beWARM

As Thanksgiving  (my favorite holiday) approaches, I realize that abundance comes in different flavors.

We will spend this day of gratefulness in Nagaland, India on an MMI eye project. I would imagine that our yearnings for  stuffed fowl would be a distant thought once we begin our work there.

It is our hope that the efforts of our eye team will bring visual bounty to the villagers where we will set up our clinic – a joyful repast of a different sort.

Not to say I won’t miss the intoxicating smell of roasting turkey, the ample assortment of  delicious accompaniments, and – most of all – the love and laughter shared at the table.

How fortunate we are to live in the land of plenty!

In celebration of this precious holiday, I would like to share this writing that a friend sent me many years ago.

As we revel in the heavenly flavors of food – and life – let us vow to embrace the cornucopia of hopeful and positive attitudes.

And…be sure to chomp some turkey and stuffing for me…

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Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ dwelling in them.
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of life.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.
Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God.
Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.
Fast from worry; feast on divine order.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.
Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility; feast on non-resistance.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from discouragements; feast on hope.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on verities that uplift.
Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity.
Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.
Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that undergirds.

~William Arthur Ward (American author, teacher and pastor, 1921-1994.)

Who would have ever thought that the lack of sound would become a rare and precious commodity?

Evidently, some folks in Ocean City, New Jersey value the lack of noise enough to host a Quiet Festival, scheduled from November 8-15.  And this event has been going on for 15 years.

Perusing the Festival schedule, I discovered that making and flying paper airplanes, beading, and maple pod spinning were among some of the offerings. I can’t remember the last time I tried to make a maple pod twirl…if ever.

I suppose that total silence would be an unrealistic expectation; music and poetry in their gentler forms are interspersed among the activities.

Flying home after a few days amidst the Disney delirium in Orlando was when I read about this quirky event. We bypassed the park this trip, preferring our next encounter with Mickey to be when our grandchildren are of age.

In the Land of Fantasy, a bit of distance from the attractions only slightly diminishes the palpable thrills so readily available.

That must have been why the decibel levels in some restaurants were so high that we were practically shouting to carry on a  conversation.  Though we adjusted to this massive buzzing, it managed to drain our vocal resources by the end of the evenings.

Why does loudness seem to be the norm nowadays? Television, movies, and sporting events have all cranked up the volume.

Is this what people really want? Or is our affinity for noise just masking our fear of silence?

I long more and more to be able to hear myself think.

Silence and solitude give me that opportunity – and, even better, help me to listen.

Add contemplative prayer to the mix, and – wonder of wonders – the voice of God enters in.

The prevailing calm soothes, the mind fog dissipates.

I breathe…and give thanks to the God who restores peace, banishing confusion.

There is greater satisfaction in these moment of nothingness than in accomplishing every task I had on my to-do list.

I applaud the organizers of the Quiet Festival; they are trying to counteract the effects of our over-stimulated and noisy world. Since getting to New Jersey next week isn’t too likely for any of us, I encourage you to have a festival of your own.

Be more mindful of silence and stillness.  Think about how you can add some to your day.

Maybe you can even treat yourself to some quiet time with God.

Why does God use silence to touch us? Because God is not domineering and does not ordinarily force people to pay attention to Him. We become so busy running our lives that we become oblivious to the Spirit of God. ~ Jan Johnson, When the Soul Listens

Search for the Lord and for His strength; continually seek Him. ~Psalm 105:4

Love hurts…especially when its expression comes in the form of verbage colored with angry overtones. During such encounters, my discomfort prompts me to elicit defensive retorts in protection of my wounded ego.

I have difficulty composing my thoughts under such pressure, and often my responses do the thing I least want them to do – fan the flames that are already scorchingly uncomfortable.

When such incidents occur unexpectedly, I am really thrown for a loop.

And so, I make statements that I wish I hadn’t.

Ouch.

Not one to embrace conflict, I usually steer clear of potential emotional minefields, always playing it safe. So when a couple of conversations took a sudden turn during these past few months, I felt as if I had stepped into a situational snakepit.

How could this be happening?  What did I do that brought on such vehemence?

And reacting without thinking clearly can leave a residue difficult for even the most powerful cleanser to remove.

Why didn’t I respond more calmly?  How could I let myself get so rattled?  That’s not really what I meant to say.

The funny thing is, after replaying the conversation later, I begin to realize that some of those stinging remarks were (gulp) true.

I wasn’t seeing the whole picture.  I had been distracted enough not to be truly listening.

Wow.

I much prefer God’s gentler messages.  But perhaps the intensity of the delivery is commensurate with His desire for me to hear Him.

Okay Lord, you have my attention.

Speaking the truth doesn’t always get the reaction we’d like, especially if it is colored by fear and doubt – and in turn, hearing the truth coated with disappointment and anger isn’t very palatable.

But the fact remains…God continues to show us what is good and true – and He doesn’t give up when we don’t get it for the umpteenth time.

I have forced myself to reflect on how my words and actions (or lack thereof) have affected others. And I will continue to spend time thinking and praying about what I need to change.

Above all, I thank the messengers.  Beyond the style of delivery, the truth of their comments prevails.

And love – God’s perfect and complete love – allows healing and forgiveness.

And that’s The Truth.

An essential part of true listening is the discipline of bracketing, the temporary giving up or setting aside of one’s own prejudices, frames of reference and desires so as to experience as far as possible the speaker’s world from the inside, step in inside his or her shoes. This unification of speaker and listener is actually an extension and enlargement of ourselves, and new knowledge is always gained from this. Moreover, since true listening involves bracketing, a setting aside of the self, it also temporarily involves a total acceptance of the other. Sensing this acceptance, the speaker will feel less and less vulnerable and more and more inclined to open up the inner recesses of his or her mind to the listener. As this happens, speaker and listener begin to appreciate each other more and more, and the duet dance of love is begun again. ~ M. Scott Peck, MD

During yesterday’s spin class, I continued to mentally meander around the Turkish countryside.  Another post took shape as I pedaled along.

Here is my true confession:  I came back from the trip wearing the results of my culinary indiscretions. Those tempting Turkish B & B’s – bread and baklava – were just too yummy to resist.

An additional pitfall – the decadent and delicious Magnum ice cream bars available on the streets, and at every rest stop. Our group of 12 affectionately called these our daily dose of “Vitamin M”.

And so…I fight the continuing battle of the bulge – a small price to pay for an incredible experience.  Hopefully I can shed a few extra layers before too long.

Focusing on the “losing” helped me remember another of my “moments” during the trip.

This one occurred while we were visiting the magnificent cave dwellings and churches in Cappodocia, one of the wonders of the natural world. The early Christians carved homes out of the rocks where they could easily hide from  Roman soldiers.

I so admire the commitment and dedication of these Christians that kept them steadfastly devoted to the Lord, in spite of the inherent dangers they faced. What courage!

I wondered if I would have been so brave – and I could only hope that my faith would have been strong enough to help me  do so.

As I contemplated the losses these early followers of Christ must have suffered, God spoke to me.  What He said appeared in all capital letters, and in boldface:

“DON’T THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE LOST…THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE GAINED.”

Wow… God sure is the ultimate mind-reader!  And He  knows just when to give me a good wallop of truth.

In past months, I have given a good deal of attention to loss – in terms of a broken family relationship, and other temporal things.  God’s part in this had drifted into the background.

And yet…after I heard these words, the picture became so clear. I immediately thanked God for sharing this message, thereby helping me be fully aware  – once again – that He has His reasons for everything.

The weight of this realization serves as a foundation that can steady me in all situations, deepen my faith, and allow a grateful heart to color all experiences.

So in the grand scheme, what’s a little extra pudge?

A more important loss would be my self-focus.

And… we can never over-indulge in getting closer to God.

Sweet.

If you make problem-solving secondary to the goal of living close to Me, you can find joy even in your most difficult days. ~ from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

I am still a neophyte when it comes to Scripture; it seems as though I have just scratched the surface of this Book of All Books.

However, since  traveling to Turkey and following the steps of St. Paul, certain passages and books of the Bible have come to life. Being able visualize Paul’s surroundings and learn more about the challenges he faced was a blessing and encouragement to my own walk of faith.

Every trip has a couple of “moments” that float to the top of the “best memories” list. Mine occurred after climbing to the top of a hill in Colossae.

After reaching the top, Joey, taking photos of the lower section, called out from down below, “What’s up there?”

Lifting my arms skyward, I laughingly said, “Just me!”

Later, I reflected on that remark – and that huge mound of dirt piled up over an ancient city.

The artifacts hidden below hold the story of Colossae in the early centuries A.D.  Such mystery and promise!

Colossae was not a city that St. Paul visited, and it did not have the prominance of nearby cities such as Laodecia and Hieropolis – but it was significant enough that Paul, while imprisoned, wrote his letter to the Colossians.

My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ. ~ Colossians 2:2

As we all strive to become closer to God, it is exciting to consider what has yet to be revealed in our lives. How many times has He astonished us with His providence, His mercifulness!

We can wait in joyful expectancy and trust, knowing that there are still a multitude of discoveries ahead.

What treasures might we find once we start digging deep within? Will we find hidden talents – or known abilities that are not being used fully?  What “junk” can we unearth and discard that we have been holding on to?

The prospects are endless…

Colossae sits quiet, waiting. It will be up to someone else to begin the digging.

But for “uncovering” ourselves – we have all the tools we need…

We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. ~Colossians 1:15-17   (The Message)