It is not yet fall, just coming to the end of a very dry summer. The wind is softly moving the trees, the leaves are already beginning to change color; I am watching them flutter to the ground -- as if there is no hurry -- this is just the invitation of the moment.
My mind goes back to what seemed the endless winter when I watched the leaf buds begin to appear in these trees-- the miracle of the return to life from apparent death. The buds gradually unfolded and filled the trees and provided us with welcome shade through the hot summer days. Unseen, they drank in water, absorbed the sunshine, manufactured food for their host tree, and now, their task accomplished, they're cut off from the tree and fall to the earth to return to the dirt that will be part of the food for the next season of leaves.
Life, death, resurrection --the cycle God set up in all He created. Day and night, the moon's waxing and waning, the ocean tides, the seasons -- there is a quiet continuity to life on earth, that all seem to flow with, except for us humans.
From the child who can't wait to grow up to the young adult facing responsibilities of adult life and wishing he was still a child: from the businessperson working long hours and longing for retirement to the retired person trying to find purpose in what seems like endless empty days….
I wonder what today looks like for you. Stop for a moment in stillness and think about your life…not what you wish would happen, not what you long for, not what you hope tomorrow will bring...but today, this day.
Today with its challenges, whatever they may be. Today with its possibilities. Today with its gifts.
Possibilities?
Gifts?
Really…?
I invite you to take a moment to be still and allow God to be present with you, to open your eyes to what is around you. Is there an invitation for you in thinking of the leaves of that tree—to consider the purpose of this moment in time and to let this moment be enough in itself?
Is there a way to look at what is happening in your life from a different perspective? Paul, in his letter to the Christians at Philippi, encourages them to meditate on “things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious --the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise not things to curse.” (from The Message translation.) What in your life fits within any of these ideas? Becoming aware of God’s presence with you and His heart towards you can change how you look at your life, open possibilities, and help you recognize the gifts of today.
I wonder if you have ever thought of gratitude as a spiritual practice. Are you old enough to know that old children’s chorus: “Count your blessings, name them one by one…and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”? Being grateful for what is invites awareness of God’s love for you.
The invitation from God is to live your life fully in response to His purpose for you. I encourage you to reach out for the help you need to fulfill your life.
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