God, grant me serenity today,
along with wisdom and acceptance,
so I can fulfill your will.
Moving
3 years ago
Showing posts with label control. Show all posts
Showing posts with label control. Show all posts
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Tempests Within
Even today, human beings have no control over storms at sea, and sometimes very little control over storms in the heart.
Only God has the power to still the tempest without and tempests within.
~~ @@ ~~
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Spiritual Choices
Choices.
Choices make the difference.
Two people are in the same accident and severely wounded.
They did not choose to be in the accident.
It happened to them.
But one of them chose to live the experience in bitterness, the other in gratitude.
These choices radically influenced their lives and the lives of their families and friends.
We have very little control over what happens in our lives, but we have a lot of control over how we integrate and remember what happens.
It is precisely these spiritual choices that determine whether we live our lives with dignity.
Choices make the difference.
Two people are in the same accident and severely wounded.
They did not choose to be in the accident.
It happened to them.
But one of them chose to live the experience in bitterness, the other in gratitude.
These choices radically influenced their lives and the lives of their families and friends.
We have very little control over what happens in our lives, but we have a lot of control over how we integrate and remember what happens.
It is precisely these spiritual choices that determine whether we live our lives with dignity.
-- Henri Nouwen
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Moving Through Darkness
In life, most of us want things to go to the places we have envisioned ourselves going.
We have plans and visions, some of them divinely inspired, that we want to see through to completion.
We want to be happy, successful, and healthy, all of which are perfectly natural and perfectly human.
So when life takes us to places we didn’t consciously want to go, we often feel as if something has gone wrong, or we must have made a mistake somewhere along the line, or any number of other disheartening possibilities.
This is just life’s way of taking us to a place we need to go for reasons that go deeper than our own ability to reason.
These hard knocks and trials are designed to shed light on our unconscious workings and deepen our experience of reality.
Often it takes something major to wake us up, to shake us loose from our ego’s grip as it struggles to maintain an illusion of control.
It is loss of control more than anything else that humbles us and enables us to see the big picture.
It reminds us that the key to the universe lies in what we do not know, and what we do know is a small fraction of the great mystery in which we live.
This awareness softens and lightens us, as we release our resistance to what is.
Another gift gleaned from going to these seemingly undesirable places is that, in our response to difficulty, we can see all the patterns and unresolved emotional baggage that stand in the way of our unconditional joyfulness.
Joy exists within us independently of whether things go our way or not.
And when we don’t feel it, we can trust that we will find it if we are willing to surrender to the situation, moving through it as we move through our difficult feelings.
We can take our inspiration from any fairy tale that finds its central character lost in a dark wood, frightened and alone.
We know that the journey through the wood provides its own kind of beauty and richness.
On the other side, we will emerge transformed, lighter and brighter, braver and more confident for having moved through that darkness.
We have plans and visions, some of them divinely inspired, that we want to see through to completion.
We want to be happy, successful, and healthy, all of which are perfectly natural and perfectly human.
So when life takes us to places we didn’t consciously want to go, we often feel as if something has gone wrong, or we must have made a mistake somewhere along the line, or any number of other disheartening possibilities.
This is just life’s way of taking us to a place we need to go for reasons that go deeper than our own ability to reason.
These hard knocks and trials are designed to shed light on our unconscious workings and deepen our experience of reality.
Often it takes something major to wake us up, to shake us loose from our ego’s grip as it struggles to maintain an illusion of control.
It is loss of control more than anything else that humbles us and enables us to see the big picture.
It reminds us that the key to the universe lies in what we do not know, and what we do know is a small fraction of the great mystery in which we live.
This awareness softens and lightens us, as we release our resistance to what is.
Another gift gleaned from going to these seemingly undesirable places is that, in our response to difficulty, we can see all the patterns and unresolved emotional baggage that stand in the way of our unconditional joyfulness.
Joy exists within us independently of whether things go our way or not.
And when we don’t feel it, we can trust that we will find it if we are willing to surrender to the situation, moving through it as we move through our difficult feelings.
We can take our inspiration from any fairy tale that finds its central character lost in a dark wood, frightened and alone.
We know that the journey through the wood provides its own kind of beauty and richness.
On the other side, we will emerge transformed, lighter and brighter, braver and more confident for having moved through that darkness.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Control
A controller doesn't trust his/her ability to
live through the pain and chaos of life.
There is no life without pain just as
there is no art without submitting to chaos.
-- Rita Mae Brown
What a moment of spiritual adventure it is to risk living through the pain!
When I do not seek an escape or a quick fix but have patience with the process, new possibilities often do develop.
I can only let go of my control - or turn it over to my Higher Power.
And I will do it and forget, taking control back within minutes or within an hour.
Then I will let go again.
Today, I will submit to the insecurity of a changing universe and have faith that I can live through the process and grow.
live through the pain and chaos of life.
There is no life without pain just as
there is no art without submitting to chaos.
-- Rita Mae Brown
What a moment of spiritual adventure it is to risk living through the pain!
When I do not seek an escape or a quick fix but have patience with the process, new possibilities often do develop.
I can only let go of my control - or turn it over to my Higher Power.
And I will do it and forget, taking control back within minutes or within an hour.
Then I will let go again.
Today, I will submit to the insecurity of a changing universe and have faith that I can live through the process and grow.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Elder's Meditation -- Doubt and Control
There are many things that block us from wisdom such as selfishness, secrets, hate, anger, jealousy and judgments.
Another thing that can block us from wisdom is trying too hard or wishing something would happen.
Wishing implies doubt and trying implies control.
We need to let go of these things.
We need to abandon ourselves to the Creator.
As soon as we surrender everything, the wisdom starts to flow.
The Elders know how to help us with this.
Just ask them.
Another thing that can block us from wisdom is trying too hard or wishing something would happen.
Wishing implies doubt and trying implies control.
We need to let go of these things.
We need to abandon ourselves to the Creator.
As soon as we surrender everything, the wisdom starts to flow.
The Elders know how to help us with this.
Just ask them.
My Great Spirit, today I surrender my life and my will to Your care.
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