterior features, recognized her intellectual potential and made books and learning available for his daughter. It paid off. You will recognize Mary Ann’s pen name, George Eliot, and remember that many of her novels rank with the very best: Silas Marner, Middlemarch, The Mill and the Floss, and many more. Thanks to her father, Mary Ann got a second chance at life, and she lived her life to the fullest. And that’s the point: second chances have saved lots of lives and relationships. You know anything about second chances? For yourself or for someone else?

Eliot is quoted in several places with these words: “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” She knew what she was talking about. Here’s a reflection on that quotation…if the shoe fits…

Second Chances

If I could only go back in time!
The changes I would make to the rhythm and rhyme
of life as it has turned out to be.
I would be, I’m sure, a different me.

I missed my chance a long time ago.
I settled for less than I feel or know.
And I’ve paid the price ever since then;
but it’s too late now to begin again.

Unless, of course, I can summon the will
to make some changes and see if still
I have the courage to redo the past,
to become what I’ve always dreamed…at last!

I seek not the headlines, fortune or fame.
I just want to be what my heart still claims.
In my soul, I know that I can be
a brand new version of the usual me.

Dare I try? Shall I see if there’s a life out there
for a new, improved me?

Blessing to you in this good day. May one of those blessings be a second chance.

“I will love the light because it will show me the way,
yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me
the stars.” Og Mandino

I love the light that floods my day,
roads that beckon, children at play,
hummingbirds dancing in a clear, blue sky;
two lovers embracing as the world passes by.
The day is bight, alive and bold;
it illumines the depths of a grateful soul.

But I love the night as much as the day,
even though I often hear people say
that darkness is frightening; they fear the night.
At least in the day there is vision and sight.
But don’t overlook the gift night brings:
Only then can we hear the angels sing.

As much as I love the light of day,
only at night am I able to say:
“My Lord! My God! Just look at that sky!”
and I feel the tears well up in my eyes.
Millions of stars shine so bright,
and we see them only in the darkness of night.

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” Jimmy Dean

Years ago, when I first tried to learn how to operate a sail boat, one of the first lessons had to do with setting the sail just right to catch the prevailing wind. Sail and wind have to work together or you may as well stay tied up at the dock. It soon became apparent that the flexible part of the equation was the sail. I could not make the wind go where I wanted it to go, but I could shift and move the sail. Wind has a mind of its own. Oftentimes, life circumstances are like the wind…unchangeable, disagreeable, and strong-willed. More than once I’ve been in situations where the circumstances could not be altered, so it was up to me to make the adjustment.

Anyone who is so stubborn as to think that change is all up to the other person, adaptation must come from the “other side,” will soon run headlong into fundamental reality: if you’re not willing to shift your sail to catch the wind of movement, you’re dead in the water. Pity the lonely sailor sitting in the middle of the ocean, unwilling to shift the sails, demanding that the wind meet his navigational requirements. The wind blows where it will…and that is not always right into my sail.

Adaptability doesn’t mean changing your principle, just your practice. Ask the Apostle Paul and he will tell you: “I am all things to all people so that I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22) The Gospel of Christ did not change, but Paul’s approaches to people did…gladly, in order to arrive at his “destination.” So be ready, and willing, to shift your sails in order to catch the Wind. The Sacred Wind of the Spirit will get you there, but you have to steer the boat.”

Bon Voyage! (Press on!)

Consider this old Swedish proverb: “When a blind man carries a lame man, both go forward.” That would be a startling sight, wouldn’t it. Take a moment right now and create that picture in your mind. The eyes of the lame man and the legs of the blind man get them where they want to go. Alternative? They both stay home. They both resign to their physical “problems.” They both curse the reality of their lives. But put them together and life works…not perfectly, but it works.

Short step, isn’t it, to the broader meaning. How can two different beliefs or views or understandings come together to benefit the greater good? There is no more pertinent question today than that. Without surrendering, can we survive? Can we move forward without demanding “my way?” We do not live in an “either-or” world. If the principle that “everything is connected,” “the pieces depend on each other to make the whole” is true, then to insist that “my way is the right and only way” is beyond foolishness. That position is fatal to relationships at all levels.

There is only one way to pray, and it is the way I do it. There is only one correct way to celebrate Holy Communion, and it’s my way. There is only one understanding of that Scripture passage, and I possess that knowledge…you don’t. There is a right way and a wrong way to make a chocolate pie, and I know the right way. I find it amazing that “I” knows everything and is always right.

They say that climate change and AI will eventually do us in, but greed may beat them to the punch. The way to make “either-or” work is to build walls, stockpile weapons and highlight weakness. The way to make “both-and” work is to drop the greed and pick up the Grace. I’m not always right and you’re not always right, but if we put our hearts, our hands, and our minds together, we might find a solution we both can live with. I don’t like the alternative. It’s not very comforting to know that the best we can do is call names and argue.

Finally, it’s not simply a matter of survival in this highly technical, algorithmic world. It has more to do with who I am as a human person, and who you are. The conversation is not about winning or losing; it is about the meaning of living. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if world leaders could have that conversation? Or next-door neighbors? The fullness of life. Do unto others… Wouldn’t it be amazing if the blind man picked up the lame man and they moved forward together? Am I “my brother’s keeper” or my brother’s curse?

I offer you this Sydney Smith quotation for your reflection and consideration. “It is the greatest of mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little.” Where in your life would just a little help, a little response, a little effort make a difference? Doing a little may not solve the problem or make a significant difference, but it will be a contribution toward the solution, toward wholeness. Sometimes, when we don’t do anything because our contribution is small, we contribute to defeat. Who knows? Maybe my little effort, my small gift might be the final element needed to solve the issue. Maybe the problem is just waiting for one more small piece of the puzzle in order to be solved.

Don’t underestimate the value of your little response. The gifts we have are meant to be shared with the world…not because they are powerful or persuasive. Every little effort counts. And even if my little effort is minimal in the overall process, it is my gratitude gift to the One who shaped and formed me. No gift is too small. No effort too weak.

I am an underliner, a highlighter, and a marginal note maker. I rarely open a book without a pen in my hand or one of those yellow highlighters. And this is always the case when I read anything written by Mark Nepo. His words beg to be underlined.

In his book “The Fifth Season: Creativity In The Second Half of Life” the markings are obvious and many. I thought I might share a few with you this morning. Let’s focus on the short chapter titled “Living A Creative Life.” Here are some underlines: “more than what we create, we are created and shaped by how much we give of ourselves to what we are called to.” Or, “I encourage you to follow your curiosity, to give yourself to whatever detail calls you.” Picture yourself holding hands with curiosity as you walk through your day. Or, “This is the lasting purpose of art in all its forms: to reveal our interconnectedness and to help us live.” Last one: “The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.” I really like that last one. You might want to underline it and spend a little time with it. Creativity’s reward is not in obtaining something, but becoming something. And I think it is a short step to the spiritual application. In growing and developing my personal spirituality, I am not trying to gain degrees or offices or positions. Our intent is to become, which is a process and not a program to accomplish. Following Christ’s Way is a life changing, life producing process. The joy is in the becoming.

I hope today will be filled with opportunities for you to “become” more and more the person you are as you practice kindness, generosity and gratitude. Press on.

I can see light peeking into my room. It reveals itself in a thin line at the bottom of the long, slatted blinds that cover the patio window. It’s faint, but it’s there. And it grows bolder by the minute. Perhaps I will sit here and watch it capture the room, or maybe I will give it time to gather momentum and then throw the blinds open as a gesture of welcome. Even now the light line has moved farther into the darkness of the room. It is so encouraging to know that light exists and that it has the power to overcome darkness.

Encouraging, yes, because in times of deep darkness, light becomes my only hope. All else seems to succumb to shadows and darkness. Human creations crumble around the edges until they fall, but light keeps sneaking in under the long, slatted blinds until it fills the room with clarity and hope. Two things must be put on paper this morning and sent off to you: the first is my “random” encounter with a little book that has been hidden by bigger ones on the bookcase shelf. It is called “Little Pieces of Light…Darkness and Personal Growth.” The author is Joyce Rupp. And while putting another book back onto the shelf this morning, this little volume was happily revealed. It tumbled from the shelf onto the floor as if to say “read me!” It’s only seventy pages long…it is a little piece of light. I will spend some grateful moments in the last chapter, titled “The Morning Will Come.” By the way, the light line under the blinds is getting bigger and bigger.

The second thing that I must say is not my thought, only my hope. The words of one verse of Psalm 18: “You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.” You see, I believe that “the Lord, my God” made light in the first place, put flesh around the light and sent it walking through Galilee, spread it across the universe as a spiritual presence, and sent a little piece of it to slide under the slatted blinds into my room and into my darkness. The Morning Will Come! And it has! The line of light is growing larger and brighter moment by moment.

“I am the Light of the world.” “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear…” “Walk in the Light…” “Live as people of light…” “Put your trust in the Light…”
Darkness won’t win. The morning will come. It’s time to open the blinds and stand in the Light. Join me, there’s enough for us both.

Years ago, while stationed at the U.S. Naval Academy, I lived very near the Severn River, a 14-mile-long tidal estuary that wanders past Annapolis, Maryland. A water-level, two-laned bridge crossed the Severn about a mile away…a rather routine little bridge that boasted no scary heights or turns. But for one friend, crossing that bridge, or any bridge, for that matter, was a traumatic event. It was so difficult for her that she called friends to drive her car across while she rode as a passenger. Even the thought of bridges in San Diego, San Francisco or New York City could cause her great anguish.

But…it’s just a bridge, someone might say. If you want to get from here to there, you have to go over it. True, but “what if…” and that’s the problem. Many of us live “what if…” lives. Bridges can bring out an attack of the “what ifs…”

New subject. I recently acquired a copy of a beautiful prayer attributed to the Dalai Lama, a gentle prayer titled “Prayer of Peace.” It begins: “May I become…” and then lists several things one might become in order to find and to be peace in the world. “May I become…a protector…a guide for the lost…a sanctuary for all in danger…” And there it is: a bridge for those with rivers to cross. And who among us has not had “rivers to cross” in our lives?

I remind us today that moving from doubt to trust, from despair to hope, from brokenness to wholeness, an old way to a new way oftentimes means that we have to cross a bridge…leave one place to arrive at a new place, an old way of thinking to a new way. Is it any wonder that Jesus described himself as The Way? Perhaps he could have said “I am the bridge that links you to life.” In another place and time, Jesus called it being “born again.” Don’t let the institutional baggage attached to those words turn you away…it just means that He is my doorway, my portal, my bridge to a full, meaningful life. He is the bridge to the fullness of life right now, only in some distant, eternal future.

The next time you cross a bridge…big one or small one…tranquil or terrifying…think of the One who connects the pieces of life and shapes them, in love, into completeness. May you have many rivers yet to cross and may your crossing remind you of the One who is at your side. The Bridge.

Press on!