Discernment is a tool in our spiritual arsenal – one of the Holy Spirit gifts to us. It guides us to the will of God, which is to say the best possible outcome for us.
This year I choose blossom as my Word because it represents my intention to grow from the roots I planted as a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5) and build back what was broken through the vehicle of relationship.
It was the morning of the most important interview of my career; with emotions running haywire and hormones adding a dizzying effect, I decided that I just couldn't go to my interview that afternoon. The fear shouted so loudly that I couldn't hear the voice of wisdom that knew to show up despite the very big feelings. This was my dream job, after all!
God recently revealed to me that I am holding onto the weight of my past. By holding onto my past, I’m not only carrying around a weight I was never meant to carry, but I am blocking the blessings of God’s plan for me in the future. So today I ask you: What weight are you carrying that is hindering your upward momentum?
Covid-19 caught nearly all of us by surprise, leaving us ripped of our routines, schedules and normal circumstances — everything we typically rely on for stability and consistency. If we weren’t already prone to or struggling with depression, COVID-19 certainly stirred up prime circumstances for depression to show up (many of us without any prior experience with mental illness or the coping skills to deal with it in healthy ways).
We often go through life on autopilot without ever questioning our motivations. The beauty of life is we have the ability to shift gears into manual mode. Manual mode is tough; the road is paved with unknown twists and turns and even bridges are missing that must be built.
Some people never turn on this mode because it is very tough to maneuver. With the option of auto, who would want to learn manual?
One of my favorite Buddhist teachings on the lotus flower reminds me that we must lean into our pain and suffering.
Without suffering, there's no happiness. So we shouldn't discriminate against the mud. We have to learn how to embrace and cradle our own suffering and the suffering of the world, with a lot of tenderness.
-Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering
We are constantly bombarded by suffering, either our own or the collective world's agony. The tragedy in Istanbul along with personal, familial obstacles reminds me to lean into such occurrences and whatever feelings arise from them.
