“You are not a human being in search of a spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being immersed in a human experience.” – Teilhard de Chardin
Take a moment and really think about what it means to be a spiritual being having a human experience.
Doesn’t that make you think about life differently?
Doesn’t that make you wonder if you’re living the way you’re meant to live?
Doesn’t that have the potential to change everything?
And it begs the question–if, in fact, we are spiritual beings what are we doing to care for our spirit?
What are you doing to care for your spirit? Click To Tweet
For most of my life I was a do-er with a capital “D.” I prided myself on how much I could accomplish. I loved having a “to do” list and I loved, loved, loved checking things off my list. I was the queen of multi-tasking. And I thought this was exactly the way life was meant to be lived.
Having children changed everything for me. All of a sudden I could no longer make out my “to do” list and be sure to check everything off by the end of the day. The precious beings that had taken over my life didn’t appear to have a clue about how important mommy’s list was to her sense of self-worth.
My “to do” would have to wait.
They constantly interrupted me with their petty requests for food, shelter and clothing. They demanded love and attention as well as clean diapers, kisses for boo-boos and a daily dose of hugs, giggles and pure fun. It took me years before I surrendered and decided my “to do” would simply have to wait.
It was these same adorable children who brought me face to face with my fears. The thought of anything bad happening to them was overwhelming. And as the chaos of the world swirled around me I knew I had to find a place that felt safe.
So I began to pursue my spirituality more fully. Praying was something I had done since I was a child, so I started talking with God more frequently. I had a lot to say and a lot of requests to make. But I rarely had time to stop and listen.
As I continued on my journey, the idea of meditating kept showing up. I understood that ideally I was supposed to meditate twice a day for 20 minutes at a time.
Two things came to mind:
How on earth will I ever find time?
BOR-ING!!!!
As a life-longer “do-er” I just could not imagine what good could possibly come from sitting still for 20 minutes and trying not to think about anything.
But curiosity got the better of me so each morning after the kids left for school and I had my breakfast, I ascended to the third floor of my home and camped out on the overstuffed chair where I used to read to my children. Technically you’re supposed to sit up straight with your feet on the floor–but I’m a bit of a rebel so I do it my way.
Listening, rather than talking, has changed my life.
Does it surprise you to hear that now I can’t imagine beginning my day without meditating?
Does it surprise you to hear that listening to God rather than always talking to him has changed my life?
Does it surprise you to hear that slowing down, becoming a “be-er” as well as a “do-er,” and taking care of my soul has transformed me in ways that I never could have imagined?
Become a be-er as well as a do-er.
Dr. Bud Harris says this, “The results of this kind of work are not immediate and spectacular. Nor can they be idealized as easily as self-actualization. The results show up as we reflect on our lives and, over time, we realize our life has slowly become miraculous. Do we dare to live this way? Do we dare to live a life whose arc will follow a pattern determined by the Self, not by our culture, our egos, or our fear?”
Some mystics taught that the human soul comes from God and that the last thing that God does before putting a soul into the body is to kiss the soul. If you haven’t felt that kiss in a long time I want that for you.
Feel God’s kiss on your soul.
We are spiritual beings having a human experience. And to be most fully alive we absolutely must nurture our soul.
We must re-discover our true self. We must rest in God.
Contemplation is this resting in God. Get there by any means you can–prayer, meditation, spiritual reading, journaling, time spent in nature, art, music, dance, whatever. But get there!
Women of AWE who light the dark and heal the world must ignite the flame within so that we can share with those whose light has dimmed or been extinguished altogether.
Women of AWE must align with our Source so that we can receive the guidance to know our path and the courage to follow it.
Now here’s a question for you…If God wrote your “to-do” list what would it say?
If God wrote your “to-do” list what would it say? Click To Tweet
Share your answers with me on Facebook and I’ll see you back here soon.
Sending soul kisses your way,
Lis
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