dailydatewithgod

“Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it.”~Charles Swindoll.  As I have said before I saw that quote for the first time on a wall in a dentist’s office when I was a kid and it struck me. I have come to understand that the 90% is based on the meaning I give to what happens.  That depends upon my attitude.  What is really important is that I get that very little of life is happening “to” me.  Most of what I think is happening “to” me comes from the meaning I give it.  This trumps the whole plausibility of being a victim who believes that life just happens to me.  I choose to believe that life happens for me and on a good day I am in line with that idea.  It is only when I am looking to not take responsibility for what is happening in my life, that I need to see myself as the victim.  And victim may seem like a strong word, but if I am thinking that life is happening and I have no control then I am a victim of circumstance.  There is no power in that and conveniently I am probably choosing that because there is no responsibility in that either.  I get it, we all have moments (or in my case years) where we play the victim.  I finally got strung out on not taking responsibility for my life.  It doesn’t mean its easy, but certainly simple.  If today, with God’s help, I am willing to take responsibility for my attitude and my actions, then I am the happening.  I am creating, I am being the best version of myself.  I don’t think God created humans to be victims, I think he created humans to be victorious!  Victorious through the challenges and circumstances that we face each day. When I connect with God I have a chance of claiming who I really am.  My prayer for you today is that you be willing to take responsibility for your attitude in the one situation that you don’t want to.  God is ready and willing to help, you don’t have to do it alone.  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

Do you ever notice that the longer you live the faster times seem to pass?  I remember very distinctly in sixth grade in the month of January thinking, wow–this school year is taking forever.  But now its like I blink and January is July.  There are a couple of reasons for this, one is that life is fuller than it was at that early age.  There are more responsibilities-more things to cram into a day, my mind is literally more full of information to manage, and I am not waiting for something to end in anticipation of something new to come along (waiting for summer during a school year).  The potential danger here is for me to think that I am more fully participating in life because there are more things to do.  The opposite can actually be true though–the more things I have to do, the more ways I look to just make them routine and not be something I have to be present to and I cherish the moments when I have a pause and am waiting.  But, of course, I want it to be my kind of waiting–not in traffic or in line at the grocery store.  I have all these fixed ideas of what it means to be participating in life.  If I measure the time by the number of things I get done–I am fabulous!  In the last several years, however, I have had the chance to take a step back and look at measuring time by the quality of time I spend with other people.  In the end, I don’t get to take my to do lists with me like a report card for God, but my heart comes with me and in it will be the level of love for others and myself. In my heart will carry the appreciation for the life I was given to participate in and I want that to be full. My prayer for you today is to take a moment and slow down to connect with another human being–look in his or her eyes for a just a few seconds more to share your love.  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

Just like when I awoke this morning, you took a breath.  This means in that moment you are working in partnership with the Creator of all Creation.  It is where our breath comes from.  This power is with you all day long and through every moment of our lives. If ever we get thrown off course, we need only stop and take a deep breath to get connected again.  It seems to simple to be true, but most truths are simple.  I believe our hearts and our spirits are simple in nature, it is our mind that likes to complicate things.  This is probably why when I am stressed I forget to breathe.  I get so busy trying to do things on my own, I forget that the life force that resides within me comes from the very core of who I am. All the cells of my body need fresh oxygen to function.  When I deny them that they becomes stressed and worn. I can be certain that there is more for me to do because I was given breath this morning.  I know that whatever uncertainty I face today, (which is actually everything given that I am not a predictor of the future) I can easily reconnect with the certainty of the universe by taking a breath.  My prayer for you today is that you remember to breathe. Breathe in the certainty that you are connected to something greater which is conspiring for your good.  How will you know?  Simple, take another breath.  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

Have you ever noticed that the sound of laughter lightens the air.  One of the greatest ways to stay in the present moment is to laugh at it.  I love people who have great laughs.  The beauty is that I can hear them.  I still remember this Dominican sister that I worked with in college.  She had this laugh that you could hear across the mall at the university.  We always knew that something good was happening when sister was laughing. A study was done many years ago to determine what caused people to laugh.  They determined that what triggered laughter was not really good jokes or funny situations but the sound of other people laughing.  I must be like the yawning effect.  When you see one person do it, you find yourself yawning.  When you hear someone else laugh you are more inclined to laugh.  It is a great way to break the tension and most importantly when I can laugh at a situation, I stop taking myself so darn seriously.  Laughter has the ability to put the present moment back into focus.  Maybe because it causes us to take a deep breath.  I suppose it doesn’t really matter why. I just know that when I remember to laugh (especially at myself), a sense of restoration happens in my body and mind.  My prayer for you today is to see the funny in something when you are taking yourself too seriously.  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

We usually try to avoid discomfort.  From discomfort we experience growth.  When things are status quo or going well we get to ride the wave.  Sooner or later we will hit a bump in the road.  Our first reaction is to think that there is something wrong.  We should have seen the bump, prevented it, and that it is not supposed to be happening.  But what if the bump was all part of the grand plan?  What if by getting over the bump we grow in love, forgiveness, build up courage, and become vulnerable?  Our spirit knows exactly what we need to grow and expand in love.  Our spirit knows that if we connect to the Great Spirit we can ride the wave of the bump and not be destroyed by it.  Our minds will try to find a way around the bump because it senses unfamiliarity and that spells danger.  Again, when we connect to the Great Spirit we are reminded that no “danger” real or perceived can break us.  My prayer for you today is that you be willing to be uncomfortable in one small area of your life and allow God to show you just how great your own spirit is.  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

Vulnerability can be such a tricky thing. God beckons us to draw closer at our most weakened moments.  All of what I know of God is comfort, reassurance, unconditional love, passion, laughter, light, acceptance, and yet when He calls me closer there is a part of me that resists.  It makes no sense to me other than that perhaps my ego is holding on strong.  It builds up this armor of protection around my heart and relies on this structure as though it were some sort of fortress. When that fortress falls apart, my ego just figures I need to build it up again but in that moment, God draws close and asks me to come closer.  There is finally an opening, a chink in the armor, and at that moment I can choose to walk away from the fortress and fall softly into the loving arms of God.  The funny part is that when I am in that in-between space, my mind is going a million miles an hour trying to figure out what happened to the fortress.  It came down unexpectedly–someone shared their heart with me, I shared my heart with another, I experience feelings I have not felt before, etc.  Even now my mind searches for an explanation and none is to be found because it is the language of the heart.  My choice becomes to either surrender to my heart and draw closer to God not knowing what His boundaries are like or turn away and build up the fortress again.  Today I am willing to let go, draw close, and continue to be surprised and softened by love.  My prayer for you today is that you will have the courage to take the road with me, after all, it is fun to have companions on the path 😉  Make it a great one! Peace~Colleen

Take a nice deep, long breath in.  Feel as the air goes through your nose, past your throat and into you body.  Even after you have lost track of your breath it will seep into the rest of your cells and travel to your lungs where the fresh oxygen will be absorbed by those cells which will travel to the heart and in turn travel through the rest of your body.  A pretty miraculous system and most of it happens without us even being the slightest bit aware of it.  If we were, it would probably overwhelm us. But God has given us a brain that takes care of all these minute details on a level that does not require our consent or knowledge.  Hmm, makes me wonder what else happens without our full conscious knowledge–even more.  Scientists each day are understanding more and more about how the brain works and how our thoughts influence all of our system–not just our head.  I have the privilege of leading a workshop today for men and women who want to create a sense of peace with their body and be present to how God sees their body. Part of that process involved taking a look at our thinking about our body.  As one who spent many years hating and doubting my body, it has been a long path to wholeness that continues each day.  Today, I believe our bodies are beautiful instruments through which the Musician can share the transforming melody of life.  Instruments cannot play themselves. They need to be taken care of so that they can work properly and are part of an entire orchestra which makes beautiful music.  The irony, of course as I started this morning I realized that my body is not how I want it to be.  It matters little the reason why, but as I spent time on my date with God I asked him to let my body be what He wants it to be so that I may do as He would have me be and do.  The moment I said those words I felt a release in mind and body.  It is no longer about what I want or my standards but about me playing my part in the greater whole.  I pray that I am able to be the instrument that God has designed me to be and that beautiful music will come from the work that we all set out to do today.  My prayer for you today is that whatever thinking you have keeping you separate from who God sees you to be, you may stop and recognize that you are part of the orchestra and are instrumental to the symphony . . . can you hear the melody?  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

I love when I read stories of people who are really direct with God.  It gives me great comfort to know that I am not the only one who is completely frank in how I address God.  I am most certainly reverent and acknowledge the greatness of the Great Creator, but I find it important to be authentic.  Sometimes I just need God to hear in my own words, how I see things.  Of course, this is not news to God, but it helps me to know that there is a space to be completely honest and know that I am still loved.  Each day is an opportunity to relish in the many gifts that God provides, but I have to be honest about what is standing in the way of me being able to witness those gifts.  It is usually a way of thinking that prevents me from seeing all that truly is and that is okay.  I just need to stop, authentically acknowledge it, and ask for God’s help to restore my thinking.  Then I am restored to where I am from and who I truly am which is in and of and through God.  If I keep thinking that there is something wrong with me that I am miserable, I simply dig myself deeper and deeper into a hole.  That doesn’t stop me from doing it sometimes, but when it is painful enough and I am exhausted because all of my efforts have failed, I reach for the hand of God.  God usually smiles and winks and says sure, take my hand.  Sometimes God reminds me that I have to let go of something in order to take his hand and he gives me as much time as I need in that hole to let go before I grab his hand.  As I let go of more and more the less time I spend in the hole and the closer I stay to God.  My prayer for you today is that whatever thought you are thinking that is separating  you from God, have the courage to ask to be restored and be willing to let it go.  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

In the Christian scriptures, Jesus is often asked about the Israelites and the law of Moses.  Often times when explaining his perspective he speaks that the laws were put in place because people’s hearts were hardened.  It makes me think of the times in my life that I hardened my heart because of circumstances not being what I wanted. I remember telling God after my first love and I broke up that I was going to have to close off my heart.  And I did.  Sadly, it did not achieve what I wanted it to achieve.  It simply blocked me off from experiencing joy and love in every area of my life.  I ended up creating a very small life for myself, but it was safe.  What can I say, it was my best thinking.  It worked for a good while, but then it stopped working.  Like most things, the pain of being closed off became greater than the possible risk of getting hurt again.  So I became willing to soften my heart.  We will not risk what we do not think we can recover from.  When we reach a point of creating a life so hardened by our experiences we live a very small life.  That is not what God intends for us.  He hurts when we hurt and he loves us more.  We hurt and often want to run the other direction.  But if I focus on lessening the hurt by turning to God, then my heart can be opened and softened by Him.  Ultimately that was who I needed to turn to and experience the love that lay within my heart again.  My prayer for you today is when you experience a situation that could harden your heart, you turn to God and ask, please soften my heart. Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

One of the beautiful things about springtime which is quickly fading now that we are officially in summer is the new growth.  We still see it in summer but it is more subtle.  Now is the time that we get to enjoy the fruits of the growth time of spring.  What I love about the seasons that they each have their own energy.  Literally nature gives out an almost palpable experience by all that is occurring. Sometimes it is hard to notice in the concrete jungle but when I go hiking or go down to the ocean, I can sense it.  We really are part of this world.  When I look at what I am experiencing I know it is a result of what I have been thinking and acting on previously. Everything is the fruit of what I have done up to this point.  But the beauty of nature is the opportunities for do-overs.  If I do not like the fruits of my work,  I can stop and begin to create anew from this moment.  When I connect with God, all I have to do is turn towards him and say “Now”.  I don’t have to wait for a new day to start or a new season to begin.  Even in the midst of summer new things will bloom.  God is all about creating anew.  Even as you read this your cells are making new connections.  My prayer for you today is that you use your thinking to create a positive experience for yourself and if you find that you are not, just stop, breathe and say to God, “Okay, now.”  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen