Shining Spirit

Smell the rose. Pick the berries. Harvest the crop. It’s what shows that counts. Right?

Nobody ever says “thank you” to the roots. They aren’t very pretty, don’t smell particularly good, don’t make a nice arrangement on the dining room table. But nothing shows without roots. Or, to put it another way, roots define what you see.

Two observations: First, Farmer (Apostle) Paul urged his Christian friends in the city of Colossae to “walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in faith.” The him is Jesus, who, himself, was rooted in God…the visible “flower” of God in the world. Petunias don’t grow without roots. Unseen, unappreciated, absolutely essential. Christians don’t grow without being “rooted” in Christ Jesus, and rooted is more than a casual “hello.” More than an occasional friendship. More than a hymn, a hallelujah, and holding a Bible in your hand. Roots! The spiritual reality is this: the deeper you go into Christ, the more beautiful the blossom of faith and trust.

Second, another piece of this spiritual reality comes from the words of author Mark Nepo: “The light I take in keeps the roots of my soul alive.” A plant needs light, among other things, to grow and bloom. Light is essential nourishment. You and I need light to grow into the women and men we are called to be by virtue of our commitment to Christ. Roots deprived of nourishment die. Rootedness in Christ dries up and disappears if not fed.

Farmer Paul had it right. “…as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Roots matter! Aren’t they beautiful?

Do yourself a favor: investigate a book titled “The Book of Awakening” by Mark Nepo. It is simple, profound, and beautiful. Each page is a thought for the day, a thought and reflection from the poetic, spiritual heart of Nepo. Amazing.

For this day: “Much of our anxiety and inner turmoil comes from living in a global culture whose values drive us from the essence of what matters. At the heart of this is the conflict between the outer definition of success and the inner value of peace. Unfortunately, we are encouraged, even trained, to get attention when the renewing secret of life is to give attention.”

“The longer we try to get attention instead of giving it, the deeper our unhappiness. It leads us to move through the world dreaming of greatness, needing to be verified at every turn, when feelings of oneness grace us only when we verify the life around us. It makes us desperate to be loved, when we sorely need the medicine of being loving.”

This reality leaves us with these choices: “fame or peace, be a celebrity or celebrate being, work all our days to be seen or devote ourselves to seeing, build our identity on the attention we can get or find our place in the beauty of things by the attention we can give.”

I offer Nepo’s wonderful thought in the spirit of The One who taught this same approach to life centuries ago, who pointed out that this is the pathway to God and the deepest joy of life. Press on; don’t give up. Don’t give in. Just give.

The world I see through my window is dark.

I cannot see little ground animals scurry from bush to bush, nor the delicate limbs of the mesquite tree wave in the wind. Darkness covers the world that I experience at this moment. But, in my house, in the place where I sit at this moment, one lamp shines from the corner of my desk. It is not a powerful light, not spotlight or lighthouse for the world’s benefit. In my house…

And I think of the words of Jesus: You are the light of the world…you Tom and Marilyn and Paul and Patty; all of you…all of us…We are the light of the world. He tells us who we are, and then He tells us what to do. Shine. The little lamp on the corner of my desk shines, and I can see. Shine, isn’t that who we are; isn’t that what we said we would do?

Beginning today, try this: Remind yourself every morning in your waking up routine…I am light. I am meant to shine. Today I will consciously and intentionally shine. Then, as you prepare to sleep in the night, sit on the edge of your bed and ask yourself: where and how was I light today? Where and how did light shine through me today? Don’t settle for “I had a nice thought or I was courteous to the sales clerk or I waved at my neighbor.” Shine. Make a difference. Don’t be content with casual light. Enter the day with the intention to shine and then name it when you sit on the edge of your bed and reflect on the day.

If we don’t shine with courageous intention, we are imposters. If we refuse to shine because of possible consequences or because we are afraid, we perpetuate darkness.

We are the light of the world, to the world, in the world. Darkness grows stronger, but we are stronger yet…if we shine. Don’t leave it to someone else. Justice and Truth and Mercy and Self-giving Love can be hidden by darkness, and darkness thrives where there is no Light.

Be Light. Shine.

Follow your path today. Step carefully. Admire the beauty as you walk, but don’t lose sight of the miracle ahead. Walk gratefully, for others have gone before you. They blazed the trail upon which you walk; they call us forward. The gifts of God surround you. Walk in trust. Press on in faith. The blessing is in the journey.

If you were the 15th star from the left, the little white dot, or if you were so far back in the picture that you can’t be seen, or if you felt like you could never be recognized because there are so many…you would still be known and loved by God, unique and special.

That’s just how it works. Look in the mirror. There’s not another you. Maybe your critics would say: “One’s enough!” Don’t believe them. The place wouldn’t be the same without you. You’re the 15th star from the left. You are seen and known and loved. Truly.

It’s a paradox, but I think that getting older gives you special opportunities to see the world with wonder, imagination, and a unique clarity. Nothing wrong with becoming “child-like.” That’s not the same as being “child-ish.” Wasn’t it Jesus who said that becoming child-like is the best way to grasp the meaning of “the fullness of life”? So today, why don’t we do this: See instead of just looking. Hear instead of paying partial attention. Feel instead of simply touching. Think before you speak. Engage instead of merely encountering. Now, wouldn’t that make today extra special.

Speaking of extra special, would you like to hear about a book that I’m reading. Of course you would. The title is Spiritual Literacy and it was written by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. The sub-title reveals more about this important book: “Reading The Sacred In Everyday Life.” Between the covers is a collection of 650 brief excerpts from contemporary books and movies, illustrations of spirituality in everyday life. I find it to be a wonderful doorway into seeing the world with new eyes; connecting the common to the sacred. Just thought you might like to know about it.

And speaking of extra special. I know a couple who today mark 65 years of marriage. That’s a long time, but a wonder-filled time. Extra special!

May this good day be extra special for you, too. Press on.

May they rest in peace
in the arms of the grateful green earth
covered by the pure blue sky of honor
until the trumpet sounds that final time
and all the white stones begin to sing
and time stands still and we
greet them once again
heroes and friends.
Thank you!

God is not somewhere else,
not in a dream or
a distant planet,
not to be sought but
to be recognized,
not in the yet to come
but in the was and is.

God is not somewhere else
but in the flowering tree,
in the bird that sings just
outside your window,
in the smile you received
and the embrace you gave,
in all your eyes can see
and in all your heart can feel

God is not somewhere else.

In his second letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul tells his readers “…do not grow weary in doing good.” But it’s so easy to get weary and worn down by the responsibilities of being a caring, thoughtful human being. Refreshing and renewing, yes; but also tiring to both body and spirit. I was surprised to learn recently that the average human being on an average day makes an estimated 35,000 decisions…daily, everyday. 35,000! Some of those decisions are frivolous, but some could be life changing. It makes me tired just to think about it.

So, what is the source of encouragement and strength for Paul and the church members at Thessalonica? Paul’s advice that he passed on to Timothy was this: do everything from a love that “issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
These three sources of strength are essential for living in a high-powered world of rapid change and challenge: a pure heart…a good conscience…a sincere faith. I invite you to meditate on these three ingredients of strength and health and to measure the presence of each in your own life.

God, help me have the honesty to look at my own life in the light of Paul’s admonition, and if I am weak in any of these three things, help me to develop and grow into the disciple you desire me to be. This day I shall live with a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith in your generous love. Amen.

I’m adding this photograph to my collection of “Unusual Art”. It qualifies, don’t you think? And it reminds me that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” This “beautiful” old tree tells a story about life’s chaos, or about individualism, or courage, or determination. You pick the story and sit with it for a while.

I encourage you to be on the lookout today for unusual art along your journey. If your intention is to simply “get through” the day, then put your blinders on and go. But the better way is to carry a magnifying glass in your pocket so you can stop and examine the tiny yellow flower that blooms through a crack in the concrete, or the multi-colored stone by the pathway, or the strange bug on the green leaf.

Allow yourself to be awake to awe. Find something to admire wherever you are, something to appreciate…like the old tree in the photograph. The gift of a very good creation. Press on.