God is inclusive. One of my favorite musician and song-writers is Billy Joel. He has a way of expressing his passion through his music and lyrics. His song, “And So It Goes” tells us: “In every heart there is a room. A sanctuary safe and strong. To heal the wounds from lovers past, until a new one comes along.” What I love about this imagery is its description telling us that our heart is not enclosed in a room but the room is in the heart. The sanctuary is created by the preciousness of love itself. We are not meant to live inside this room or use it as a protective force from love. Rather it is the space from which love can grow and expand throughout us all. We come to the sanctuary room to be reminded that no matter how much we give of our heart there is this space where restoration can occur. God sees to it. God wants us to grow more and more in love. To do that we return again and again to the sanctuary source of that love. Not just when we are wounded but every day, every moment, every breath. God is ready to hold the room open for us to be restored by the Greatest Love of All.
Be Of Room!
Be Of Relief!
Be Of Description!
Be of Boundlessness!
Be Of Beauteosness!
Be Of Extension!
Be Of Striding!
Be of Witness!
God sees. Love knows. Our hearts are present to so much that if we waited to let is process in our minds, we might be waiting a long time. Communication between our hearts and minds is inherent in presence. When we pay attention to the thoughts that come up in our minds and the energies of our hearts in the present moment, we begin to unlock the mystery of the human experience. It is difficult when we function only from the mind because it excludes so much that we are witnessing but may not be noticing. Bringing witness to our hearts, lightens the load our heads carry. It is not about making the ego wrong, it is deciding which witness we want to have create the overriding direction in our lives. In my years of recovery I have found great value in observing the thoughts that I attach to and noticing what stories I begin to create. Having the pause I learned to cultivate in my daily meditation dates with God is something I now cannot live without. A slower process has been in also bearing witness to what is happening with my heart at the same time. I am not referring to the physical organ specifically, although sometimes I notice it there too. I am speaking of the energetic flow of life that is expressed in my breath and in my focus. If the rhythm of my heart is paid attention to, it grants me access to a deeper experience of the moment. This moment always begins with the breath. It is said in the Hebrew scriptures that God breathed life into Adam. This makes me believe that I too can give life to elements of my life by witnessing and connecting with my heart and breathing into them.
Be Of Safety!
Be Of Linking!
God connects. We cannot stray too far from the very being that designed us. It would be like trying to unwrite our DNA code. God has left an imprint and a design that speak of love and runs through out entire system. When we find ourselves off that course it is not that it is not the truth for us or someone else but perhaps the link has been weakened. Maybe it is not about proving we are worthy of a God that loves and cares for us but not resisting the natural connection. What if we did not have to work at being connected to God but simply stopped resisting what is most elemental in our nature. Our ego is always front and center ready to tell us what we need to do to prove ourselves, stand out, and be special. It provides us with the initiative to sustain our lives physically and materially. I am most grateful for this. But what if there is more? What if the recognition of the sense of something greater is inherent in us to connect with if we just remember to stay linked in? What if the process of doing this is not about seeking it outside of ourselves, but linking up within? If God is something greater than us, why would the process through which to be linked with God be the same as something we can accomplish readily on our own? Maybe being linked with God is already there, but we are being called to let go of the perspective that it is something to be obtained. The systems and habits of this world are tremendous and awe-inspiring as well as frightening and limited. Perhaps what carries us through to not be limited in the fullness of life is the recognition of the link between us and God as simply present.