Author: evetureknaturephotography@gmail.com

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Loving my life

I just sat down, well I have been sitting, I guess I mean, I just stopped from placing inventory orders in order to (order, see that, I have order on the brain!), in order to catch my breath and talk to You and the instant I did that, I heard a chorus in my head of Hail, hail, the gang’s all here! So I guess I want to start by thanking You for my tribe. Really, God, thank You. I have such incredible support, staff, artists, friends, Pete–sometimes I almost feel guilty for being so blessed.

Guilty?

You know how sometimes folks say this or that isn’t fair? Well, how is it fair that I have so much in my life?

Eve, what you are grateful for, and your attitude of gratitude itself, that was, is, My Plan, My Desire, for all of humanity. What isn’t fair, as you say, is that anyone on the planet lacks. And yet so many do.

God, yes. I was talking about that in a roundabout way with a friend today. We were both talking about folks we care about whose lives seem…what is the word I want? Not harder than ours, exactly. I mean, we have both seen our share and more than our share it seems, at times, of hardship–but we love life. We do. We love not only life, but our own lives. We love the possibilities in each new day. We love the mystery and wonder. I told her, I can be distracted away from trouble or sorrow in a minute, just by the flash of light on the water, or wings darting past my window. I am so in love with this big beautiful world, even on the days it seems small and not so beautiful. I just love it here.

This is all I ever wanted for My Children–and remember, when I say, My Children, I mean every single person. Or as your headline writers put it at times, for emphasis: Every. Single. Person. All of you. Or, speaking southern, all y’all.

Oh, God, You are too funny? All y’all? Really?

People assume I have no humor. How can they think such a thing!

There is joy in humor, Lord. Not the kind that puts others down. The kind that laughs for the sheer exuberance of it.

That is the joy I mean you to have. There are those who look for, and expect, and find, every single day, something to complain about. Something to be upset about. Something to get angry about. There are also those who look for and expect and find, every single day, something to rejoice about. Something to give thanks for. Something to smile and laugh over. That is who you have become, and it is beautiful to see. You shine, now. You do.

God, You did that. You did. It took a long, long time. And I cry sometimes still.

Of course you do. But even through your tears, you shine.

So I guess all I really wanted to say, here at the end of the day, is thank You. Thank You and I love You.

You are welcome. And I love you, too.

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Stone of Seeing

I’m gong on a journey, and…that is what another move feels like. That combination of excitement, some fatigue, a little apprehension. Every day a journey, and I think that sums up how I approach every day, actually. And when I say it that way, I see “a little apprehension” as a disconnect. A feeling of but-what-if that is peering ahead at possible negatives. So, God, what is a better response? Not foolhardiness, obviously. Not neglecting wisdom or discernment.

A better response? How about faith. Faith says, “I don’t know the future but I have confidence that…” So, how would you complete the sentence?

Me? Now? Well, I have confidence that You are with me, and that You are guiding me, guiding us. I am still making choices but I can choose from a position of being guided–and that guidance, it’s based on values more than on specific outcomes, I just realized.

Yes, if you are leading with Love and following Love, then you are on a good path. Faith reminds you also that you are not alone, you do have companions.

So…Faith doesn’t guarantee a specific outcome?

Faith guarantees an ultimate outcome but leaves room for life. And that sentence can be read in so many ways! Some read it to mean, a future bliss and plenty of trouble and suffering now. Some read it to mean, God is interested only in the hereafter but the here and now is all up to us and our own effort. What I Am trying to help you understand is this: Faith is not a magic wand. It is more like a Seeing Stone. Faith can help you pick out a path based on the direction you want to walk. You have chosen to walk in Love, now. In Peace, now. And you long to walk in Joy, now. You have chosen to walk Connected, now. Leaving room for life means that you retain the power of choice–and that you remain open to the surprises you like to call serendipity or synchronicity. Faith does not demand a lockstep, predetermined, predestined pace or path. Faith is more interested in relationships than anything else.

So what is the ultimate outcome? Heaven?

The ultimate outcome is full union with Me, yes, as Love Eternal, Love Incarnate, Love Undying. And the ultimate outcome is My Will, manifest. That is true Manifest Destiny. Everyone is destined to be loved completely, sooner or later, here or in eternity. Blessed are the ones who can embrace this reality now. Their lives are easier, not because nothing hard ever happens to them, but because they are companioned through everything.

So, Lord, when I say, I am led by You, what does that mean, exactly? From Your perspective?

It means I view you as a seeker, a seeker of good, a seeker of the highest, best, most loving life for yourself and for those your life touches, however briefly or long. And since those who seek, find–that is spiritual law–it means that your searching is neither empty nor in vain. It means that when you consider multiple paths and multiple outcomes, you will feel nudges and promptings in just the same way you sometimes sense that there is a photograph waiting, a moment waiting for your presence. So you go, and in fact, there is. You tend to ask out of a heart that seeks to find its place in the larger world, amidst all the other hearts asking or vying for their own spots. You don’t begrudge others their paths; you seek to be true to yourself and find the path most in line with your values and your longings to give.

That’s true.

So that kind of commitment inevitably draws to itself the appropriate match, in circumstances, in opportunities, in people. What you have to give matches what the larger world needs in very specific ways and times and circumstances, like the pieces of a puzzle fit together. It doesn’t have to be hard. Your peace and your discernment tell you when something is not a good match or no longer fits.

That is true, too. 

So that is what being led is like. I see and hear and observe and feel your heart. Sometimes I sense when your thought is out of line with your heart. It is those times when you feel most disconnected from yourself, from life, from others, from Me. You think I have withdrawn but I Am actually drawing even closer, in human terms, in those moments, at the ready when you turn and seek once again with your heart. That is why Faith is like a Seeing Stone. You seek, and then you see. And that prompts deeper and wider seeking and seeing.

Thank You Lord. I think I understand a little bit.

Don’t worry too much about “understanding.” True faith like true peace is beyond the understanding. Just go with what you feel and what you know. Don’t worry about pitfalls or rockslides. Your discernment will let you know when it is time to change course.

Like this move, Lord! Talk about synchronicity and serendipity! I say, it seems as if we are being led…and it is true, I felt it. I sensed it. And then I heard it, in my heart. And then the door opened in circumstance. And then literally!

You can trust your feelings. There is an entire body of teaching in the church that says you cannot, that your feelings are unreliable at best or evil at worst. I gave humanity feeling and emotion. It is a GIFT, not a curse. Use this gift as you would use any other gift, in the service of Love, and you will never regret your choices.

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Making Moments

Lord, some days I feel like a yo-yo–work, rest. Family, solitude. Creative, I can’t think of the right word for what I want to say. Creative…all the words I can come up with are negative words and that is not exactly what I mean. I think I mean, there are days I feel innovative, alert to possibility and to the light itself, and there are other days I feel very close-focused and the focus is detail-oriented, task-driven, necessary but not necessarily what I would call creative. There is an energy input, I will say, when I am being creative, and there is an energy output, let’s say, when I am occupied with all the background tasks of making a business life successful. Hence the yo-yo. Maybe that is not such a bad thing. Balance, right?

Balance, yes. Your challenge is that you tend to view your life in larger increments of time, and you plan to balance work now, and details now, and tasks now, with rest and refreshing and creative expressions later. And “later” doesn’t always balance out. Your challenge is to build your later into your now. Find ways to incorporate refreshment and relaxation, creative flow and time with family and friends, in the middle of the days that demand an immediate, detailed, task-oriented focus.

Ok, so, how in the world do I do that? I manage to find moments with You. Thankfully, You are Yourself, meaning, always Present. So I can talk to You at midnight, say, or while in the middle of doing something else, say, or driving, say, really anywhere, anytime–but I can’t necessarily relax anywhere anytime, and I sure can’t take creative time (which does take time and attention) and I sure can’t simultaneously get the shop ready to open and spend unstructured time, say, walking the beach or enjoying a long, lazy talk with a friend. I’m missing something, aren’t I? There is a third way I am not seeing, isn’t there?

You are living either/or again instead of both/and. The key is something you have done before, and that is to allow yourself moments in every day, as I told you before, to connect–you are faithfully connecting with Me, but you need moments to connect with yourself, and to connect with family, and to connect with friends.

Ok, here is the problem I see with that idea. Moments are just that, they are brief and elusive, and they don’t seem to have much value, all by themselves unless you string them together into hours or days or weeks or…

Stop. Take a breath. How long did that take?

I dunno. A moment? Oh. Clever.

That momentary breath, your inhale, your exhale, sustains you, literally keeps you alive. So do your little glances back and forth with Pete, your little hugs, your little kisses, your daily I-love-you’s. You haven’t had a vacation together away in more than three years. Yet your love continues to grow and be sustained by the daily moments of intention you both give to that love and to each other.

OK, point taken. And that absolutely works here, with Pete.

It would work with you, too–with yourself. Just give yourself a few minutes of attention. Check in with your body, are you warm, cold, thirsty, hungry? Check in with your emotions, and don’t brush them off, whatever they are. If you are feeling joyful and excited, then enjoy that! Really feel the feeling of the accomplishments you are making now, in your working days. If you are feeling worried or stressed, you don’t have to obsess on that in order to honor the feeling–but be willing to bring that feeling to the forefront so that you can take action based on its prompting. When you rush past joy, you diminish it. When you try to push past worry or stress, you magnify it. You already pay momentary mindful attention to nature, so you know how to do this.

What about friends, Lord? I have friendships I sustain in a series of moments. I’m thinking of friends who are long-distance, some extremely long-distance. But You help us stay connected, even if we are physically apart. It’s really something, how that works. Are You saying I can rely on that type of connection even in the busier times?

You already do. As you just said, you have friendships you have sustained in just this way, where distance separates you physically but your hearts are joined and every moment of contact just strengthens and reinforces the bond. Don’t neglect the moment just because you cannot spend hours. Don’t neglect the contact just because it will be brief. Don’t be all-or-nothing, either/or, in your thinking.  Living in the Moment means living in the Moment with Me, with yourself, with nature, with family, with friends. Make Moments. They in turn will make your life.

 

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Foundations

Lord, You know we are in the middle of a nor’easter–an odd nor’easter in that we have no rain, but high surf from offshore winds. States to the north are getting pounded with flooding, and watching at the pier today made me think of what You said about building on sand. Our whole island is built on sand!

Do you know what the difference is between building on sand and building on rock?

Yes, the houses built on sand fall in and the ones on rock stand. That is what the parable says. And the building on rock is shorthand for building on You, on Your Word. On what You say.

Step back a minute. A tsunami wave broadside would shatter even a house built on rock. The key is in the foundation. A nor’easter can pull a sand foundation out from under a house, no matter how well built the house itself is. Its sandy foundation is subject to erosion, whereas a rock foundation is more secure. That is the literal meaning of the parable. People assume the parable means that building your life on principles of faith mean that no tragedy, no hardship, will hit the house. But what it really means is that, no matter what waves come, the foundation–the relationship of a life lived in union with Me, based on My Love–is secure. So let Me ask you a hard question. When Pete was first diagnosed back in 2011, did you blame Me?

No, of course not! I mean, I didn’t believe then, and I don’t believe now, that You caused that.

And you are right. I did not. But was I present to you, to both of you, in and through that?

Yes, you were. That was hard. Losing Patrick, that was in some ways harder, certainly harder on Pete. But You, You were always there. And we had each other.

So the highest waves you two have faced together did not topple your love for one another or your certainty of My Love for you and My Presence with you. You are built on solid rock. You built your lives together on Love, My Love, and your love for each other. Your grief and fear were very real, and you will feel elements of both of those as long as you live together. So it can be said that your house shook, your emotions shook, when those waves came, but your foundation never eroded.

No, and in some odd ways, all of that just made our foundation stronger. I guess because we faced that together. Separately, in that those situations had different effects on each of us, but we still faced it all together. We walked through it separately, together. If that makes sense.

So here is what I want you to remember. There is no wave, no storm, no situation that will pull your foundation out from under you. Not from you, as an individual. Not from you two as a couple. Take that to heart. Really take that in. That will give you peace.

 

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Flow

Lord, my friend from halfway around the world, she wrote, said she was praying for me, talked specifics which she could not know on her own, only from You. Why did You do that?

I want you to know, by experience, that there is no distance when it comes to My Spirit. No distance, no separation of time, no boundary.

Lord, she felt led to pray for health, for me. God, this is really hard to say. I was just reading back in an older journal, four years ago in fact, when we were moving into our new location, and I got word of the award for Meditation, and You said a keyword for me then was Receive. So this is my perennial struggle. How can I ask, how can I receive, when it seems as if others don’t?

Don’t?

Don’t receive. What gives me the…what? Blessing? What gives me the right to a blessing that others need, too? How can I say yes to receiving?

By your logic, the world would be reduced, not enlarged. Everyone would have to grow smaller and diminish. The world would shrink, and shrivel, instead of thriving and expanding.

But…but it is hard to talk about Your blessing, of any kind, of saying, I believe I have received x-y-z, it is hard to express outward gratitude, not because I am not grateful, but I am painfully aware, and I mean painfully, of folks whose circumstances are more difficult than mine. So I tend to want to hold back.

I have told you before, the best evidence is a good and consistent example of the life I mean for humans to enjoy. If you decide to model sickness, stress, hunger, poverty, as a result of joining your life with Mine, what does that say about Who I Am? It says one of these things: I have no power, I have no interest, or I have no compassion. It says, I am sorry but I cannot help you; or, I have power but I really don’t care what happens to you; or, I have power, and I care what happens to you, but you are not worthy of My blessing, because I Am the Great Withholder, instead of the Great Giver.

Okay, so what is the great obstacle then to receiving? Why don’t more receive?

Look at yourself. You think up all sorts of reasons why you “cannot” receive. Some have to do with you, some have to do with others and what they think, some you believe–erroneously–have to do with Me. I want you to picture once more My Will as a compass. I want you to picture My Will pointing toward a direction, and on the path of that direction is everything a human being needs to thrive during a lifetime here. Think about that for a minute. Everything a human being needs to thrive. That means nurture from the moment birth-parents realize they will have a child. That means nurture from birth into childhood, through school years and beyond. That means health and a sustainable life out of poverty. That means safety–in the home, on the street, in the larger world. That was My Original Plan. So that is My Will. When Jesus came, did He ever, even once, refuse to heal on the grounds that it was My Will that the person be ill? Did He ever say, I am sorry, but this sickness is from God, and you must just bear it? Did He declare, this will make you stronger and increase your character? Or did He say, over and over, in word and gesture, I Am Willing, be healed. Rise up. Stretch forth your hand. Take up your bed and walk. Be cleansed. Be whole. Be strengthened. Be well. Blind eyes, see. Lame limbs, leap. Mute tongues, speak and praise God. What did He do? What did He say? And Whom did He say He represented on your earth?

Now, picture that compass, pointing a direction. And picture magnets, powerful magnets, called public opinion, ignorance, bigotry, prejudice pulling humanity off course. Picture magnets of leadership gone awry, wanting control more than wanting to serve–both in and out of what calls itself My Church, a community that was originally intended to replicate Jesus’ message and modus operandi. And what was the message? Fear not, God is with you. And what was the m.o.? Be healed, be fed, be free, be whole. Be who you were created to be.

In the middle, the center, of that path is everything I ever intended for humanity. Folks talk about being in the Center of My Will as a sort of criteria for receiving and what they usually mean is, I will withhold My Blessing unless their lives line up just so in perfect order. But what is true is more literal than that: the blessing flows in the center, so come to the center and you are automatically in the flow. That is why practices like intention and affirmation and gratitude are so powerful; they place the practitioner in the center of the Flow. The Flow of My Will for humanity. Unfortunately, many good and wonderful people have been pulled away by fear, or by believing what others in leadership tell them, even if it is far from My Truth.

So Your Will is healing?

Yes.

For…everyone?

Yes.

Ok, here is a dumb question, then.

There are no dumb questions.

Ha, my friend Judy says that.

She is correct.

Ok, well…how do we die then, if Your Will is health?

Just like the butterfly emerges from the cocoon, just like the chicken pecks its way out of the egg. Transformation. Resurrection is all about transformation. In My Original Plan, there was no death, remember? There was life unto Life, glory unto Glory. “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn; it shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” And remember, in My Sight, all are created righteous; and in the final hour, all are declared righteous. So My Will always was, glory to Glory. Light to Light. Humanity to Eternity. Step across the bridge, easily and rejoicing. That was the Plan.

Gosh, God, we are so far away from that. In all ways.

Not so far as you think. For you, the final moments will be that easy. That gentle. I have promised you that before.

I want that for everyone.

Keep praying. Keep asking. And keep modeling the life I intend. For right now, that means being willing to receive. Receive so you can give. One of your gifts is Hope, remember? Be willing to have a testimony. Not to draw attention to yourself, but to Me and Who I long to be in every human life, in every human heart. Believe, and keep believing. Receive, and keep receiving. Be a big ripple in the pond! Help others believe and receive. You cannot do that by standing on the bank of the River, longing. Only by living in the Flow.

OH! I see it. Sort of.

Yes, you do.

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Patterns of Choice

Lord, here is my concern about what we have been talking about lately. Aren’t some folks going to just view it as permission to live however they want, without regard to consequences, since their actions don’t matter in the long run?

I never said their actions don’t matter. I said My Mercy triumphs over all, and all includes all evil. But let Me ask you a question. You have past actions you regret, even now. So are you tempted to repeat them, knowing you will not suffer an eternal punishment? And if not, why not?

Gosh, God, what a question! First of all, from a self-centered point of view, those years I regret, they were miserable and I was miserable. So, no, I would never want to go back there. That was awful. And second, considering the love-based relationship I have with You now, I would not want to do anything deliberate to put any sort of distance between us, and I know myself well enough to know, if I did do something wrong, I would withdraw. And I don’t want anything to interrupt our connection.

Do you recall the story about what happened after Adam and Eve ate the apple, in the story in Genesis?

Sure! They got kicked out of the Garden!

No, before that.

You came looking for them. They were hiding.

So think about that for a minute. Even in that story, Who reached out? Who came calling? I did. And who was hiding in shame? They were. For millennia, people have assumed the Garden was off limits out of My punishment for their sin of disobedience. That is the phrasing that is used. But actually, I led them out of the Garden out of My Mercy. Eating of the “Tree of Life” in that condition of shame would have meant their shame would have become perpetual. Even then, in the earliest of stories, if you read between the lines, a deeper meaning is present. I came calling. I prevented their shame from being perpetual. I made a different way.

What about the curse, then? You will labor to wrest your food out of the ground, and childbirth will be painful as punishment for the woman, all of that? The story says You cursed the ground.

How could I curse the earth, the beautiful earth of My imagining? It is closer to the truth if you read the words to say this–the earth will be cursed because of your actions. Not, I Am cursing the earth as punishment for your actions. I was simply stating a fact, calling out in advance future events I could see would happen. And is it not so? Disease, degradation, pollution, waste, greed–all of these are like curses for the earth, and not one is of My Making or My Choosing.

Oh. OH. Human action would wind up resulting in, to use the phrase, a curse for the earth.

Exactly. And human action can also wind up in great blessing. The choice has always been with each new generation and with each individual. In the story, the very next generation saw fratricide, brother against brother. And is it not so even to this day? You don’t have to believe in a literal first man, first woman, first jealousy, first murder, to see the pattern repeated over and over. And right alongside these patterns, you have patterns of faithfulness, of kindness, of choosing right over wrong. It is always a matter of choice, which is what we started this conversation talking about, personal choice.

Right.

So I ask you again, given what you know now, what do you choose?

I choose You. I choose, best I can, to love You. To love others.

And why is that?

Because Love Is. Because You love me, love us, love all of us. Because I have decided I would rather be a part of the pattern of love than the pattern of hate, and the pattern of peace than the pattern of war, and the pattern of joy than the pattern of unhappiness, particularly causing hate, or war, or unhappiness to others. Or to You. Or to Your heart.

And so, in a tiny way, you help extend My Kingdom on earth. Every act of love, of lovingkindness does. Remember that when you are tempted to be impatient, to give in to impulses other than love. Remember, your strongest motivation, and the best motivation, is always Love. Never Fear.

Yes, Lord. And Lord…thank You. Thank You for being You.

 

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The Bridge

Ok, Lord, I have to ask You one more thing. What about Lazarus and the Rich Man, the parable You told, about the gulf between the two, and how nobody could come across from one side to the other? What about that?

It is true, that on their own, on their own volition or desire, neither could cross the chasm–but you are forgetting I Am the Bridge. It is I Who Crosses. It is I Who Bridges the Gap. I Am the One Who unites, finally at what you humans call the End and what I name the Great Beginning, the Rebirthing.

The sense of shame does not carry forward into eternity, but those with great remorse do carry forever the realization–in a much deeper way than those who need little forgiveness–of how deep and great and wide and high My Grace, My Love and My Forgiveness truly is. That is why Paul could write that ALL will be saved, though for some, it will be through fire. It will be for those, first, through the fire that consumes all they have done of evil, of ill will, in their lives, and second, through the fire of great and passionate Love, for Me as their Redeemer and for all their fellow humans. For I Am Not Willing that any should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance. And So It Shall Be. My Will Shall Be Done–though not always on your earth or in your sight.

This is the real meaning of My Cross. I Cross the chasm. I Bridge the divide, the divide between Love and Hate, between Peace and Discord, between Joy and Sorrow. I Cross the divide between Life and Death, and that is why it is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. I Am Life. I Am Resurrection. Some may enter through the back door, so to speak, but all shall eventually enter into My Kingdom–and then, there shall be, as I said, One Flock, One Shepherd, all united in Me.

 

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Disconnected

Whew! I just tried to open this page and got the “not connected to internet” message–several times. Tried Pete’s computer which was fine, came back in, jiggled some wires, and here I am.

And what message did you get from that?

Honestly, God, the very first thing I thought of was how hectic my day was, and how I didn’t take time to connect deliberately with You in the morning. I am doing it now, at the end of my day instead of at the beginning.

You felt disconnected?

I did. All day long I was scattered. I’d woken with a migraine which went away a couple hours after I took my imitrex, and thank You and thank them again, whoever was involved in its formulation, but that put me behind schedule. 

But were you really disconnected? Is your internet service truly out, or did it just require a little effort, the tiniest focus and intent, on your part?

That’s all. It was weird.

Not weird. Wired. You just needed a gentle reminder that, despite your feeling disconnected, you are never truly disconnected from Me because I Am never disconnected from you. You might have to–as you say–jiggle your wires a minute, set your receptors and your attention on hearing from Me, and then what happens? Here I Am. Right where I was all day, patiently waiting for you to be ready, to reach out.

God, this connection we have, it is amazing. And I am so afraid that it is like my internet service is sometimes, temperamental, fragile, easily broken. Can I just say it? I am afraid I am going to wake up some morning and it will just be gone. You will just be silent. Or I will just be deaf.

I know. I know all your fears and where they originate. That is why I tell you over and over, in so many different ways, don’t be afraid; you are not alone; I will never leave you. The only reason it seemed to take years to hear directly from Me is that for years, you did not believe you could. You did not believe I would speak to you, “little you.” You tended to belittle yourself instead of seeing how great My Love is, how I long to reach out and connect to every single one of My Children, no matter whether they think of themselves as great, or small and insignificant. There is no one immune from My Love or My Presence. No one is so great that I Am not needed–although that need may not be recognized. And although many, many think themselves too small for My attention, no one is small or insignificant in My reckoning.

God, sometimes I try to quantify your love, and I just can’t. I can’t make it big enough or long enough or wide enough.

Do you remember when you first learned of infinity in math class? How you could keep adding a number at the end of a string of numbers and go on forever? Well, that is one metaphor for My Being. And since My Being is Love, there is no end, no finishing point, to My Love. There is no place and no time where anyone can move past My Love. There is no boundary beyond which My Love does not exist. I, and My Love, are Infinite. Most of your human conversations are about boundaries of some sort, boundaries of geography, of distance, of time; limitations of strength or duration. Even events such as your Olympic Games, where athletes push beyond previous boundaries and set new records, are based on the idea that each new boundary will someday be broken, perhaps by milliseconds. Such precise measurement of boundaries makes the concept of Limitless and Timeless impossible to understand with a finite mind housed in a body whose very physicality imposes constant limits.

So, Lord, I have to ask. If there is no place, no time, no existence where You are not…that is what You are saying, right?

That is what I Am saying.

Then what about Hell? What about that place of “wailing and gnashing of teeth”? That place where You are not. That place of torment that people go to, depending on different criteria but in a broad stroke sense, if they don’t live in a way that provides entrance into Your Presence forever, which is what Heaven is. Are You saying Hell isn’t real? Jesus talked about Hell.

This is hard to explain given the limitations of words and your experience. At the moment of what you call death, everyone will come into My Presence. No exceptions. Now, some folks will immediately rejoice. They will be able to perceive where they are (even “where” is not an accurate word). Let’s say it this way–they will be able to perceive My Presence and literally be engulfed in the Love, the Peace, the Joy that My Presence provides. Other folks, particularly those whose lives caused harm to others, or even to themselves, will also perceive My Presence, and the Light and Truth of that Presence will create a great chasm within them of regret and remorse. They will perceive in that instance every action, every thought, every word that was in opposition to what they are experiencing around and within them. It is that regret and remorse that will cause the wailing and gnashing of teeth. Now, I want you to imagine for just a minute, in your finite way, that someone is in front of you in that kind of pain. Maybe that person even hurt you, way back when. What do you do now?

God, good grief. I am crying right now. I think, I hope, I would do anything, anything I could, to quell that pain for them. I hope I would. I can’t stand it, can’t stand the thought of it. Can’t You do something? Can’t You fix this?

You see, you have so much of My Heart in you already. I have done something, and the something I have done has the name Forgiveness. Grace. Mercy. Lovingkindness. So now imagine Me wrapping My arms around that regret, that remorse, and kissing it away. Now how do you feel?

Geez, God, now I am sobbing. 

And?

So much joy. So much giddy joy. Really? Me? This is really for me? That is what I would be feeling, if I were the one in pain. And if I were the one able to relieve that pain, wow. What an incredible feeling.

Love is the Greatest Power of all. It is Mine to give and it is Mine to withhold. Here is what so many cannot understand–I do not choose to withhold it. I could, of course I could. But then I would no longer be Good. I might be God, but I would not be Good. But as you are so fond of saying, I Am Good, all the Time. And Beyond Time.

God, you know one of my favorite verses is, the one who is forgiven much loves much.

Yes, that is why there is only Love in heaven. Even those you might consider the worst offenders, once mercy is extended to them, overflow for eternity with gratitude and love. And those who enter heaven with the most remorse initially are the strongest defenders and protectors of life on earth. To use your human terms, it is their amends.

Wow, God. That…that isn’t what I was taught. But it rings true. I have thought for a while that You had more to say on this subject…but I was afraid to ask.

You don’t have to be afraid to ask, or question. Just remember Who you are talking to, and lean into My Love.

So…there is no disconnection. In eternity.

Exactly. Now you begin to understand.

Can I ask one more question?

Of course you may.

What about faith? What about those on earth who have no faith?

A better way to phrase that is, who have no understanding. In that moment of death, they will all Understand. They will Know. They will Receive. And for eternity, they will Love and they will Give. Rest assured in that. Be at peace in that.

 

 

 

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Leadership and Trust

I just had another thought, thinking about leadership. It’s trust. I trust You. I do. But I don’t always trust folks. I don’t always trust folks who say they speak for You. I don’t want to be led astray, especially not in Your Name. And I don’t want to do that to anyone else, either. There’s another discomfort with the notion of leadership for me.

That comes back to what we talked about earlier, character. A leader’s heart is a loving heart. As long as you are walking in love, and speaking from love, you never need to worry about leading anyone else astray. And Love is your discernment as well. If you ever wonder if the counsel you are hearing from another is wise, and is right for you, use the love meter. Give it the love test. How does that counsel sit in your spirit? Is it occupying primarily a place of power, where others are forced to go along out of fear? Or is it emanating from love and concern for others? You have learned to measure decisions and weigh courses of action by gauging how peaceful they feel inside you, whether they bring you peace or increase your agitation. You have learned to follow the peace. Use similar assessment skills when someone else is seeking to be a leader in your own life or over your own heart–check their words and actions against what an attitude or action centered in love would look like or sound like. If it aligns, you know the action proposed is wise, and true, and then you can use your peace to determine if it is best for you, and in this time. But if the attitude or action reveals itself to be based in something other than love, such as fear, or pride, or arrogance, or prejudice, then you don’t even have to weight it against peace. It has already failed the love test. First consider love, then consider peace. Lastly consider joy. If whatever action you are contemplating meets all three of these, then you can feel confident about making a decision.

Humans err when they consider what they think is joy first, without regard to either peace or love. That can easily lead to a lifestyle rooted in selfishness. But if you approach your life first from love and next from peace, and lastly from joy, you will overflow with all three and you will not be able to contain all the blessings you will receive–nor will you be able to contain all the blessings you will be moved to give, for your heart and life will overflow toward others. Giving won’t then feel like a sacrifice or a burden, but will become a natural response, a counterpoint rhythm, as you share the many blessings you are receiving. And that, my dear, is leadership in action. Rooted in love, grounded in peace, and expressed in joy.

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Follow the Leader

Leadership. Ah, there’s a word. Lord? I am uncomfortable with that word. Why? I think I believe attention will require me to defend my…position, decisions, beliefs, and I don’t know how to. So I keep quiet and hidden. I need to realize that just because others disagree or are louder than me, that does not automatically make them right and me wrong.

Instead of thinking about information, and amassing a great amount of facts to prove your position or at least to explain the validity of it, think about Love, think about relationship. You can say, I am choosing this path, this way of being in the world, and here is an open invitation to walk alongside me on my journey. I am not looking for a leader, or a counterpoint opinion. I am settled in my decision.

A quiet way, Lord. That’s a quiet way.

Strength doesn’t have to shout. Strength just is.

God, I think a lot of my discomfort stems from the dinner table, growing up. I understand more now, but at the time, the constant debate, and Dad’s need to be right, meant somebody had to be wrong, and somebody was me. It was hard, especially when I had facts to back me up. Are You saying the facts don’t matter?

I Am saying something beyond facts is at stake here. People typically don’t commit their hearts and lives on a set of facts alone. You discern correctly now that your dad, for example, was motivated by something beyond facts, and that was the effect of his own childhood and feeling inferior to his older brothers. A true leader, just like the best teacher, inspires by character, and strength of heart, not rote words–especially not rote words spoken loudly or in anger. That is why Scripture says Jesus surprised so many of the so-called leaders of the day, because He taught with authority.

Isn’t authority knowing you are right?

Do you remember the example you heard years ago, about the difference between power and authority?

Yes, sort of. Something like, a Sheriff had both power and authority–the power was his gun and the authority was his badge.

Yes, and in the best of cases, the authority of the badge would be enough. If authority is respected, there is no need for raw power.

So, Lord, that brings up the question for me–which are You? I mean, You have power. You have authority. When do You use one or the other?

Here is a better question–what do you think motivates Me most?

I would have to say Your Love does. Right?

Yes, exactly. So both My Power and My Authority flow from and are sustained by and expressed through My Love. There are many times I could act from sheer Power, but I refrain, because Love dictates otherwise. There are times that I could thunder with authority, silencing other voices with My Wisdom and My Knowledge, but I remain silent–not out of obstinacy but out of an understanding born of Love’s wisdom that says sometimes humans need to come to the end of their own understanding in order to have an open mind for a greater Truth.

So, You…

So I do what I Am counseling you to do–invite others to walk alongside. Folks can learn a lot by spending time in My company. Folks can learn a lot by spending time with you, too. Your being willing to share yourself, to share your heart and the convictions expressed through a loving life, that’s leadership. That is the best kind of leadership, the kind that inspires by example. To recap, you don’t have to shout. (Please don’t, it doesn’t become you.) You don’t have to persuade (I would much rather you have heartfelt conversations than academically styled debates). You don’t have to coerce anyone to adopt your position, on anything–even Me, even My reality. Just live your life As If. As If I were real, and an integral part of who you are and all you do–which is exactly what you are doing now. Keep doing what you are doing. That is all the leadership I could ask for you to model.

So I don’t have to try to prove You exist.

Oh, little one, no wonder you feel you must keep quiet. All you can do is model what faith looks like in your experience. That’s it. That’s the invitation. That’s the premise. And for you, that’s also the reality. But it is not provable in any scientific or rhetorical sense. It is only experienced. So share your life. Let the curious find their own experiences. That is the only way faith is made real–by experience. Otherwise, it is merely what we started this conversation with, information and facts without any heart, without any power or authority to comfort, to strengthen, to heal, to encourage, to guide; in short, without any Love.