dailydatewithgod

One thing you can be sure of, God has full confidence in you.  If this were not so, you would not exist.  All the confidence you need was placed within you before you were even born.  As we grow through life we are given opportunities to realign ourselves with that authentic power within us. There is nothing more striking than someone who embodies their own power.  I mean when someone walks into a room with the confidence and carrying it like it is something within them that I don’t have to flaunt those around them are impacted positively.  One who is confident has a sense of self and does not spend time worrying about what other people think.  It is not perfect, it is about a humble acknowledgment that his or her power comes from who he or she is at their core.  When I feel most confident it is because I feel connected to God and to myself.  I don’t question my essence and I am not depending upon the opinions or ideas of others to validate who I am.  This is what God wants for us.  To be assured of God’s confidence in us.  It is not something that needs to be won or earned, it just is and always has been.  My prayer for us today is that when we find ourselves wanting to shrink, we have the courage to pause and ask God, “Who do you see me as being in this moment? Grant me the courage to believe as you do.”  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

As I a kid I remember that my parents kept these picture plaque on the bathroom wall. It was cartoon character of a woman standing naked with curlers falling out of her hair and lines under her eyes with writing above her that said, “Love is  . . .  being able to say I love you, first thing in the morning.” The implication that real love was if you could say and have love even when things aren’t all prettied up and perfect.  It stuck out to me even as a child because there is a truth in love not having to do with circumstances.  Love is love.  It is not dependent upon the perfect picture, the right circumstance, the ideal situation. Love is who we are. Love is the essence from which we were created and it is most fully present when we are truly ourselves.  It is our authentic selves to be loving.  All the things, agreements, decisions, stories, that we place on top of it do not change its presence.  We cannot undo what God has created.  I often ask God, show me how to be love in this situation, with this person, towards myself.  Essentially I am asking God to help me remember who I truly am.  My prayer for us today is that we notice that when we are open to Being Love that we are free to be ourselves.  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

In the moments that it took you to load this webpage and start reading this blog someone has fallen in love, a mom told her little girl that she loves her, a father said goodbye to his dying son, a national leader decided to continue with his commitment to peace, you decided to take another breath.  When we take a moment to reflect we see the magnificence that is happening even when it seems like nothing is happening.  Our ego likes that story–we are stuck, there is nothing happening, we need to find something to do.  Maybe we just need to be present to the shift of the sun, the caress of the sun, the blooming of a flower, the touch of a loved one, the sound of laughter of a child, and all the other little seemingly unimportant things that remind us we are the gift of life.  It is hard when we are in the day-to-day grind and focused on making things happen to stop and be amazed at what is and who we are being, but it is that focus that feeds our spirits.  It is the recognition of the amazing things that remind our hearts that it is a wise choice to take that next breath.  My prayer for us today is that when we find ourselves frustrated and not seeing the point of it all, to in the inhale ask God to remind us how that inhale is the most amazing thing to happen at that moment.  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

When we see a rose bloom open and widen to its fullest extension of an open andpetaled rose, do we ever wonder if that process was painful for the rose?  Maybe it was comfortable being closed up in the bud.  Maybe the process of being opened and made vulnerable to the elements was not something that the rose was looking forward to.  But then we wouldn’t smell its pungent beauty, see the gentleness of its petals, be enchanted by its many layers of softness.  Perhaps it is the same with us.  We might like to be closed up and tightly kept to ourselves in a protective cocoon where we are less vulnerable to the elements.  But then the world would be deprived of the beauty of our openness, our enchanting fragrance of love, and others could not be fed by our gifts.  As kids we might begrudge the physical growing pains but when we see ourselves physically turning into the adults with freedom and autonomy that we so desperately want to be, we accept it.  Why is it then when it comes to spiritual and emotional growth pain we want to avoid it at all costs?  Won’t it bring the same if not more freedom?  I have learned that the emotional and spiritual growth that ultimately causes me to open up in love and share myself with others is uncomfortable because I think it is not supposed to be happening the way that it is.  It is only by leaning in and accepting that it will be temporary times of discomfort, do I experience the profound intimate relationship of my true self.  My prayer for us today is that we be willing to believe that we have within us the same beauty of the open roses and allow God to help us with one of our petals today.  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

The whole world is at our disposal.  It seems as though there is little that human beings cannot do if they set their mind to it.  As a human race we have accomplished a lot of what originally seemed impossible.  Lunar flight and even airplane flight is one thing that comes to mind.  The opportunity to create is at our fingertips with each breath.  Things begin as an idea in our minds.  It is also our minds that will block us from the ideas that live inside of our spirits.  If, we let ourselves be stopped by only what we think is possible.  So much of our mental energy however is spent not in the present moment.  We function a lot on automatic pilot and reacting to circumstances based on a past experience.  It takes mental energy and a  conscious decision to be present in the moment.   God calls us to be right here, right now.  If we are open to looking at our current circumstances for what they actually are it may call us to reframe the way we have always “understood” things to be.  God gives us the power to reframe and to look at what was learned from those past experiences if we are open to it.  I have found that when I am willing and open, God extends his hand.  God shows me how what I thought were “bad” experiences or ways that I thought others were being were my opportunities for growth and expansion of heart into love.  My prayer for us today is that we be open to a reframing of one idea.  Make it a great one! Peace~Colleen

With the fullness of time all that begins will end and with each ending a new beginning.  When we reflect back on events we usually focus on the ending parts.  We see the scene where the marathon runners triumphant crossing of the finish line, the final touchdown, the closing dramatic scene, the graduation walk across the stage, the couples kiss after the vows, and awarding of the prize for 1st place in the competition. But what about the 17th mile, the 3rd down, the tense discussion in the 2nd act, the semester the student almost failed, the exchanging of the vows, or the 5th drill practice?  Those in between moments that get us to the final stages, are they not as important? What about for those who don’t reach the expected end?  Was the time spent up until that point not as important?  We have right in front of us today.  It is currently a Sunday here in Los Angeles, CA, and I will most likely not be getting any awards or particular milestones.  Does that mean that this day is any less important than the day that I graduated with my master’s degree or practiced my dance routine for the 24th time?  Life is the in between times and they are to be celebrated and acknowledged just as much as the endings.  Life is not lived in the result, it is lived in the process.  God gives us all of these moments and allows us to choose whether or not we want to show up.  When we choose to show up, we win.  We are saying yes to new breath, new life, new opportunities, new graces, and unlimited possibilities.  How many smiles can we contribute to today both for ourselves and others?  How many people can we look in the eyes today?  How many moments of breath can we notice the beauty of our lives today?  My prayer for us today is that we see the little triumphs that exist in these in between times that shape our lives and acknowledge ourselves for showing up for as many as we choose to.  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

We are all here because Our Great Creator was convinced that we would be the best to bring the message of love to this world at this time.  We were all created by love for love.  Sometimes we do not believe that because we experience so many things which are contradictory to love.  Those experiences however are simply opportunities to bring out the love in a way that we had not seen as possible.  They are growth opportunities that encourage us to extend ourselves beyond what our minds think our heart is capable. It is a good thing that our minds do not determine our capacity for love.  In the day-to-day it can be difficult to imagine that the person who is irritating us or the circumstance that we wish would just go away, could be our most profound chance to grow in love.  These situations cause us to stop and wake up.  Our ego mind that banks on our automatic pilot sees the waking up as a disruption and therefore a problem.  This is the same mind that tells us we are merely our physical existence and all must be right or wrong, good or bad, black or white. It forgets about all the other colors of the rainbow and the simplicity of the grey.  The gooey, messy, and imperfect moments of our lives are the ones that cause us to laugh and lighten our spirits.  They are the ones that call us to see things in a different way and provide the catalyst to open our hearts.  My prayer for us today is that we look up on the non black and white experience as the rainbow that will lead us to the pot of gold of our hearts.  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

The Great Creator designed each one of us intimately with time and care put towards how we can become the messengers of light and love.  We have similar ingredients to other human beings because that is how we are best suited in this experience here and now.  The difficulty for us comes in when we think that the make-up of our physical being and intellect are all that is.  We are so much more than our minds and our bodies.  They are our tools to live out our soul’s calling to be the light, to be the love of God for all to see and experience.  This is how we are uniquely connected to each other.  How we live out that expression is part of our unique design.  Our uniqueness does not separate us from our fellow humans it actually unites us.  There is room for all of us.  How do I know that?  We are all here.  God is in reality.  My prayer for us today is that we be open to seeing how our uniqueness connects us to others instead of providing an opportunity for comparison.  Make it a great one! Peace~Colleen

The famous saying that we know is that the only thing constant is change.  I have found this to ring true in my life, much to my chagrin at times.  However, the fact that things change does not need to mean that there is no point in showing up for what happens in our lives because it won’t last.  That is black and white thinking of which I have been guilty of many a time.  Being present with what is on a consistent basis is about showing up for ourselves.  It is about being present in our lives whatever may come.  Our souls do not measure our lives by the content.  Our souls measure our lives by the process.  I can choose to show up as a courageous, loving, spirited human being no matter the circumstance.  I can also choose to show up as an angry, irritated, dissatisfied, and impatient human being no matter the circumstances.  Who I am being is what shapes the experience I am having because it creates the eyes through which I am filtering the experience and a measurement of the energy I am expelling.  How I consistently show up shapes my character and defines who I am being.  But even that can be changed, if I am open to allowing in God’s perspective on who I am capable of being.  Those very circumstances that I am not liking can be the catalyst to change who I am being if I choose to accept them as a wake up call.  My prayer for us today is that we be open to noticing who we show up consistently and ask God if it is how God see’s us as capable of showing up.  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen

Do you remember as a kid how excited you were when you got that gift for Christmas that you hoped and prayed and asked Santa for?  The bursting energy you felt as you unwrapped the gift and saw the corner of the box or the bag that you knew had that gift?  The sheer delight that existed as you carried it around with you or played with it or told your friends about it?  These experiences prime our brains for what it is like to experience God’s gifts.  It seems different as an adult because we may not have the same excitement for the package or the wrapping.  Maybe the gift isn’t even in the shape or experience of something for which you were hoping.  The beautiful experience of God’s gifts is that the unwrapping actually happens inside of you.  When you truly receive a gift from God you find that the gift is what is awakened within your own heart.  It is the gift of letting go of old hurts or ideas that no longer serve you.  It is in the gift of acceptance of a family member for exactly who they are and not who you want them to be.  It is in the gift of our mistakes as being a portal to growth and humility which softens our heart the most.  These seeming non-gifts end up being the treasure paths to aligning our souls with the greatness of love that lies underneath all the wrapping and bows that we put on to make it seem like we are worth of being opened.  My prayer for us today is that we be willing to let go of the need to wait for a gift that comes in great packaging with bows and open the ones that are ready to burst from our hearts.  Make it a great one!  Peace~Colleen