Dear TSJ Readers, (Remember to click on the green header to read this much more easily on you mobil phones.)
Today I feel the impulse to be reflective. There are so many things clamoring for our time and attention that it is hard to think. It is hard to pause. To reflect. To know what to do next.
I often long for more serenity. My computer dictionary defines serenity: the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled: an oasis of serenity amidst the bustling city.
Wouldn’t we TSJ folks like to be an oasis of serenity for each other … and untroubled?
Yet we often experience a large gap between what we want to be like and what we actually are. More often than we like, we feel troubled.
Therefore we experience a yawn of yearnings – or a gap – between what is and what we want. And between who we are and who we want to be.
Do you have tough situations you are facing that make you feel rather stuck in old patterns and impatient with yourself? Can you identify a particular gap in your life that causes you to feel disquieted?
Parents often feel this. They envisioned themselves being patient, kind, understanding, tolerant and forgiving. But they hear themselves nag, cajole, demand, control, plead and lose patience. Teachers too. There are many, many pulls on our better selves. We get tired and grumpy. We slip back into old patterns rather than step back to reflect and begin new patterns. We are human.
But I have great news. It is in that gap that we can truly be transformed. Closing the gap between the clamor of our hurts, our angry thoughts and our calmer, kinder thoughts is possible. It is in this uncomfortable space between what is and what is possible where dreams are conceived, nurtured and birthed if we allow it.
As a life coach, I have learned and re-learned that if we let go of our tight grip on the “shoulds and should nots,” and the regrets and grudges that seduce us into feeling discouraged and bad about ourselves, we take a step toward serenity. Bad self-feelings do not help. They only block our vision and rob our energy,
So today, I invite you to take a few moments and savor a few thoughts together:
- Forgiveness is essential for inner peace and freedom to start again over and over. Do you need to be more forgiving?
- Failure to forgive is often more egregious to our well being than the mistakes made. It is a major impediment to owning peace. In the end failure to forgive corrodes our own hearts and we will experience pain over and over until we discover the power of a forgiving spirit.
- Forgiveness frees our spirit to soar above some of life’s discouragements.
- Forgiveness frees us from the past.
While there is evil in the world to be sure, and people need to be held accountable, still forgiveness frees us from the past. As it says in the Course in Miracles, “The warden can’t leave the prison anymore than the prisoner can.” Marianne Williamson says in her book Tears to Triumph, “In every moment we forgive, we awaken from our suffering. In every moment we forgive, another tear begins to dry.” (p.104)
- Mercy is also essential for inner peace. It is a byproduct of forgiveness and Love at the most sacred level. Marianne Williamson poignantly wrote, “Mercy is a word that means very little until we have actually felt it. And once we do, we are changed forever.” (p.101) We stand (or bow) in awe of a loving God who gives us a lot of second chances. I cannot count the times I have asked for mercy.
- When we embrace God’s Love and Mercy we are more able to give it away to others.
I think just heard our TSJ Solomon say “Amen.”
Finally, I have been pondering the well known Serenity prayer by (Reinhold Niebuhr). .
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference.”
You may also enjoy this more lighthearted version I found in Wikipedia – 1695 – by philosopher W.W.Bartley – as a Mother Goose rhyme:
For every ailment under the sun
There is a remedy, or there is none;
If there be one, try to find it;
If there be none, never mind it.”
As you can see, this is an ancient message told in many ways And we still need it!
May you have both serenity and wisdom as you go into your days. Remember that it is in the uncomfortable gap between what is and what is possible for you that you will learn the most . It is there also where you will experience Love, Forgiveness and Mercy. They are game changers in the spiritual realm of transformation.
I believe that from the state of serenity or peace we increase the possibility of generating long lasting results that transmits from our hearts to others and . . ..
Forgiveness will replace fury,
Mercy will replace misery,
Hope will replace heartache.
Calm will replace chaos..
So let’s help each other and our friends close the gap between what is and what is possible for us and for the world.
May your hearts be warmed in this frigid weather.
