Ordinary Days

Well, the Holidays are over and now all of us can step back and take a breath again. Now what?

I have found myself reflecting on “Emmanuel God with us...” and what that means if we truly believe it. What if every child born was treated as God is with us? What if we actually believed that we were born as God with us? What if we believed that every person on the planet is God with us? Can we say to ourselves, “I am God with us” and act accordingly? Can we recognize the God with us in everyone, even the people we don’t agree with? Can we find God with us in those whose beliefs, actions, words, looks, and behaviors don’t match our own?

We all have work to do when it comes to believing that God is in us and in all that we do. Letting go of hurt, being lost, anger, the dark part of us, and choosing to allow ourselves to see the Light, to find joy, love, compassion, life, and God (No matter what name you may use for the Divine), is an ongoing work. What we need to learn is that all of these are choices.

Steven Charleston says…

“You cast a longer shadow than you may imagine, for you have stood taller than you know. You have stood up for what is right so many times you may not even remember. The choice to be honest, to speak out, to show you care, to say a kind word: it all happens in a matter of seconds. It is the turning point of faith, the instant of healing. You may not recall how often you have let yourself be that channel of grace, but each time you do, you lift hope high for all to see. The leaders of any faith are not crowned from above, but grown from below, inch by inch, choice by choice, one act of love at a time.” 

In the work we do to grow ourselves, we have many unnoticed successes. When the darkness comes, call on those successes. I am talking not just about your successes, but those you see in others, those you are hoping for, and allow the grace of those moments to comfort you as you journey through the darkness. Remember, you only know the darkness because you have experienced the light.

Blessings as we continue our journey together toward being a more Faith filled and Faith driven people. – Chris L.