Allow Your Mind to Wonder

Have you ever spent time allowing your mind to wander and wonder?

Have you ever thought about how incredible it is that you can read and decipher these words and draw meaning from them? Have you ever contemplated in amazement how your body works, maintaining itself to a large degree without any help from you? Have you taken time to contemplate what causes your heart to beat and what turned the breakfast you had this morning into skin, fingernails, and hair? Have you ever taken just a few moments to simply stare at a beautiful flower and notice the incredible patterns and colors that not even the greatest artist could re-create? Have you ever looked up at the stars and planets at night and been in awe of the expansiveness of it all, perhaps even wondering if there might be some other being on some distant planet looking back at ours at the same time, wondering the same thing? Have you ever thought about what holds the planets and stars in place? Have you ever gazed into a newborn baby’s eyes and seen the infinite presence of pure spirit looking back at you and been in awe of the fact that this being just came from the absolute essence, God? How can you or I do any of these things and not feel like an intricate and significant part of something far greater and grander than the “little me”?

I have done all these things, and I can tell you that, in part, it is what keeps me sane, grounded, and spiritually connected to God, life, and purpose when the world seems to be getting more and more crazy each day. This also includes those times when I tend to get too enmeshed in my own personal trauma dramas. Life is always manifesting purpose; all we need to do is think about the miracle of it all. So, the next time you feel as if you are getting caught up in the frenzy of the world or your personal life begins to look like a bad soap opera, take some time and consider some of the above questions. Give yourself the gift of a sacred moment in the now. With great and clear intention, contemplate and connect with the miracle of life, where God is always present. Celebrate your unity with God…and truly be in awe. The word “awe” is the root from which the word “awesome” comes…and that is what you really are. Not because I say so but because God is awesome, and what God is, so too, are you. It’s just a matter of taking time to think about the wonder of it all.

Credits

Dennis Merritt Jones, author of “The Art of Being”

August 6, 2008 · Filed Under Spiritual Growth

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Amen Crackers

Have you ever heard of “Amen Crackers”? I hadn’t either until my granddaughter, Amanda, came for a visit. Amanda is not quite two but ever since her parents taught her to pray she always prays for each individual thing on her plate.

One evening at suppertime Amanda was in the high chair and I went over to the kitchen counter to fill her plate. Her Mother had put three small crackers on her high chair tray to give her something to eat while I fixed her plate. I watched as she bowed her head and touched the first cracker with her index finger and said, “Amen cracker”. She touched the next cracker and said, “Amen cracker”, and then she went to the last cracker, touching it, and again saying, “Amen cracker”. She thought the tiny crackers were her supper so she was saying her prayers.

Amanda has figured out that prayers have an “Amen” in them but sometimes she gets the “Amen” at the beginning instead of at the end of her prayers.

I got to thinking about the word, “Amen” and I found that in Hebrew the word “Amen” means to confirm and it is spoken to state, “so be it.” When we end our prayers with “Amen” we are reaffirming our dedication to God. Sometimes church members or congregations say, “Amen,” to show confirmation or agreement when something powerful is spoken from the Word of God.

Amanda’s prayer might seem very simple but maybe she wasn’t so far off in what she was doing because she would have been confirming her dedication to God first of all instead of at the end. At any rate, we can gain wisdom from “the mouths of babes.” I learned several things from Amanda and her “Amen Crackers.”

- I learned that prayer should be a priority.
- I learned that whatever is on my “plate” I should be thankful for it.
- I learned I should keep it simple and be specific.
- I learned to have faith and trust God even when all I have is three crackers.
- I learned it is best to tend to my own crackers that have been provided for me and allow God to fill my plate.
- I learned to be patient. Even if I’m sitting in a high chair, I can’t see what is going on in God’s kitchen from where I sit.
- I learned to thank God for the small things, and not complain, even if all I have is crackers.
- I learned it doesn’t matter if you get the prayer backwards, God hears our hearts.

Have you thanked God for the crackers in your life?
Credits

Pamela Perry Blaine -
Pamela lives in Missouri and writes “Pam’s Corner” for her local newspaper. Many stories have been published in magazines, newspapers, and books. She is church pianist and has a CD of songs she has written. Her goal is to write to encourage and to preserve family history for her children. Feel free to visit her website at: www.blaines.us/pamyplace.htm

August 6, 2008 · Filed Under Spiritual Growth

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