dailydatewithgod

Part of the subtle beauty or madness depending on your perspective is our awareness.  So much of our reality as humans is easy to pick up on.  We can grasp it through our five senses and we can think about and play with it in our imagination.  Then there are the subtle elements of cognizance which we pick up on automatically but they do not register on a thinking level. Our cognizance of energetic reality flies below the radar of our immediate awareness.  It gets funneled through thoughts and ideas that occur to us about something seemingly intangible.  It is the cognizance of something we know but cannot explain how we know.  It is both elements of survival and our connection to the mystery of life. It is a cognizance that is inherently more simple than our minds can create with all the complex calculations and creations.  It is the cognizance of belonging to something bigger than the space we take up with our bodies.  It is the cognizance of understanding without words.  God invites us to play in this level of cognizance and see if we can let go into a space of unknown that is known and therefore without fear.

In the widening circle of experiences and exposures of life, we can find ourselves traversing a path we never imagined.  We wonder if we are simply lost or out of control.  When we get past the shock and remember that life is what happens when we are busy planning we set about facing it or running away. We start with what is familiar in terms of tactics and responses.  We see if they work just as they have elsewhere and sometimes they do.  The aphorisms of our lives prove their value when we see them being applied where we had not imagined they were needed.  God encourages us to notice which aphorisms can transcend our individual circumstances and speak the truth in resonance with the truth of who we are no matter what we are facing.  It is the aphorisms of our hearts that guide us into uncharted territory especially when it comes to how we are relating to others.  Remembering that if the aphorism is a universal truth, it will be true no matter to whom it applies.  Testing the aphorisms of our hearts in new contexts and conversations allows us to expand our awareness of how connected or disconnected we are from the whole of humanity.  The unexpected paths, therefore, serve us in broadening our lives to see how interconnected we are and how the illusion of our separateness is merely a story in our mind.

If we really knew all of what is of benefit to us we would not spend as much time resisting the things we resist.  I am not sure if it is a combination of us not really knowing what is best for us or that we do not appreciate the things that come to us easily.  I suppose like most things the why is irrelevant.  The reality is the perks we experience in life come about often from the most unlikely places.  I am not talking about the perks that only reach our eyes or the checkbox in our minds of what is good.  I am talking about the perks that pierce the space in our hearts which shape our character because the fruition they represent comes from facing the resistance based on their outside look.  Most of the time the perk that lays on the other side of the fear which pops up in front of it may look to not be worth it but it is not the perk itself, it is the process of facing the fear that is worth it.  A simple example for me was the first time I bought a new car all on my own.  Going through the fear of walking out of a dealership without falling for the tactics they tried to lay on me as some unsuspecting beautiful woman, taking the time to do the research on all angles, doing my own financial figures so I didn’t get talked into purchasing some overpriced full package from financing guru, and so on.  The perk wasn’t what it appeared to be. Yes, the car is nice and I enjoy driving it. Ten years later after some good wear and tear, I still get the perk of knowing I let the best of who I am show up in the whole process of obtaining the car.  The new car smell is long gone but I still take have the perk of knowing exactly what is needed to keep up its maintenance and go to a mechanic I can trust who is interested in treating me as a knowledgeable car owner.  The resistance showed up as not having the time to do my due diligence, asking a guy friend to talk to the dealer, or not countering with the 40 dollar difference in price at another dealership when agreeing on a final price. The perk of being able to drive out of the dealership with my head held high, almost through the moon roof (my favorite feature to this day 😉 )  God encourages us to notice the perks we are drawn to as an invitation to the process of character formed in walking through the resistance which surfaces just in front of the perk.

When we take the time to get connected within ourselves and learn how we best operate it gives us the capacity to work best with others.  In case we all have not noticed we are not alone and all the others, even the ones we supposedly can’t stand, are not going anywhere.  We like to think that if we just surround ourselves with those we know and can understand that life would be so much easier.  Most of the rub about the differences from others is simply a mirror of the discomfort with the parts of ourselves that we would rather go away. Cooperation begins with ourselves.  If our mind, body, heart, and spirit cannot work in cooperation with one another so we can be the expression of the truth of who we are, how are we to possibly work in cooperation with others?  Cooperation implies an understanding of the operation.  God encourages us to know the operation of what it means to be ourselves from the place of truth not falling for the facades we put out for the world about who we think we are supposed to be.  Cooperation embraces a level of peace that is inherent within us by design.  Coming to the recognition of the power of cooperation within ourselves is a path only we can choose to take.

It blows me away when I stop to think about all the things that had to happen to bring me where I am and be who I am in this moment.  It requires the construction of a life that interfaces with so many varying elements.  No amount of planning or creation of an effective system could orchestrate one’s life to be just as they would like.  And why is it that the things we do not plan on end up being the ones that shape us the most?  We are a formula of God in our own fashion.  Our formula is different than the person next to us and that is just how it is meant to be. We think everything would be great if we were all following the same formula for life.  We envision no conflict or stress and yet those are the very things which cause us to strengthen and use the muscles of life and interaction.  The particular formula of us is equipped to handle whatever comes our way but we will not know just how the formula will present itself until we show up.  We may be headed in a different direction or even avoiding the very situation for which the formula of us is what is needed most.  On my daily dates with God, I have the continued opportunity to learn about the formula of me.  Just by showing up as is in the moment and allowing my mind and heart to hear God’s view of how the formula of me is working I learn the nuances of how I can be the best formula of me in whatever is in front of me.

For some reason, there is this idea that to have time for leisure we need to have everything else done.  Perhaps it is a stay over from childhood where you did not get to go play until your chores were done or eat dessert until you had your vegetables.  In principle the idea is sound.  Discipline and taking care of the staples allows time to saunter. Yet we can get so caught up in the doing mode of life that we think we are human doings instead of human beings.  When we learn to let go of the mind’s chatter or at least not take it so seriously all the time there is room for another perspective.  There are of course times when doing and getting done are most important.  I live my life effectively because I have structure and discipline.  Yet not every environment or circumstance needs us to march through.  Some elements of life call upon us to saunter. Getting into the rhythm of our hearts, noticing the pattern of our breath when we enter an experience is one way of detecting if it march time or saunter time, or even running time.   Having a leisure approach to something does not imply laziness or earned relaxation.  It is something we can incorporate amidst the hustle and bustle.  When we remember to saunter we can notice the panoramic view.  When we saunter for a few moments we can look people in the eyes. When we saunter we allow ourselves to receive all the gifts the moment has to offer.  There is a reason for an exhale following an inhale.  Unless we take the moment to let go we will not have the energy to keep moving.  God invites us to find the moments where a saunter is exactly what is needed to be most fully ourselves at the moment we are in.

If information is kindred of the mind, What is kindred of the heart?  Is it the same for everyone?  Are their kindred of the heart that is more valuable than others? The kindred of our hearts are any experiences, ideas, states of being, people, or things for which we have an affinity.  As we go through our lives we are drawn to kindred of our heart without much thought.  We find ourselves participating in the kindred activities, contemplating kindred ideas, hanging around kindred people, and conducting ourselves as a kindred spirit to ourselves and others. This is a natural outcome of the moments we are present with the truth of who we are.  What sounds or looks like a foreign and irrelevant idea to our minds can simultaneously be the thing our hearts long to be kindred. On my daily dates with God, I learned to notice what makes my heart come alive and expand.  What is kindred to our hearts is not always foreign to our minds.  When the whole of who we are resonates with what is kindred to ourselves we move and live from a place of wholeness and confidence.  It is in those times we understand innately what all those mind gurus are talking about when they speak about flow. Our kindred expression of body, mind, heart, and spirit is the best of who we are.  It comes from taking the time to pause and with curiosity begin to look at how we operate in the world and correspond with all we are drawn to.  One of my favorite literary characters is Anne of Green Gables.  She always acknowledged the kindred spirits she came across in life and it was evident from how she was acting that she was most free to be herself and feel a sense of acceptance when she was with them.  It allowed both people to be the fullest expression of themselves and a joy to watch their interaction.

It is easy to buy into the idea that as long as something is logical all will be fine.  If it makes sense then we feel peace and ease because our minds have nothing to fret over or figure out.  We work doggedly to come to conclusions that can be shown through irrefutable evidence. For that brief moment when logic hits its high point all seems well with the world.  Then before we know something of a mystery enters our path.  We step down from the high tower of mindful logic and find ourselves among the leaves and hints that mystery places on our path seem to get us off course.  But what if the course of mystery is to get us to breathe into playing again in life.  We have had our moment of resting on our pedestal of logic and now life calls upon us to do a little dance, make a little love to the moment and get down from our high tower tonight. 😉 This is what the spirit calls the logic of our hearts.  We move from holding our breath at how long the logic of the mind can claim reign and step into the space where we bring in inspiration and send our spirit of curiosity and wonder.  We get to see life through new eyes when we step into the logic of our hearts.  It can get dirty and messy on the path of the unknown, but by engaging the heart’s courageous energy and the spirit of adventure we can find our way to satisfy the logic of the mind, and then it will feed us back into mystery.  It becomes the cycle of life to move from the logic of the mind to the logic of the heart.  Our breath is the spirit of life keeping us alive . . . sometimes it is the only way we know we are not yet dead.

On a night that is known to glory in darkness and mystery, it is a good time to remember that within us is the reality of both dark and light.  Because the darkness is harder to see through and there is much unknown, we can easily slip into a place of fear.  Reflecting, however on the fact that it is always darkest before the dawn it can be utilized to give us hope of the coming radiant light.  But radiance is much more than keeping our spirits up.  The radiance of life existing within us, perhaps in the deepest, darkest places of ourselves speaks to us of the hope of life.  When we are in the midst of darkness, trepidation, fear, and uncertainty it is easy to believe that because it is that way it will always be that way.  The hope of radiance which breaks with every new dawn is a reminder to us.  Just as nature moves effortlessly from the darkest moment to the most radiant one means as a part of that nature, we will too.  No matter how dark it seems or how much we revel in it on night’s like Halloween, the radiant moment will be just around the corner.  Even Halloween which is synonymous with dark and fearful is a word expressing a time that is on the eve of all things holy = All Hallow’s Eve.  Whether the darkness is something we are playing in on this night or something we have been feeling internally, externally, or even collectively for a while, God invites us to be present to the coming radiance which ultimately is always with us.

When there is a loose thread in one of my blouses or skirts and I tug at it, I find out if there is this long extension to get to the root of where it has disconnected. I then see it is not as simple as just cutting off the one thread.  I have to go to where it has gotten disconnected and cut it off there.  It reminds me of how we find these loose threads in our lives and we think if we just cut them off or get rid of them we will not have to deal with them anymore.  Unless however, we get to the source of where the thread began and either mend it or cut it off there, we will find it loosen itself again and again and eventually undo the whole piece of fabric.  God invites us to notice the loose thread and recognize it as a signifier of where something has gotten disconnected from the whole.  It is not a good or bad thing but an opportunity to evaluate the interwoven elements of our lives and how close they are tied to who we are.  Sometimes we wear a garment so long because it is familiar and therefore comfortable.  I love wearing those worn-in jeans or my favorite shirt but when it is falling apart at the seams and I am seeing loose threads everywhere it is time to re-evaluate its usefulness.  The loose threads in our lives remind us of something we either need to repair or let go of but we are called to do so at their source.  Reflecting on their value at the core of who we enable us to make a choice in alignment with the true fabric of our lives.