October 23rd - Quiet minds see more wholly?

The story...

It was a cool, fall, windy, and partly-cloudy day.  I was hiking in the woods while thinking about a few important subjects.  That wasn't what I wanted out of the hike.  I was also earning exercise-points on my Apple watch, increasing my stamina, tearing down my muscles for rebuilding, tiring my body for getting more out of my night's sleep, and maybe even arriving at a few good decisions.  Yet, I wasn't getting what I wanted out of the hike - what I want out of life.

Same beach - different day - similar blessing

I was expecting to quiet my mind so that I might take in the abundance of reality that was going on around me.  As I began to descend the dunes toward the beach, my mind let go of it's grip and the world opened up to me.  The sun, wind, clouds, chill, heat, birds, waves, and sand seemed more alive - I took it all in.  Yes, I was more fully engaged in life.  A wave of fruit seemed to pour in and through my inner man.  I seemed to be experiencing a love for God, my fellow man, and me too - restored, strengthened, rested, at peace, full of hope...

The only church in town would be a place where you could lay down your concerns and rest in the reality of who God is and who he made us to be.  It's a great thing to be walking rightly with God in Christ - a fruitful life in the midst of life's ever-changing circumstances.

Just for today...

"Let us stand aside so the light can shine on us and on all we do, so we can see ourselves and our circumstances with true clarity . . . I must find the vantage point where I can most clearly see my difficulty as it is; then answers will come."  One Day at a Time (p. 297)

"I don't have to accept the unacceptable, nor do I have to argue back or convince another person that I'm innocent or right . . . I can listen without taking the words personally."  Courage to Change (p. 297)

"My parents used religion to keep me in line. I believed we went to the only true church . . . He doesn't live in a box. He lives in me and in those around me. He loves me, cares for me, and accepts me just as I am - a work of art in progress."  Hope for Today (p. 297)

"Iniquity reigned; Cruel master - Enemy's me; Running faster."
"Gospel heard; Needed Savior - Love won; His favor." 
"Knit together; Him n me - Free to live; Faithfully be."   Am I a Poet?