Shining Spirit

Do you have trouble making up your mind? Do I do this, or that? Yes? No? Buy the widget? Don’t buy the widget? Meet my friend, the tree, who can’t make up his mind. Should I grow up? Out? Around? And the answer was “Yes!” You can see the result: a strange looking tree that, in its indecision, is a work of art. Maybe he just dares to be different. Maybe he’s a rebel among trees and just wants to show off. Or, maybe there wasn’t chaos in his formation, but creativity. And maybe it was for you to see and admire, and others like you who pass by. Once in awhile, Creation puts the blueprint down and slips in a tree like this one, just for the fun of it, just for you to take notice and smile.

Of course, you’ll never see it if you’re rushing through your day. These prizes, and there are many, are reserved for those who walk slowly, look gratefully, and say “Thank You” to the Design Artist. What a wonderful example of the laughter of God.

My agreement with myself concerning photography is this: If I can get one or two good shots out of fifty taken, then it has been a good day. Thank heavens for digital photography. The rule wouldn’t work with the old print process. And, a good picture is one that is, among other things, sharp, crisp in detail. Unless your intention is to produce a blurry picture, then blurry is not welcome.

And then along comes a photo like the one above. When I first saw it, I thought trash bin. Not very good. Then I looked again…and again until I finally saw something special in the soft blending, which is to say, in the blurry. The flowers, the lovely hummingbird in motion, the color and texture of the wall; I like it. It’s a keeper.

Moral of the story: Not everything has to be perfect. You would think that by his time in my life, (yours, too?) I would have figured that out. How about you? I think about that man named Jesus and how he took people where they were, accepted, welcomed, didn’t demand perfection before he would associate with them. He seemed to care for everyone, and, even better, Jesus said this same welcoming love for everyone is the very nature of God. A divided, hostile, imperfect 21st Century needs to hear the message everyday.

Maybe today, “blurry” will happen in your comings and goings. Maybe you will encounter someone who is different from your own personal standards. Two suggestions: First, go slowly and thoughtfully before you write them off, second: look for the good, not just the “bad”, and third: look in the mirror. I know, that’s three. Life’s a little blurry, isn’t it.

With Christ in you, through you, and with you, press on.

So, I called the office and said: “I’d like to report someone(s) in my reserved parking space.” They said: Can you describe the car, please? I replied: “It’s not a car. It’s two furry things that look like pigs on stilts.” There was a long pause. “And both have hair standing up on their backs, and they’re looking at me,” I added. “They look hungry.”

That was an experience yesterday morning. In truth, they didn’t hurt anything. They just wandered in through an open gate and after sniffing some purple flowers nearby, they trotted back through the gate and on to their next visit. Sometimes neighbors act in strange ways…unannounced visits, borrowing this or that. But I guess all neighbors have little quirks; all except you and me, of course.

Maybe if these furry neighbors stop in again, I’ll have a little refreshment for them. Jesus said be kind and generous toward all people because everyone is our neighbor. Furry ones, too?

From the mind and heart of the Christian mystic, Fr. Thomas Merton, a valuable thought and spiritual gift:

“Finding Myself In Christ”
There is no failure for those who are loved and sought by Christ. He loves you, even though you may feel that you have lost your religious energy and that your faith does not have its old drive. To feel oneself a great and vital Christian is a luxury that we have to do without today when God is so hidden and so unknown in His world…Perhaps he wills to be hidden even in our lives. We must be content to be united with Jesus in his passion and darkness, for it is thus that we cooperate with Him (God) in helping others.”

In those times when God is silent, when there is no word, unite your mind and your strength with Jesus. Be the Living One in your world and two things will happen: You will be helping others, as Jesus did, and you will have placed yourself in the perfect position to hear the message of God when it comes.

The Art of Thomas Merton, John Moses, 2017, Franciscan Press, p141

Do you think there is anything beautiful about a pile of rocks? Maybe not at first glance, but spend some time with it, meditative time, and see if reaches out to your imagination, to your Spirit, to your memory. There’s a story somewhere within these rocks. Take your time.

Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your Heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of more value than they?

That’s an eternal question, isn’t it? I don’t usually give that question much thought because I’m too busy trying to make myself valuable. I work hard, obey traffic signs, say my prayers most of the time, and pick up after Fido when I take him for a walk. I was told as a child that the more I do, correctly, of course, the more my worth and value as a person grows. But then I see this bird and I read Matthew 6 and I think to myself: “Now, wait a minute. This bird is valued by God just because he is a bird. His very existence is his value.” And here I am trying to earn God’s favor, trying to become a good person by working hard at it, trying to shape myself and my value by being a good boy. But my value, my worth, is already established. Move over, bird.

I have nothing to prove; the verdict’s in. You and I are of inestimable value in creation. The real issue is not “am I of value to life?” but “what do I do with the value inherent in my being?” Answer: I give it away. The way I live my life is not about me and my value; it’s about God and God’s grace. Bottom line: the reason I live is not to hit a mark on the value scale. My existence is my value and that value is enhanced by giving myself away. Here’s the beautiful irony: “He (Christ) must increase, but I must decrease.” The Gospel writer is on target. When Christ increases because I give myself away as His disciple, on his behalf, then I am living out of the great value I already possess.

Excuse me, bird. Do you understand any of this? Bird says: Don’t worry about it. Just do it. Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God. Bird says: flap your arms, human. You can fly! Smart bird.

The more calm and serene the water, the more beautiful the reflection.

Agitated water produces waves and 
ripples, which then display a
distorted image of the
original, the perfect.

"Be still and know that I am God" 
says Holy Wisdom.  Be at 
peace.  Hush.  Allow
calm to control.

Offer quiet a place in your life.
Make space for stillness.
Reflection requires
relinquishing.

The more calm and serene the water, 
the more beautiful the reflection.

What a stunning reflection you can be!
The Reflection awaits the calm.

This evening, after this busy day, before you go to sleep, come sit on this bench with me. For just a little while, as the day surrenders to dusk. First, we listen to the special sounds of nature all around us. The silence is the loudest, isn’t it. Silence briefly interrupted by ducks in the distance calling out to each other. And the bull frogs adding bass to the symphony. We listen to the language of soul.

And we see, just before us, the marsh of reeds and still water, and then the glassy smooth surface where the ducks swim, and in the distance the water rippling from the wind’s insistence. And we can’t leave out the slightly rosy sky. That’s the sun’s last “good night.” What sights that become one, unified moment, and that’s because seeing with the soul looks for harmony rather than discord. Eyes of the heart, someone said. I wish we could frame it. Maybe not, because then it might become a dusty frame, forgotten on a rarely seen wall. Better to smell the earth and the water, learn the language of natural wonder, and see from your soul. Better.

Nice bench, isn’t it.

I put my granddaughter on a plane the other day in Tucson for her trip home to Oregon, and as we walked through the terminal toward the gate, we passed this display. We both hoped that these folks would be on a different flight. Although, you never know. They may be the nicest Javalina, Jackrabbit and Rat around. We made an assumption and we all know that quick assumptions can be very wrong.

My guess is that sometime today you and I are going to make decisions based on facts or on feelings or on ill-founded assumptions. There’s enough bad information floating through the air these days…political season, you know…so let’s don’t add to it. As the Book says: let your yes be yes and your no be no. Speak truth. Avoid assumptions. And everything you do, do it in love for the benefit of the other person (or Jackrabbit) and to honor Christ. Press on.

A universal prayer for this unique day
     
     Hear me!
     Help me
     Heal me
     Hold me
     
      Amen

Most of us will pray this sometime today.