I love the omnipresence of God. I’ve been contemplating this a lot lately and have come to revel in my awareness that God is everywhere, all of the time. This belief in the omnipresence of God is a common thread running through almost all of the major religions and if you’ve had any kind of religious training you’ve probably come across this teaching. I enjoy the fact that most of us can agree upon this. When different belief systems and religions agree upon something, I take notice and find it to be very interesting and also rather comforting.
Years ago, even though I had been taught about the omnipresence of God, I somehow got the impression that God was only with certain people - the super-spiritual, hyper-religious folks in particular, or those who had performed the required formulaic steps for receiving God. I am relieved now to understand and grasp the belief that God doesn’t pick and choose where S/he is present based on any performance on our part. God is a God of extravagant grace and S/he doesn’t play favorites. Omnipresence means everywhere, so regardless of who we are or whether we know it or not or admit it or not, God is with us.
Perhaps you are familiar with the Christmas carol, “O Come, O Come, Emanuel.” Emanuel means “God with us.” I wrote a poem about this.
Emmanuel, God with us, around us and above,
we’re continually abiding in your radiant love.
Thank you for your presence and the richness that it brings,
Your kingdom is within us and when remembered our heart sings.
Perfect infinite love – so amazing, so divine,
Your never-ending goodness is with us all the time.
Knowing that the infinite love and ever-present goodness of God is always with us is very empowering. The more we realize this the more we benefit from it. Social scientists, biologists and physicists have discovered that whatever we focus on expands. Focusing on junk will manifest more junk, focusing on good will manifest more good. Increasing our awareness of the reality that we are dwelling in the goodness of God will manifest even more of the goodness of God in our lives. Denying it or simply not knowing about it doesn’t negate the presence of God in a person’s life. But knowing it and choosing to continually remind ourselves of it is very edifying to our spirit and it activates and increases that Power within us and around us.
Does this mean then that if we do this we will never have challenges? Of course not, but what it does mean is that God’s presence is with us during those challenging times and S/he provides us with strength, wisdom and whatever else it may be that we need to grow and advance through them. I don’t believe that God is separate from us nor do I believe S/he is an entity that manipulates our lives as though we were pawns on a chessboard. I believe that we abide in God and God abides in us and when we choose to focus on this our faith grows and our inner-knowing of the Divine Presence expands. Ultimately we are transformed.
Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven (or the kingdom of God) is within us. He also quoted the Old Testament (also called the Hebrew Bible) scripture that says “ye are gods” (meaning us).* I know people who are uncomfortable with this scripture. They think that it’s blasphemous to call a person a god. I think what Jesus was talking about here was this concept that the kingdom of God is within us. God is omnipresent and dwells in us, and at the same time we dwell in God. We have God’s Spirit in us. Because of this we are divine beings and thus the quote, “ye are gods.”
Think of the ramifications of this. God who is Love, Wisdom, Intelligence, Goodness, Joy, Peace, Kindness, and Creativity is within us and around us. God, with all of these attributes, lives in you and me and chooses to express through us. That, my friend, is an awesome and wonderful truth to behold. I hope you’ll be uplifted and encouraged by this and allow it to really soak into your consciousness. As I said in my poem, remember this often and your heart will sing.
*These are the scriptures I am referring to: Luke 17:21, John 10:34 and Psalm 82:6.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Dan's Birthday, Jon's Apartment and Reflecting on the Seasons of Life
Beth’s Journal Entry for August 12, 2010 -- Twenty-one years ago today my friends’ baby Daniel was born. His birth was a momentous occasion that I’ll never forget. His parents had been awaiting his arrival for years…literally. Unable to create a child biologically, they were ecstatic at the news that they had been selected by a pregnant woman to adopt her baby. The birth of every baby is a thrilling phenomenon, but perhaps in circumstances such as my friends’, the excitement level is even more extreme.
Sixteen months later, my husband’s and my first baby was born and a few months after that Daniel’s parents adopted twins. So, my son Jonathan began his life blessed with three little pals and I was blessed with a wonderful friend who enlisted with me in this journey, this adventure called motherhood. For four or five years we saw each other several times a week and together we carted our babies all over South Florida. It was very difficult to leave these friends when we eventually moved away. They were like family. We went back to visit them - frequently in the beginning, but less frequently as years went by. Once after we had visited them, Jonathan told me that Daniel had introduced him as being his cousin to one of their neighbors. Even though Jonathan knew it wasn’t accurate he said it made him feel so good that he didn’t have the heart to correct him. I can see why Daniel thought that, though. Our relationship seemed deeper than simply friendship. As so often happens, however, the miles between us served to create unintended distance in our friendship and we only occasionally see them or talk to them now. Of course, our love for one another remains steadfast.
As I imagine Daniel this morning, I picture him rising out of bed, sweet and sleepy headed like when he was a little boy. It’s almost impossible for me to envision him as a twenty-one year old young man. People have a way of staying stuck in your mind the way they were when you last saw them. Daniel’s siblings and my son Jonathan will be twenty years-old this fall. They’re all in college. Today, in fact, my family and I will load up all of Jonathan’s worldly possessions and move him into his very first apartment near his college campus.
It’s a time of many “firsts” for these kids now, just as it was a time of “firsts” for us so many years ago when we had them. I guess we older adults are still experiencing some “firsts,” though. For the first time in a long time, Daniel’s mom is working at a job outside of the home. Soon, she and her husband will experience being empty nesters and in a few years, so will my husband and I. The changing seasons of life continually provide us with “firsts,” some of which we’d rather not have, but happiness will elude us if we remain only in love with one particular season. All of the seasons are valuable and present us with many lessons to experience and blessings to enjoy.
So this morning as I sit in my living room drinking my coffee, I lift my mug in a toast to you, Daniel. Happy 21st Birthday. I lift my mug to Daniel’s mom. Thank you for being such a loving and supportive friend at a time in my life when I really needed you. I lift my mug to my own precious son Jonathan and promise that I will try very hard not to cry today when I leave you at your very first apartment. And, I make a vow to myself to embrace every season of my life knowing that each one is special and has within it many unique and wonderful gifts to treasure.
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Sixteen months later, my husband’s and my first baby was born and a few months after that Daniel’s parents adopted twins. So, my son Jonathan began his life blessed with three little pals and I was blessed with a wonderful friend who enlisted with me in this journey, this adventure called motherhood. For four or five years we saw each other several times a week and together we carted our babies all over South Florida. It was very difficult to leave these friends when we eventually moved away. They were like family. We went back to visit them - frequently in the beginning, but less frequently as years went by. Once after we had visited them, Jonathan told me that Daniel had introduced him as being his cousin to one of their neighbors. Even though Jonathan knew it wasn’t accurate he said it made him feel so good that he didn’t have the heart to correct him. I can see why Daniel thought that, though. Our relationship seemed deeper than simply friendship. As so often happens, however, the miles between us served to create unintended distance in our friendship and we only occasionally see them or talk to them now. Of course, our love for one another remains steadfast.
As I imagine Daniel this morning, I picture him rising out of bed, sweet and sleepy headed like when he was a little boy. It’s almost impossible for me to envision him as a twenty-one year old young man. People have a way of staying stuck in your mind the way they were when you last saw them. Daniel’s siblings and my son Jonathan will be twenty years-old this fall. They’re all in college. Today, in fact, my family and I will load up all of Jonathan’s worldly possessions and move him into his very first apartment near his college campus.
It’s a time of many “firsts” for these kids now, just as it was a time of “firsts” for us so many years ago when we had them. I guess we older adults are still experiencing some “firsts,” though. For the first time in a long time, Daniel’s mom is working at a job outside of the home. Soon, she and her husband will experience being empty nesters and in a few years, so will my husband and I. The changing seasons of life continually provide us with “firsts,” some of which we’d rather not have, but happiness will elude us if we remain only in love with one particular season. All of the seasons are valuable and present us with many lessons to experience and blessings to enjoy.
So this morning as I sit in my living room drinking my coffee, I lift my mug in a toast to you, Daniel. Happy 21st Birthday. I lift my mug to Daniel’s mom. Thank you for being such a loving and supportive friend at a time in my life when I really needed you. I lift my mug to my own precious son Jonathan and promise that I will try very hard not to cry today when I leave you at your very first apartment. And, I make a vow to myself to embrace every season of my life knowing that each one is special and has within it many unique and wonderful gifts to treasure.
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Eliminating the Weeds of Negative Thinking
It’s 6:30 in the morning. It’s cool, it’s quiet, and I am pulling weeds in my mother’s back yard. I just dropped my son off at the high school for football practice and spontaneously decided to swing by and do the thing I love to do most – not! In Florida, during the summer we do most outdoor activities (like football and weeding) earlier in the day to avoid the intense heat and humidity that comes later on.
As I am yanking the undesirables, I’m thinking about a conversation I had recently with my cousin Steve. “What determines the difference between a weed and a plant?” we pondered. “I mean, why not just let the weeds take over since that’s what they do anyway? Unlike the other plants they don’t require any work and before you know it they are profuse! Why don’t we just give up the struggle over tending to the other plants and allow the weeds full reign?” I decide to google weeds when I get home and wonder how I ever managed before someone invented googling.
This is what I discover: A weed is a plant considered to be troublesome because of its nature to be invasive and reproduce easily and quickly. Interestingly, it’s an arbitrary judgment whether a plant is a weed or not.
I can’t help but notice what a perfect metaphor weeds provide for negative thinking. Negative thoughts emerge and can quickly become invasive if we don’t stay on top of them by plucking them from our minds. Before we know it they’ve taken over, crowding out the positive thoughts (the flowers). Soon, they impair our perception of reality because we’re looking at life through a jungle of weedy overgrowth. The weedy thoughts take root, growing below the surface, invading our subconscious, and affecting our physical health and well-being. Similar to gardening, if we allow these negative thought weeds to grow we can soon become overwhelmed when we’ve neglected to uproot them. Like a motivated gardener, we must begin eliminating them one by one.
As a human being, I want to flourish like a beautiful garden. My sister has a gorgeous garden in Minnesota that she works very hard to maintain. Her garden is a metaphor for how I’d like my inner life to be. But, like my sister’s garden this requires nurturing and effort. Simply keeping the weed thoughts pulled is not enough. I also need to plant some flowers (positive thoughts) and cultivate them so that they become prolific and bloom. I’ve pulled a lot of weeds in my inner garden in the last few years and I’ve planted a lot of flowers. It’s taken some effort but it has made a significant difference. My inner garden is now blooming. The weeds continue to pop up here and there, but I’ve become disciplined in removing them before they take over. I enjoy the beauty of the blossoms and my focused attention, like Miracle Grow, causes them to become even more abundant. The more we attend to our positive thoughts the more they propagate. Just as the beauty of a garden makes the whole property look more wonderful, a radiant inner garden causes our perception of life to be more positive and uplifting. Instead of looking at life through the jungle of weedy overgrowth, we look at life through the stems and the blossoms of peonies and roses. To be sure, life will give us some weeds and even rose bushes have thorns, but if we remain proactive in our inner gardening efforts the landscape of our entire life will be more resplendent.
William James: “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”
Bishop Steere: “Do not think that what your thoughts dwell on does not matter. Your thoughts are making you.”
Proverbs: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Buddha: “All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”
Romans 12:2 “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
Please see the photo below.
As I am yanking the undesirables, I’m thinking about a conversation I had recently with my cousin Steve. “What determines the difference between a weed and a plant?” we pondered. “I mean, why not just let the weeds take over since that’s what they do anyway? Unlike the other plants they don’t require any work and before you know it they are profuse! Why don’t we just give up the struggle over tending to the other plants and allow the weeds full reign?” I decide to google weeds when I get home and wonder how I ever managed before someone invented googling.
This is what I discover: A weed is a plant considered to be troublesome because of its nature to be invasive and reproduce easily and quickly. Interestingly, it’s an arbitrary judgment whether a plant is a weed or not.
I can’t help but notice what a perfect metaphor weeds provide for negative thinking. Negative thoughts emerge and can quickly become invasive if we don’t stay on top of them by plucking them from our minds. Before we know it they’ve taken over, crowding out the positive thoughts (the flowers). Soon, they impair our perception of reality because we’re looking at life through a jungle of weedy overgrowth. The weedy thoughts take root, growing below the surface, invading our subconscious, and affecting our physical health and well-being. Similar to gardening, if we allow these negative thought weeds to grow we can soon become overwhelmed when we’ve neglected to uproot them. Like a motivated gardener, we must begin eliminating them one by one.
As a human being, I want to flourish like a beautiful garden. My sister has a gorgeous garden in Minnesota that she works very hard to maintain. Her garden is a metaphor for how I’d like my inner life to be. But, like my sister’s garden this requires nurturing and effort. Simply keeping the weed thoughts pulled is not enough. I also need to plant some flowers (positive thoughts) and cultivate them so that they become prolific and bloom. I’ve pulled a lot of weeds in my inner garden in the last few years and I’ve planted a lot of flowers. It’s taken some effort but it has made a significant difference. My inner garden is now blooming. The weeds continue to pop up here and there, but I’ve become disciplined in removing them before they take over. I enjoy the beauty of the blossoms and my focused attention, like Miracle Grow, causes them to become even more abundant. The more we attend to our positive thoughts the more they propagate. Just as the beauty of a garden makes the whole property look more wonderful, a radiant inner garden causes our perception of life to be more positive and uplifting. Instead of looking at life through the jungle of weedy overgrowth, we look at life through the stems and the blossoms of peonies and roses. To be sure, life will give us some weeds and even rose bushes have thorns, but if we remain proactive in our inner gardening efforts the landscape of our entire life will be more resplendent.
William James: “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”
Bishop Steere: “Do not think that what your thoughts dwell on does not matter. Your thoughts are making you.”
Proverbs: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Buddha: “All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”
Romans 12:2 “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
Please see the photo below.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Depression
I am so thankful that I no longer struggle with depression. It began in childhood as a low-grade, on-again off-again sadness. Later on, as life became more complicated, it became less low-grade and more on than off. As often happens, pregnancy brought about some physiological changes that made it more pronounced. Added to that were some typical life stressors that people experience – unresolved issues from childhood, financial struggles, marital strife, midlife turbulence, wrestling with spiritual beliefs, a death in the family. By the time I was 42 I knew I needed some help.
I recently read a quote by Rona Barrett. She said, “The healthy and the strong individual is the one who asks for help when he needs it.” I believe Rona is right and I’m so glad that I was able to summon the courage to seek help.
Our inner condition doesn’t simply affect us as an individual. It impacts those around us as well. When we help ourselves, our loved ones also reap the benefits. There’s some truth in the saying, “if mom ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” (You can substitute dad, your child, or whoever.) Help is good. Why suffer and bring suffering upon those around you if there’s something that can be done about it? I struggle to sympathize with those who are miserable and yet refuse to take any action to alleviate the situation. Ultimately, it seems they’re being selfish because their misery is contagious to those around them. That being said, I realize there are those who are in such a state that they simply can’t summon the wherewithal to get help for themselves. I also know that in some cases, refusal of help is actually one of the symptoms of the illness and I do sympathize with those people.
In my case, I responded very favorably to the anti-depressant medication and the little bit of counseling I received. It helped me immensely and it felt like it gave me my life back. After five sessions with a wonderful counselor, she declared me “good to go” but the process didn’t stop there. I have continued to do a lot of inner personal work and am just now weaning myself off of the medication. Today, I can honestly say that I have an abundance of inner peace and joy and I’m thoroughly enjoying life. Not everyone has the same experience with depression. I realize there are those whose experience and issues are much more challenging than mine. There are volumes that can be written about this topic and it isn’t my intention to cover all of the issues about it here. The gist of my post is this: I was depressed, I got help, I got well. My hope is to encourage others who may be struggling with the same thing.
Having said all of that, I would encourage you not to take yourself too seriously. Here is a poem that I wrote some time after I started taking the medication. It’s meant to be light-hearted so I hope you enjoy it.
Washin’ down my Zoloft with some Diet Coke,
hopin’ and prayin’ my life is not a joke.
In my heart-of-hearts I know it isn’t true.
So, “why?” I ask my shrink, “am I forever blue?”
Hurricanes & earthquakes, tsunamis & tornadoes,
Drought & famine, erupting volcanoes.
Terrorists, torture, gangs, & war.
Enough. Be quiet. I can’t take any more.
Drugs & addiction, violence, abuse.
Crime & broken homes. Oh, what’s the use?
Watching CNN is enough to make me sick.
Quick, change the channel & choose some other flick.
Stressed & oversensitive, seeking perfection.
It’s no way to live, seek another direction.
Yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, too.
Being one with nature, eating tofu.
“I’ll try anything once,” I’ve been known to say.
I’m continually optimistic that there’s a better way.
“Live your best life,” says my Oprah guru.
“When you know better, you’ll do better,” adds Maya Angelou, too.
Life is a mixture of good things and bad.
So suck it up now and don’t always be so sad.
Count your blessings; you’ve got quite a few.
(That idea is certainly nothing new.)
Thank God above for Zoloft, thank God for Diet Coke.
Thank God for revealing that my life is not a joke.
Thank God for humor, for family & friends.
Thank God my list of blessings really never ends.
I recently read a quote by Rona Barrett. She said, “The healthy and the strong individual is the one who asks for help when he needs it.” I believe Rona is right and I’m so glad that I was able to summon the courage to seek help.
Our inner condition doesn’t simply affect us as an individual. It impacts those around us as well. When we help ourselves, our loved ones also reap the benefits. There’s some truth in the saying, “if mom ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” (You can substitute dad, your child, or whoever.) Help is good. Why suffer and bring suffering upon those around you if there’s something that can be done about it? I struggle to sympathize with those who are miserable and yet refuse to take any action to alleviate the situation. Ultimately, it seems they’re being selfish because their misery is contagious to those around them. That being said, I realize there are those who are in such a state that they simply can’t summon the wherewithal to get help for themselves. I also know that in some cases, refusal of help is actually one of the symptoms of the illness and I do sympathize with those people.
In my case, I responded very favorably to the anti-depressant medication and the little bit of counseling I received. It helped me immensely and it felt like it gave me my life back. After five sessions with a wonderful counselor, she declared me “good to go” but the process didn’t stop there. I have continued to do a lot of inner personal work and am just now weaning myself off of the medication. Today, I can honestly say that I have an abundance of inner peace and joy and I’m thoroughly enjoying life. Not everyone has the same experience with depression. I realize there are those whose experience and issues are much more challenging than mine. There are volumes that can be written about this topic and it isn’t my intention to cover all of the issues about it here. The gist of my post is this: I was depressed, I got help, I got well. My hope is to encourage others who may be struggling with the same thing.
Having said all of that, I would encourage you not to take yourself too seriously. Here is a poem that I wrote some time after I started taking the medication. It’s meant to be light-hearted so I hope you enjoy it.
Washin’ down my Zoloft with some Diet Coke,
hopin’ and prayin’ my life is not a joke.
In my heart-of-hearts I know it isn’t true.
So, “why?” I ask my shrink, “am I forever blue?”
Hurricanes & earthquakes, tsunamis & tornadoes,
Drought & famine, erupting volcanoes.
Terrorists, torture, gangs, & war.
Enough. Be quiet. I can’t take any more.
Drugs & addiction, violence, abuse.
Crime & broken homes. Oh, what’s the use?
Watching CNN is enough to make me sick.
Quick, change the channel & choose some other flick.
Stressed & oversensitive, seeking perfection.
It’s no way to live, seek another direction.
Yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, too.
Being one with nature, eating tofu.
“I’ll try anything once,” I’ve been known to say.
I’m continually optimistic that there’s a better way.
“Live your best life,” says my Oprah guru.
“When you know better, you’ll do better,” adds Maya Angelou, too.
Life is a mixture of good things and bad.
So suck it up now and don’t always be so sad.
Count your blessings; you’ve got quite a few.
(That idea is certainly nothing new.)
Thank God above for Zoloft, thank God for Diet Coke.
Thank God for revealing that my life is not a joke.
Thank God for humor, for family & friends.
Thank God my list of blessings really never ends.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Thoughts on Turning 50
What is it that’s so tasty about turning fifty? To me it seems so delicious. I think it must be the seasoning.
All of the things I’ve been through, both good and bad, feel like the herbs and spices that have served to enhance the flavors of my life. I could not say that I feel like a fine wine aged to perfection. No, I feel more like ground beef that’s been through the meat grinder and is now enjoying the warmth of the grill and all of the salt and the seasonings that have been sprinkled upon it!
Our life experiences and how we deal with them are a part of what makes us who we are. Mistakes and failures that we suffer through, as well as successes and achievements that we are proud of, provide our life’s enhancements. They give us depth. We can turn fifty and be sad that our youth is behind us or we can turn fifty and look back at all we have done and enjoy a sense of accomplishment at the journey we have taken. For some reason, mourning the end of my youth was not an option or even a temptation for me. For one thing, I still feel youthful and I know that age is just a number. If I told myself I was “old” I know I would soon become “old.” Quite the contrary, I feel like I’m just getting started and I’m excited about what lies ahead.
When I turned forty I thought I was entering the best decade of my life. Now turning fifty I feel the same way, even more so. If life were a four course meal, I’d just be getting to the entrée. Bon appetit!
All of the things I’ve been through, both good and bad, feel like the herbs and spices that have served to enhance the flavors of my life. I could not say that I feel like a fine wine aged to perfection. No, I feel more like ground beef that’s been through the meat grinder and is now enjoying the warmth of the grill and all of the salt and the seasonings that have been sprinkled upon it!
Our life experiences and how we deal with them are a part of what makes us who we are. Mistakes and failures that we suffer through, as well as successes and achievements that we are proud of, provide our life’s enhancements. They give us depth. We can turn fifty and be sad that our youth is behind us or we can turn fifty and look back at all we have done and enjoy a sense of accomplishment at the journey we have taken. For some reason, mourning the end of my youth was not an option or even a temptation for me. For one thing, I still feel youthful and I know that age is just a number. If I told myself I was “old” I know I would soon become “old.” Quite the contrary, I feel like I’m just getting started and I’m excited about what lies ahead.
When I turned forty I thought I was entering the best decade of my life. Now turning fifty I feel the same way, even more so. If life were a four course meal, I’d just be getting to the entrée. Bon appetit!
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