"April
Showers Bring May Flowers"
I have always loved this little rhyme that I learned in childhood. This
little rhyme brings thoughts and feelings of cleansing, beauty, and
bright promise.What this little rhyme means to me now is that not only
does a lovely Spring rain bring much needed water to Mother Earth’s
many plants and animals, but this blessed rain so often brings a much
needed emotional cleansing to our hearts and minds and bodies as well.
Rain brings the promise of new life, growth, beauty. Rain softens the
Earth so "intake" can happen. Emotional rain softens our hearts too.
As always, too much rain brings mold!!! Too much atmospheric change
brings tornadoes both in the sky and in our emotional lives. Nature
calls us to balance as always!!! Nature also calls us to love and beauty
and joy!!!
I heard
a call to this love and beauty and joy as I listened to retired Episcopal
Bishop John Shelby Spong speak to a packed audience in Kansas City last
night. I cried as I heard him say that we have confused the definition
of God with the experience of God!!! We have made the definition of
God so small, Bishop Spong said, the definition is now "both immoral
and unbelievable". I couldn’t agree more!!!!! If we relegate "God" to
some distant, outward, in the sky, judgmental Being, rather than experience
"God" as a living Presence that emanates the love of Jesus in our lives
then we have truly missed the boat. Again, I couldn’t agree more!!!
His message serves as an awesomely powerful reminder to me to not let
one single moment of "negativity" and pain define the entirety of my
life. Even if there have been many moments of profound pain these moments
do not define the entirety of my life, any more than they define my
experience of "God"!!! In order to make my life a living, loving Presence,
as Jesus did, Bishop Spong’s message reminds me to love no matter what!!!!!!
That’s how to be the fullness of Life that we are meant to be in this
lifetime. Each moment I’m living this Presence better and better. I’m
acknowledging this Presence as the very essence of my life too!!!! It’s
a gift for all of us!
As that
Presence becomes "second nature" to me I can stand softly in the moment
and peacefully honor the reality that someone or many someones don’t
agree with me and truly not be threatened by the difference of opinion.
My entire identity is not bound up in a difference of opinion!!! My
very life will not disappear if someone disagrees with me! I can stand
softly present and realize there’s room for a multiplicity of opinions
and there’s more than enough room for everyone!!! I truly know and cherish
that this magnanimous Presence of Being holds the essence and experience
of world peace! As we "step more fully into our humanity" as Bishop
Spong invites us to do I truly know that peace and love and joy will
inhabit our lives and transform our lives as surely as the gentle April
showers do. We will bring to our lives a love and joy and peace that
will unfailingly radiate the essence of Love, Peace, and Joy that we
truly are. I am ready to step into the fullness of my humanity so that
my life expresses the purity of intention of an April shower bringing
forth May flowers!!! Blessings to you!!!
To Return to
the Website, Minimize or close this Window.