Category Archives: Contemplation, Devotional, Inspirational, Meditation, Prayer, Spirituality

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The Blessedness of ‘More’

Our Need for Silent (Secret) Sacred Space

Something is amiss. Some of us are adrift. We are working too hard at spiritual living. Some of us find ourselves dragging with the routine of it. Gains in our spiritual life are modest, if any. Discouragement besets us. Is this all there is? The thought plagues us like an unwelcome intruder.

Is this you?

In our confusion we find ourselves stuck and afraid or worse, bored and disengaged.  To admit this is to admit failure with our beliefs and what we claim to be true. We trudge on, thinking we are doing it right. Over time we become resigned to complacency. Our faith seems less relevant or less alive.  Sad to say, the condition of our inner person becomes static, routine and automatic.

It needs an infusion of ‘more.’

No one wants to stay in that place if they can help it. Spiritual life should be full of liveliness and joy. The dissatisfaction is telling and is actually a prod to get us moving forward. Our hearts already know the truth long before we become cognitively aware of it. What we know and have is not all there is to spiritual life. Our minds are shouting it out.

There has to be something more to spiritual life.

What we have accepted as the way it is and always will be is a state of ‘less,’ not ‘more,’ that pays out in coin without promising a brighter future. The emphasis on ‘doing’ has hidden the greater secrets awaiting to be discovered, which are found within the reality of living a God-filled, love-saturated, spiritual life. We need to awaken in our spiritual depths to receive what God has promised us.

We can know joy.

Spiritual vitality can be ours. Life can radiate and replicate its blessings in our interior self. The status quo spiritual condition is not enough nor is it acceptable. Dissatisfaction will propel us forward to find the blessedness of more.

Now we are on the right track.

How will we proceed? Knowing God is the logical place to begin. God already knows us, so why not? A pursuit of God is undertaken.  This pursuit begins to change us as we open up and begin to know Him better. We understand spiritual truths in a new light. As a side compliment, we begin to know what God has for us. The truth is setting us free. It formulates and delivers through a loving relationship of God with us.

The need for more is a need for God.

Somehow, we missed it. We were made to want something more. That more is relational. You and I are made for having and enjoying an intimate relationship with God–in addition to following God, serving God and obeying God. We were made for partaking at the table of grace with God and sharing life with Him. We ARE God’s beloved children.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:27

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6 NIV

It is a need we could not articulate because we did not know it was possible or what it looked like—few were talking about it—or what it could mean for us should we embrace it. Then we took a taste of it. The reality settled in as we absorbed a new way of living facilitated through close joining with Father God.  Timid steps forward generated a profound but simple intimacy of relationship with God. Our open mind focused on Him alone without the voices of others competing for primacy. This led us to the place where more of God is found.  Amazing. We slowly learned to actualize our faith and to intrinsically absorb God’s presence and ways.

It is in the seeking that we find.

It is in the asking that we know; it is in the silence that we absorb the richness of kingdom truth; it is in the prayer of the heart that we love and experience a vibrant sense of mystery.

Long before this time of inner seeking, we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. It was there that a foundation in Christ was laid in our soul, which was the starting point for our personal spiritual journey. Time alone of spiritual asking and seeking is not a first step but a looking beyond to the place of further still.  Through our personal pursuit of God, it soon became apparent that it is now time to take our Christian faith and spiritual beliefs to the next level.

We become open instead of closed in our spiritual thinking. Our desire is for an ever-deepening awareness of who God is and who we are as His beloved children. God has been waiting for this moment. We are ready at last.

This is the real deal.

This is life-changing real for those who are ready to enter the deeper state of living fully in Christ. It is a time of genuine soul-seeking, life-enriching, spiritual growing, living and being fully centered in Jesus Christ. Those who participate in this way will find themselves enthralled with their alone times spent in meaningful communion with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

There is no going back once you have found your ‘rest’ in God.

I welcome you to the delightful joy of living in love–love, you can know and experience through the love of our Father God. And joy will be yours because of love—through the redemptive love of our Savior.  It also comes through love’s presence—through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Once you find God as the foremost reality in your world, you will find a blessedness of more of God. God is love. You will find love within the embrace of the loving, holy Trinity.

Almost a decade ago a Christian friend said I was closed minded and not open minded. He said it was a problem for me as a Christian. I disagreed with him but wondered what he was talking about. I actually thought open mindedness was something that could be dangerous when taken to the extreme. That was my argument. I missed the point he was trying to make. My friend knew what was tripping me up.

He saw that I was not free in my spiritual life.

He wanted ‘more’ for me than I had in my spiritual walk. This friend, when he spoke of Christ and His walk with God, was very articulate and His prayers were the deepest prayers I have ever heard. (He told me he asked God to teach him how to pray, and God did. This friend was native African but is an American citizen.)

I will quote what I scribbled on a note paper from what my friend said to me in a phone conversation.

“You are a special person. You are a strong person who has overcome. God has given you beauty and wisdom.

But sometimes good things don’t come easily.

You haven’t been honest with people. You beat around the bush. You don’t say what you think, and you hold back because you don’t have enough confidence in yourself to say what you believe to be true. You are shielded, and it comes from fear of hurting others, being hurt, or being seen as foolish.

What you say can preserve life, and what you say can destroy life.

Always move forward instead of looking back. Make friends wherever you go.

Be proactive. Be busy. Be honest with people.”

Then he talked about how I try so hard as a people pleaser that I miss the point of saying what they need or I need. He saw that I was trapped by trying to do all the right things but failing to live in the freedom of what God has given me.  I was always dancing around the issues and not being fully open with others or even myself. This friend wanted me to be free. I appreciated him telling it like it is.

His honesty helped me become more aware.

Isn’t that what we all need? Someone to speak truth to us even though it makes us feel uncomfortable? That is what God can do for us. He will if we let Him.

It’s not just in our personal relationships that we shield ourselves from being honest with ourselves and with others. It is how we self-protect and pretend that we have it all together. Christians are masters in this category. Our facades are so much a part of us that we don’t realize they’re fake. We also do it in our spiritual relationship with God. It is easy to convince ourselves that we are pretty good and more than satisfactory in the spiritual department, that we are better than other Christian believers etc. etc.

I think we all struggle with that kind of thinking, the good enough that’s not the best.

God could care less about our evaluations and comparisons. God wants us to be REAL with Him, to see it like He sees it, and to be open to His gentle nudges. He knows what we don’t know about ourselves and that is why intimacy is required for an ever-deepening relationship with Him. God knows that we will become poured out wine to others once we get this part right. As long as we think we’re doing good  and satisfied with the way it is, we will not see our souls in a clear way. God must reveal our hearts to us. Then we can take action by giving these areas to God for His cleansing, healing, renewing and eventual, restoring.

God be praised!

Dear Father in Heaven, reveal my heart. Help me see what you want me to see. I want to know you more. I want to see Jesus.

♥♥♥

My friend,

I may not know you but I do know this about you. You are dearly loved. God loves you. He very much wants to be a part of your life. You are the reason He sent Jesus, His Son, into the world that through Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, you may have forgiveness, hope, and life eternal.  The love God has for you is real. He wishes you to have enough faith in Him to believe in His everlasting love. All life comes from God. Read John 3 in the bible to learn more of the gift of salvation Christ offers to you. Trust in God and in Jesus’ love.

Please leave me a message in the contact box if I may assist or encourage you.

God bless you,

Norma

 

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How to Have a Life with No Regrets

The Holy Spirit and Real Life

“Oh no!” I exclaimed while reading the private message in regards to a friend’s passing. “I’m in shock!” I responded. I am still in shock. Strangely enough, a poignant warmth filled my being as I remembered back to when he and I last conversed. I had felt compelled to visit with this friend, the male half of a wonderful two-some, during a trip this past September. Now he has passed on into the next life, and his wife, my friend and old roomie from college days, is left to pick up the pieces. I feel for her.

blog heading lakeI remember when they were dating.

He had this great big smile that accompanied his chuckle and he was like a giant teddy bear. He liked to tease my roommate (and me). She fell for him like a ton of bricks. Over the years she and I kept our friendship alive, attending the Shakespearean Festival in Ashland, Oregon and a visit here and there when I made my way to their hometown for an event at my Alma mater. She’s a hoot. We laugh a lot when we are together and we share a love of writing. She and I share the struggles of life and what we’re learning because of them. It’s an honest friendship. We don’t hide who we are from each other. The focus of the friendship was on her and less about him. He often was away at work so it was girl-time. But our last visit was different. . . .

We were visiting in their home when he invited me to stay an extra day.

He was in physical pain, that much I could tell, and I sensed he wanted to talk with me. His questions were intense, deep, and I sought to answer them in the spirit of the dialogue (I love a below-the-surface discussion). Our conversation had a lot to do with Christianity, the upcoming presidential election, our Christian walk in the world today, and the challenges found in familial responsibilities. His wife listened to our back-and-forth comments rather than entering in. To stay longer meant I would have to cancel my plans with my cousin who lived down the I-5 corridor three hours south. Yet I felt the pull to visit with the two of them for an extended stay. It was weird, but I specifically sensed that our talk was meeting an unseen need. So I remained. It was fortuitous.

He and I had a lively talk that went on for hours.

Our conversation centered on difficulties concerning caregiver roles, power-of attorney legalities, and end-of-life matters. He’d recently lost a brother and then his mother within a few months of each other and knew what he was talking about. I was interested because of events in my own life. I was glad for the extra visiting time, but I had no idea it would be our last. Somehow I knew it was important. One of their little dogs jumped onto my lap, warming up to me, and he said that was a rare thing for her.  He mentioned visiting my family when my children were young, when he had a truck delivery at the Chico airport. He said he liked my husband, who was cooking dinner because I had had a rough day, and how he was sorry when he learned that our marriage had fallen apart. That was good for me to hear, and it reminded me that there were good parts to my ex and in our marriage. I am glad that he said those words to me. The September 11th, 15th anniversary was being remembered on TV as we talked about that day of all days. I talked about visiting the grave of my sister earlier in the day, and its accompanying sadness.

It is evident now that the Holy Spirit was leading that day.

I left early the next morning to visit a church a friend pastors. On the way I passed caravans of pickup trucks with signs, “We Remember” and American flags streaming from their cabs and truck beds in honor of the fallen from 9-11. They were impressive and comforting. I thought back over the prior night’s conversation and was pleased and thankful. I was also concerned because of my friend’s health needs and felt his wife’s fears regarding him. Last week, after my communication with his wife as I acknowledged his passing, she stated to me that her husband had enjoyed my visit. That meant a lot.

The compelling of the Holy Spirit comes in a persistent thought.

The thought worries at you. You should call ….  The Spirit is bringing that person to mind because they are in need of encouragement or a listening ear. Do something nice for her, means you need to act, and you should act now, which happened to me last summer. My friend’s marriage was ending in an exceedingly painful way. I followed through on the prompt by buying her a bouquet of pink roses to help her know she is loved and cared for and is not alone in her suffering. I shared how my siblings had sent me a bouquet to stand in solidarity with me the day when my divorce finalized. Tears came to her eyes as she thanked me.

Humans can’t see the big picture but God does.

It happens like this. You have a chunk of change in your purse reserved for a specific personal need when a thought comes that says to give it to someone that you know has a need. Do you do it? Do you give it to them and disregard your own need? You should. That happened to me this Christmas. This was a lean year and every dollar counted but then the thought came, they need it more than you do, give that bill in your wallet to them. I’ve learned not to fight the prompting. I put the money in a card and gave it away and never regretted it. I was being obedient. We cannot regret doing what God wants us to do. And we give our alms in secret by not trumpeting our goodness before others. Our acts of service are done for love of God, not for praise of man or woman. Interestingly enough, God has met my need in other ways as I trust Him for it.

Be sensitive to God’s leading.

The Holy Spirit prompts us through our thoughts. Lots of times the prompt centers around praying for a person and their specific issue or problem. It may be a thought that tells you to help them out as in a call to action. Or it may be a quiet thought that says to let a troubling issue ‘go’ that is causing you angst as the Spirit prompts you to live ‘above’ the circumstance by choosing to  abide in God’s grace. He calls you to extend grace to the situation, to ‘them,’ when in the flesh you would rather withhold and withdraw in self-protective, anger-induced  mode. The prompting may be the asking of forgiveness for an offense. You may find yourself praying for the person on the sidewalk who is homeless or for the President-Elect. You pray for them because you are called to pray for them. It may be you are prompted to take the time for a neighbor, friend, child, or family member. The secret is to act on the prompting.

There is a side benefit to all of this.

The strength and power received in answer to our prayers is directly affected by the willingness of our hearts and minds to be obedient to the Spirit’s leading. It is sweet spot for the person whose life is joined in close immediacy to the God-head. We cannot harbor ill-will toward someone and still have power in our prayers. In the same way, the Holy Spirit has free reign in our souls when we keep a pure mind and pure heart through daily confession and cleansing, as we seek to be open and close with God. An impure vessel is not receptive to God’s leading and promptings. The necessity for daily intimacy with God and His Spirit is worth the effort it takes to come clean before Father God.

It is possible to live a life with no regrets, spiritually speaking.

Following the Holy Spirit will cause you to experience a life with no regrets, in that, with God in the lead you will know you are doing what you should be doing and the activities in your life will have lasting value. The fleshly regrets will be there in regard to what is not of God but the spiritual side, when unrestricted, will have no regrets because it is not acting from out of the flesh but is acting in and through the Spirit’s knowledge and understanding.

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I hope this makes sense. Feel free to leave a question for me. Bless you.