Notes On A Desert Heart

The early desert fathers fled the desert not to get away from people but to find inner freedom and learn better how to love others and God.
According to Thomas Merton, "These were men who believed that to le oneself drift along, passively accepting the tenets and values of what they knew as society, was purely and simply a disaster"
These spiritual adventurers who chose to live in the wilderness and nourish a down-to-earth, gutsy spirituality became the first monks.
The desert call of these spiritual pioneers continues to appeal to me because I too search for a primal way of addressing my longing for God.
Perhaps I reached a point in my life when, in spite of the influence of a secular culture, I yearn for detachment as a way of freedom and peace of heart.
The desert heart is a heart broken open, expansive, and yearning for love. Its humble posture is its prayer.
Love as an attitude of hear is not about achieving some ideal but living day to day with a disposition, with an openness to the fullness of divine presence.
It is a firm commitment to grow in relationship with God and others.
Fundamentally, humility means keeping in mind one's true condition before God – both my brokenness and need – but also remembering divine forgiveness and mercy.
Humility softened the heart and allowed room for love to grow.
Remembering my true place in the eyes of God, I keep my feet solidly planted on the earth and realize that love is only possible with the help of grace.
In the fertile soil of humility, the seed of inner life finds nourishments to grow.
The seed grows in incremental but important stages as I learn to take small but essential steps to make room for love.
In humility, I do not see myself as capable of heroic tasks but as weak and vulnerable, utterly dependent on the Spirit's grace.
I may have come to a point in my live where I am disillusioned with social expectations, political chaos, and a cultural tide of restlessness.
I seek peace beneath the turmoil as well as inner freedom.
It is not as if I want to isolate myself from the world but desire to find a way to live in it but not of it.
The desert call emerges especially during those times of suffering that strip us of our usual props: a meaningless job, chronic illness, a crumbling relationship, or the loss of a loved one.
I sense the urge to risk all, even if this means participating in the slow process of inner renewal and learning a humble posture of being.

The Refreshing Stream

God in his power is refuge and strength;
God in his mercy is the river that refreshes the soul;
God in his beauty stills all our useless struggles
and gathers us in his peace.
Grant peace, O Lord.
You are a helper close at hand in times of distress: -- grant peace of heart for all who are troubled and afraid.
You are in our midst when life's ills assail us: -- keep our hearts fixed on you amid all disturbances.
Your word is the river of life which gives joy to your people: -- refresh in prayer all who are burdened.
You put an end to war and to the weapons of war: -- teach us to lay aside all quarrels and attacks on our neighbors.

A Prodigal's Welcome

The story of the prodigal son is the story of when I choose, foolishly, to cast away the home I have with God for a cold and hungry exile.
Let me never hesitate to return and confess my sin, for I will always find the prodigal's welcome from a Father who loves me more than I can ever imagine.
Each day I get a new start on my life and an opportunity not to turn away from my Higher Power.
But people, places, situations and things quickly cause me to forget out of my own selflessness.
When I pause for a moment and just breathe, I can quickly ask for help to return His love.
I just have to do the things I should and not the things I should not.

Opposites

Praise cannot exist without blame; it has no existence without its opposite.
-- Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

There is a pair of opposites in all things, and in each there exists the spirit of the opposite: in man the quality of woman, in woman the spirit of man, in the sun the form of the moon, in the moon the light of the sun.
The closer one approaches reality, the nearer one arrives at unity.
Life is differentiated by the pairs of opposites.
Praise cannot exist without blame, for nothing has existence without its opposite, just as pleasure cannot exist without pain.
No one can be great and not small; no one can be loved and not hated.
There is no one who is hated by all and not loved by some-one; there is always someone to love him.
If one would realize that the world of God, His splendor and magnificence, are to be seen in the wise and the foolish, in the good and the bad, then one would think tolerantly and reverently of all mankind
How does the Sufi struggle?
He struggles with power, with understanding, with open eyes, and with patience.
He does not look at the loss; what is lost is lost. He does not think of the pain of yesterday; yesterday is gone for him.
Only if a memory is pleasant does he keep it before him, for it is helpful on his way. He takes both the admiration and the hatred coming from around him with smiles; he believes that both these things form a rhythm within the rhythm of a certain music; there is one and two, the strong accent and the weak accent.
Praise cannot be without blame, nor can blame be without praise.
He keeps the torch of wisdom before him, because he believes that the present is the echo of the past, and that the future will be the reflection of the present. It is not sufficient to think only of the present moment; one should also think where it comes from and where it goes.
Every thought that comes to his mind, every impulse, every word he speaks, is to him like a seed, a seed which falls in this soil of life, and takes root.
And in this way he finds that nothing is lost; every good deed, every little act of kindness, of love, done to anybody, will some day rise as a plant and bear fruit.
by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Thank You For This Day

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day.
I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning.
I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God.
You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me.
Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said
or thought that was not pleasing to you.
I ask now for Your forgiveness.
Please keep me safe from all danger and harm.
Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude.
Let me make the best of each and every day
to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.
Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things.
Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over,
and give me the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits.
I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart.
Continue to use me to do Your will.
Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others.
Keep me strong that I may help the weak.
Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.
I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way.
I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood.
I pray for those who don't know You intimately.
But I thank You, that I believe that God
changes people and God changes things.
I pray for all my sisters and brothers.
For each and every family member in their households.
I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes;
that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.
I pray that everyone knows there is no problem,
circumstance, or situation greater than God.
Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight.
I pray that these words be received into the hearts
of every eye that sees it in Jesus' name.
Amen!

Let Go & Trust

Sometimes, the way is not clear.
Our minds get clouded, confused.

We aren't certain what our next step should be, what it will look like, what direction we are headed.
This is the time to stop, ask for guidance, and rest.

That is the time to let go of fear.

Wait.

Feel the confusion and chaos, and then let it go.

The path will show itself.

The next step shall be revealed.

We don't have to know now.

We will know in time.

Trust that.

Let go and trust.

Inches Make Champions

Vince Lombardi, the football coach who brought the Green Bay Packers from fifteen losing seasons to successive world championships, thought success was a matter of inches.
A bit more concentration, one extra push in practice, a consistent second effort for a tiny additional gain.
He didn't ask his players to be something other than they were - he asked them to improve their best an inch at a time.
He knew inches add up, in life as in sports.
In life as in football, it is often the little things that count: going to meetings when we feel like staying home, or speaking our minds, no matter how insignificant our opinion may seem. When we feel like simply hiding - inches make the difference.