Today I’m focusing on things of inspiration and encouragement – something to dispel the negativity that is often in the news and on social media. Hearing about all that is wrong in the world can drag our spirits down and we need to lift them back up before we go down that big black hole.
First, I do hope you will take a moment to read the teachings from the Native people. These seven teachings are such powerful lessons on how we can, and should live our lives. There is wisdom in them and if we all lived them out, the world could be such a better place for everyone.
I have the greatest respect for the wisdom of the Native people. When I worked at the hospital in Omaha, NE, I had the opportunity to learn about Native beliefs while visiting patients. One man told me about a practice he was familiar with that asked members of the tribe to leave their anger at a post before going into the prayer tent. He said that if they had anything against a brother or sister or mother or father, they should not bring that into the sacred place. They should first stop, touch the post, verbalize whatever the issue was and pledge to leave it there, at the base of the post.
I thought that was such a wonderful practice and still believe that we would all benefit from something like that. A ritual of leaving our anger, our differences, our hatred, out of our places of worship, our places of community gathering, our homes.
A friend sends me daily devotionals and sometimes they really resonate with me. I think the message in this latest applies no matter what God you believe in, or even if you don’t believe in a God.
“Radiant peace
“This evil world is constantly bombarding us with worries and fears that encircle us, seeking entrance into our minds and hearts. Therefore, we must stay alert and aware, allowing thankfulness for God’s loving presence to stand guard against fear. We know God wants to be central to our entire being, in every part of our lives.
“There is no fear in God’s love which continually shines on us. When we sit quietly in God’s presence, turning our minds and hearts to trusting and loving him, God’s love replaces our worldly fears and worries. God blesses us with his radiant peace.”
My personal belief is that God, or a Higher Power, is present everywhere.
As my friend Stephanie Raffelock suggests in her essay at Substack about Staying Informed Without Losing Your Soul, we can find peace while absorbing the beauty of nature. She writes, “Solace is found on the edges of new days, where birds sing the golden sun into place. Trees and hills cloister, and the green soothes the frayed edges of weariness and unknowing. In my backyard, the Yellow Bells have begun to bloom. Roses open and let go, floating petals to the ground, while tight buds wait their turn to be center stage. I’ve romanticized this place—made it a buffer, a space for daily healing against the harshness and fear stirred by the MAGA regime.”
We all need to find our radiant peace wherever we can, and all of the most centered, balanced people I know actively seek it out, whether in a church, a group of thoughtful, seeking people, or in a place filled with beauty.
I have a Twitter friend who found joy the other day holding a baby goat in her lap.
Another Twitter friend posts pictures of her gorgeous garden where she goes every day to her “happy place.”
Another Twitter friend who is battling cancer goes to her greenhouse and plants seeds, finding hope in that simple act. BTW, we later get to see some of the fruits of her labors in photos of gorgeous flowers.
Another Twitter friend posts stories of people doing simple, and grand, acts of kindness, sometimes to perfect strangers.
I could go on and on about the many people who flood the site with positives, hopes, inspiration, as well as the joy and peace in the pictures of all the gifts of nature, but there are hundreds that I see regularly, as well as thousands more who don’t show up on my feed, and there’s not enough room in one single blog post to mention them all.
But they all bring happy to a site that is often so lacking in happy.
The same friend who sends me the daily devotionals also sent me the following. It originally came from the First United Methodist Church in Pittsburg and is a terrific way to end today’s blog.
The Perfect Prayer for today!
A while back I read a story of a visiting pastor who attended a men’s
breakfast in the middle of a rural farming area of the country.
The group had asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to
say grace for the morning breakfast
“Lord, I hate buttermilk”, the farmer began.
The visiting pastor opened one eye to glance at the farmer and wonder
where this was going.
The farmer loudly proclaimed, “Lord, I hate lard.”
Now the pastor was growing concerned.
Without missing a beat, the farmer continued,
“And Lord, you know I don’t much care for raw white flour”.
The pastor once again opened an eye to glance around the room and saw
that he wasn’t the only one beginning to feel uncomfortable.
Then the farmer added,
“But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love
warm fresh biscuits. So, Lord, when things come up that we don’t like,
when life gets hard, when we don’t understand what you’re saying to
us, help us to just relax and wait until you are done mixing. It will
probably be even better than biscuits. AMEN”
Within that prayer there is great wisdom for all when it comes to complicated
situations like we are experiencing in the world today. Stay strong, my friends,
because our LORD is mixing several things that we don’t really care for, but
something even better is going to come when God is done with it.
That’s all from me for today folks. Whatever your plans are for the weekend, I hope they involve time with family and friends. Be safe. Be happy.
LOVED THIS!!!