Shining Spirit

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.

I said “Smile, please, while I take your picture.” This is what I got. Can’t blame her, I guess. The house is much to small for a growing family, the kids are not tidy, and I caught them in the midst of a trying day. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen an Owl smile, so I took the picture anyway.

Smiling on cue can be hard, but there are some things that seem to bring out a smile immediately….like: good company at a good meal, refunds on my income tax, when the scale says I lost two pounds, walking through a garden with my camera, putting words together in a poem, knowing love and giving it away. What makes you smile? Make a short list and then smile at it.

I apologized to Mama Owl after taking her picture with the kids. Didn’t seem to help much. But sometimes you just have to smile your way through the tough times. Try a smile or two today…if for no other reason than you have been given the gift of another day and you are accompanied by the Presence of Joy. Reason to smile!