Friday, March 19

Reflection

I struggle with being still. I always have. Because it has been such a burden in my life I have had to perfect some ‘exercises’ that I do on a regular basis. It is due to these ‘exercises’ that I am able to attain some degree of stillness, peace and order in my life. Were it not for them my life, emotions and lack of balance would sometimes be unbearable. I know this is true because whenever I waver, whenever I forget and whenever I succumb to feeling self-sufficient, life in all its manifestations are quick to remind me. At those times I may feel like a hamster running on its exercise wheel, becoming exhausted and having nothing to show for my effort. I may see no way around a situation. I may become obsessed with all I have to do when measured against the energy and time with which to do it. Of course, demons work very well at night and that is often when I need to put into practice the affirmations of faith that I have committed to memory.

I would like to share some of them with you.

Here is a copy of ‘The Lord Is My Pace Setter’, a Japanese version of the 23^rd Psalm.

(See Saturday, March 20)

As a little girl my mother taught me a prayer that has been a mainstay in my life. It is:

The infinite love of God ever enfolds me bringing harmony, order and peace into my mind, body and affairs.

I have found that it covers everything I have ever worried about. Whether it is health, work, relationships, financial concerns or feelings of inferiority this prayer seems to hit the nail on the head for me. There have been many times that I substitute me/my and put in the name of a daughter, a friend, a relative, my husband, a grandchild, my job, my husband’s business or a world concern. It works with every apprehension I have ever encountered and it makes bearable the pain I experience when dealing with things I feel powerless to improve.

I also like words of wisdom, such as:

¨ Carefully choose what you nurse and rehearse.

¨ Magnify the problem—or magnify God. You can’t do both.

¨ The tiniest of coins, when held close to the eyes, can blot out the sun.

¨ Gratitude can change my attitude.

¨ Count your blessings—name them one by one.

¨ Sometimes we need to be in God’s PROTECTIVE CUSTODY.

¨ Use beads on a bracelet or necklace for counting blessings or for turning over worries—one by one.

¨ If Satan controls my thought life—he controls me.

¨ God can not mend a broken heart unless you give Him all the pieces.

To ponder and pray:

¨ When are you still?

¨ Name a time when you experienced the holy, the sacred, when you felt near to God.

¨ What are the enemies of stillness in your life?