Shining Spirit

A Manzanita illustration of the famous poem, “Footprints In The Sand.”
Walking with God through life, the poet sounds an accusing tone: You walked with me, God, in all the good times, but in the tough times you abandoned me. I know that because there is only one set of footprints instead of two. In reply, the Lord corrects this mistaken observation.
No, I didn’t leave you alone. When you see one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.

Ever notice one set of footprints when you look back over your life? Probably. Welcome to the human race. The Spirit works in us and through us, even when we don’t know it’s happening. What love that is! Be grateful for the unfailing strength and love that sustains us through all circumstances.

St. Paul was correct: ”Love never gives us, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

No words needed. 
Just look at it.
Taken at 2:45 a.m.
At 2:55 a.m. it was gone.
A morning blessing.

This is not the usual ShiningSpirit posting, but I think it is important for me to collect some information regarding readership for this site. I wrote the first entry about ten years ago, and I’ve tried to be diligent in keeping the site active and meaningful. Over the years, many of you have offered lots of encouragement and constructive comments. But it is time now for me to do some evaluation, and I’m hoping you will help. I am asking you to spend just a few minutes considering three specific questions. If you agree to do this, you can text or email or comment through the site or drop in at our Oregon address and share your responses. Participate or not, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season this year. 

1. I read ShiningSpirit: Every day___  Once or twice a week ___  Rarely____
2. I am registered as a “Follower” (you receive a separate email every time a posting it done).      Yes___  No___
3. I would like ShiningSpirit to continue in 2024.  Yes___  No___

You are welcome to make narrative comments but I will leave that to you. Thank you very much for reading the postings. Your help in evaluating the site is very important and truly appreciated.

Roger

I got an example yesterday of how human beings have contributed to the evolution and development of this good creation. There are three seagulls in the photo. One is on the left side, just above the beach. Another is in the foreground, probably watching the other two glide through the air. And the third bird, in the upper right corner, appears to be flying by. But let me explain exactly what is happening in this photograph. You are looking at the fundamental flight procedures at any sizable airport. Bird number 1, on the far left, is coming in for a landing. He has his wings extended to full shape; we call it having the airplane’s flaps in landing position…more air under the wing. The bird’s landing gear is down…legs and web feet…and he appears to be looking straight ahead at the landing zone on the beach. Airport runways have landing zones where the aircraft should touch down. Bird number 2, foreground, is holding at the end of the runway until number1 touches down and turns off the runway. At major airports, Ground Control moves planes into position for takeoff and guides landing planes to various gates. That leaves number 3, who is not just flying by, but is on his downwind leg in the landing pattern and is about to make a left turn into his final approach for landing. There is a lot of orchestration, maybe choreography, in the daily routines of big city airports.  Amazing to watch, the dance of take-offs and landings is a tribute to human intelligence and skill. But here’s the point: I am really impressed with seagulls and other birds that have learned from human intelligence. Those birds are smart to have mimicked how we intellectually superior humans do things. Clever birds.

Pay attention. Watch what’s about to happen. The well-dressed man in the front row clears his throat loudly. An attention getter. A hush falls over the crowd as Mr. Prominent rises to pose a question to the guest teacher. Here’s what he asks: ”Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He didn’t ask “what MUST I do…” or “what must I DO…” He said: “WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?” (All CAPS means he said it in a very LOUD voice.) The “I” in the question sounded like this: ”What must I do…” Upper case “I” in a large, bold font. And all the audience whispered among themselves: Why, he is a religious leader, a man set apart for Yahweh. Jesus will probably run to him and give him a big welcome hug. Jesus didn’t. In response, the teacher listed a few important life responsibilities, like, don’t murder somebody; don’t steal; be good to your parents. Everybody nodded. Once again, Mr. Front Row cleared his throat to alert everyone that he was about to say something significant. And again, not in a soft reply, he announced for all to hear: I HAVE DONE ALL THOSE THINGS SINCE I WAS A CHILD. Yea! He’ll be at the front of the line for the bus to eternal life. And then Jesus dropped the bomb. In a rather matter-of-fact voice, the teacher told him, sell all your possessions, give the money to the poor, then come and live with me. Wham-O! In fact, it was a double Wham-O. Jesus punctured his pride and hit him in his weak spot….possessions. Money. Riches. The stuff the man prized most. Stuff, indeed. This story is told in Luke 18 and makes this point: in the time of Jesus, rich people, particularly wealthy religious leaders, were generally thought to be less than honest, not very charitable, sometimes downright crooked. Two observations: if you were then, or if you are now, among the less than rich…among the struggling or the poor…rich people still stand in question. ”Why does he have so much when I have so little? How did he get it, anyway?” Second, you and I are rich. Don’t giggle. You and I are among the wealthy of the world. Surely that is obvious. So, don’t be too quick to dismiss the story as old, out of date or irrelevant. It would be a gut punch if Jesus said that to any of us. This is not about surrendering position or power or prestige. This is about accepting an alternative manner of life that is directed by a different set of principles. What is the ultimate commitment or allegiance in my life? What do I value most? What gives me the greatest, the deepest joy?  What or who could I never walk away from? You’ve just named your “god.” The Teacher never said his way was easy. It’s not. But it is authentic. Authentic.

Come on. Let’s go for a walk. Mind that big fallen tree on the left. This is one of my favorite pathways and I thought you might like it, too. That wonderful sound you hear is the song of a very happy stream, also on our left. It twists and turns, all the while pushing its way to the ocean. There aren’t many flowers along the way, but the trees are dense and tall, like a rain forest because there is a dampness that makes everything glisten. I love the sound of gravel crunching as we walk past more fallen giants, past rock formations that look just like art exhibits in a classy gallery. If we stop for a moment and stand very still, we can hear the ocean surf hitting the rocky beach behind us, the cracking of twigs off to our right. Don’t worry…no bears; maybe a moose or one of the hundreds of deer that live in these woods. As we keep moving, the path will twist and turn following the stream and we will see exhibit after exhibit of Creation’s glory. Want to sit for a few minutes and listen to the heartbeat of the universe? How about right here? Make yourself comfortable. This is a moment you will remember for a long time.

Where do you go when you need refreshment? To the beach for a walk, to the mountains, to your familiar route through the neighborhood, that special trail or pathway, to a gathering of good friends, to a quiet spot with a good book to read, to the company of a person special in your life, to prayer or meditation? Long list, and you could add more. Think about your “refreshment place.” Honor it as an essential part of your life, and visit it every time you feel overwhelmed or exhausted. Don’t run away from the confusion; run to the clarity. Believe it or not, every one of us needs soul refreshment now and then . Maybe even today. “Be still and know…” Be still and be known. And from the knowing, be a blessing.

In my eighth decade of life, I can tell you with absolute certainty that the object pictured above is a large piece of driftwood that found its new home on the Oregon beach. Does that interest you? Excite you? Make you want to run away? Consider this: If, instead of 82, I was 8 years- old, I could tell you with reasonable certainty that the object pictured above is a giant beach monster…a sand-eating, people-chasing, bow-legged monster. And I would advise you to get out of its way.

Something happens between 8 and 82. We grow up, yes. We mature in our thinking processes, yes. And we lose far too much of our capacities to imagine. Without doubt. “What if…” is the language of imagination. You and I will never regain the quality of our 8-year-old imaginations, but we can look around us and see what the world would be like if nations didn’t war against nations. If everyone had enough eat and a safe place to sleep. If justice and honesty drove our economic and/or political systems. What if… Change in this old world can come at the end of a sword or as the result of power, but “what if” we imagined our way into justice. That is soul work, spirit work, and it takes courage to move into this child-like, sacred way of relating to reality. Imagining has to be turned into acting, to doing. But it takes folks like you to strike the match. What if you imagined 5 new things before dinner tonight, five new things that would make the world right around you a better, safer, smarter place. You can’t change the world with one “what if…” but maybe you could begin to influence change in your little patch of life.

So, say after me…”What if….” You take it from there.

Aren’t skies beautiful? Well, most of the time. But even in storms, lightening flashes and ominous clouds can be breathtaking. I drive along the coastal beach road each morning to say hello to the great ocean and the surf rolling in. Sometimes it’s difficult to see the magnificent scene because of invading fog or heavy mist, but I can hear it. I know it’s there. And the song it sings is a glad “good morning” in return. On this particular day, I watched the light give way to evening, and it wasn’t the sand or the surf that caused the gasp. Sky again!

I hope you stop for a moment today and look up. No matter where you are, there is sky above you and it holds something your soul needs…something beautiful, something intriguing, something special you will miss if you don’t look up. And while you’re looking, say “thank you.” Gratitude is a nice response to Grace. Be blessed today. Be a blessing.

I had the world to myself today along narrow streets bathed in cold December rain, walking as royalty over thick carpets of fading yellow leaves, accompanied by insistent winds singing through mist covered pines. I had the world to myself today and I found few words with which to express the rush of gratitude I felt in my heart, for the gifts of the earth and being a part of this sacred moment, divine revealing to this broken earth so in need of healing.

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Thank you to Vivian Greene. Dance on.