I find the saying “living life on life’s terms” to be both helpful and challenging. Try as we may, we cannot bend reality to fit our agendas and preferences. We cannot force life to bow to us. Life itself emerges from the very Breath of the Divine, from God’s Spirit. We are all an expression of life, and life’s truth, beauty, and goodness perpetually tries to manifest in and through us. A truly good life is one wherein we increasingly allow life to spring forth from within us in expansive and evolutionary ways. Attuning ourselves to the Spirit’s wisdom and inspirations is the only way to be fully human and alive. In today’s Gospel from John 16:12-15 Jesus tells his disciples, “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me.”
Guided by God’s Spirit, life is always attempting to guide us, grow us, and divinize us. Life constantly whispers to us, offering truth and wisdom. Our job is twofold: to be humble enough to bow to life and to develop our capacity to flow with life’s movements. A simple way to nurture this process is to periodically clear your schedule for a day. After spending a period of time in meditative silence, just do what your spirit leads you to do: a walk, time spent in nature, reading a good book, visiting a holy shrine, or sharing a cup of cappuccino with a good friend. You know you are listening to your spirit, and therefore God’s Spirit, because you feel refreshed and renewed at the end of the day. Also, stay aware of insights that may come to you about a problem you are facing or a decision you must make. I will end my reflection by inviting you to meditate on this wisdom from Francis and Yogananda and imagining how you will spend your time of renewal.
“Simple joys are holy.”
Francis
“When you think you have achieved absolute silence and stillness, keep going deeper. In silence you will receive from God the answers to the problems of your life.”
Yogananda
