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GraceNotes: Holding the Space for … Reflection
#38 — June 1, 2015 |
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Come and follow… plunge into the incomparable bliss of the spiritual life and abide in it. — The Anguttara Nikaya Greetings, Inspired Seekers: I have been pondering the “spiritual life” for some time now. What does it mean to live a spiritual life? Really? Well, it probably means many different things to all of us but, at its root, it means to live it - not merely talk about it or study it or set aside one day a week to participate in a sacred ritual or two. And living it is challenging. At least for me. At least on some days. Daily meditation is not enough. There is a reason it’s called “a practice.” Many faith traditions speak of the need for living faith. The Buddhist quote above invites us to “plunge into the spiritual life and abide in it.” I love that word - abide - I wish we used it more. Jesus used that word when he said, “Abide in me and I in you.” From the Taoist tradition, we read, “Fish need to get lost in water. People need to get lost in the Tao.” I don’t like getting lost. It is not easy to plunge in; and abiding with The Christ Within sometimes makes me nervous. Because I fail. Because I make mistakes. Because sometimes, instead of plunging, I want to stay on dry land. Note the word “dry.” As in parched. And yet, as spiritual seekers and beings who are both human and Divine, we must find that balance. That symbiosis. That communion. For there is where we live our best humanity and our deepest Divinity. At one. With everything. In the messiness of life, in TheSpaceforGrace. Surrounded and engulfed in all that is sacred and secular, the worlds blur. There are no boundaries. There is the holiness, beckoning us to fully enter; to take a deep dive and to lose ourselves in the waters of grace. It is in the application to our lives that we grow and thrive. It is in the living that we change. It benefits no one if all we do is study. Or read. Or talk. Or watch. We need to jump in and live. We need to Abide. Grace-Fully Yours, Monthly Affirmation: Each day I abide in the sacred, I breathe in my Creator’s grace and plunge into the world trusting in the balance that will flow. The Reverend Dr. Deborah Darlington creates sacred ceremonies for people of all traditions that reflect and honor the beliefs they abide in. Give her a call at 215 260 1611 or email her at GraceMatters@TheSpaceForGrace.com and celebrate getting lost in grace! |
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