Today, accept that you are loved and lovable. Know that Love itself gives you the ability to accept this truth and has power to defend you from any suggestion otherwise.
Embrace others in this truth, as well.
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For many of us, our greatest suffering comes from our secret, sneaking suspicion that we are not loved or lovable. It is often a quiet, hidden belief, without words, so we don't even realize it is there, shaping our thoughts, actions, and feelings. The belief is also untrue. This is a great tragedy.
Today, accept that you are loved and lovable. Know that Love itself gives you the ability to accept this truth and has power to defend you from any suggestion otherwise. Embrace others in this truth, as well.
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From II Corinthians: "And God is able to make all grace abound to you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."
Today, know that grace is both a gentleness and a great power present with you. It abounds - or overflows. Open yourself to what grace is providing you: ideas, creativity, strength, and deep calm. Grace has made you capable. Today, do more listening to Love and less listening to your human opinions. Don't get caught in gossip or outrage or analysis. Instead, hold situations, people, and yourself in Love until you feel Love's calming, powerful presence. Even if you can't yet feel the presence, the act of acknowledging Love, or even just desiring to acknowledge Love, has great power and effectiveness.
For many of us, the devil, if there is such a thing, does not visit with temptations of glamorous or depraved sins. Instead, the devil whispers self-doubts where they aren't deserved: that we have failed when we haven't, that we haven't met an imaginary standard. Today, stand up to self-doubt. Be more firm and confident in defense of yourself.
Jesus says to his disciples, "When I was hungry, you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you cared for me. I was in prison and you visited me."
Confused, they answer, "When did we do that?" He replies, "Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters you did for me." Today, see and serve the Christ present in everyone you meet. And don't forget yourself. Honor the Christ inside you. Feed and clothe and care for yourself. When you feel imprisoned, visit yourself in that challenging place, with great kindness and respect. Treat yourself as if you were an honored, beloved guest. From Buddhist teacher and hospice worker Frank Ostaseki's book The Five Invitations:
Frank, who had a traumatic childhood, discovered inside of himself "an essential love that was reliable, vast, and undamaged." He says, "Love has been my mentor. Love itself has taught me to love." This kind of love, "exists before and beyond conditions. It is not something to be achieved by our personalities. It is not an idealistic love to be attained by following a certain path, not is it the result of reaching a special spiritual state. It is always present. In a way, it is the background for all experience, the very essence of our being." "Because this love lives within us, it is always available. It is available to help us face the stuck, wounded, rejected aspects of ourselves and to meet the challenges that are yet to come. Dissolving our defenses, it enables us to grapple with the demons of negative self-image, shame, confusion, and unresolved loss, rather than continuing to avoid them. Then we can heal." Feel the presence of Love's unconditional love with you now. Imagine you are being hugged by that Love. You don't have to earn it. You don't have to accomplish anything before you receive it. You don't have to change anything about yourself. You don't have to fix any past mistakes. You don't have to make any promises for the future. We can resist this kind of love, because we think we don't deserve it or are afraid to open ourselves to it--we fear being vulnerable or that our trust will be betrayed. But Love itself gives us the ability to accept and receive love.
Taking time to be hugged by Love is not self-indulgent, because when we feel filled and restored by Love, we are more likely to have the wisdom, intuition, and energy to be of real service. Seeing the world through the lens of the media, we are bombarded with a sense of chaos and senseless suffering, that can make us feel hopeless. But those news reports are not more real than the evidence right before your eyes of good people doing good work every day. Today, notice all acts, large and small, of selfless service and love. Notice kindness. Notice ethical behavior. Notice those who do their work thoroughly and without complaint. Although these acts rarely make the news, nevertheless, they are of great, though underestimated, power. The thousand little acts of generous, reliable people do shape our universe.
Today, whatever your struggles, when they rise to mind, pause to pray for others with the same struggles. Physical pain. Fears about the future or our communities. Body image issues. Loneliness. A decision to make. Traumatic memories. A compulsion or addiction. Feel Love's embracing support and fierce, unconditional love attending to you all.
This can break the sense of isolation, rumination, and internal focus which exacerbates our suffering - and the prayers might be of real, sustaining support for others. Today, don't try so hard.
Today, hold your flaws, failings, and fear with tenderness. |
AuthorTarn Wilson is the author of the memoir The Slow Farm and numerous essays. You may read more of her work at tarnwilson.com. Archives
September 2020
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