Month: October 2020

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Faith

“To hear with my heart.  To see with my soul.  To be guided by a hand I cannot hold.  To trust in a way that I cannot see.  That’s what faith must be.”

These words are from Michael Card’s song entitled “That’s What Faith Must Be.”  Mr. Card is a Christian singer-songwriter, musician, author, and radio host, and he wrote this song early in his musical ministry.  I appreciate the simple and yet profound way he describes faith.

Each of us has a heart and a soul given to us by our Creator.  For me, hearing with our hearts is listening to our inner voice, trying to discern its guidance for each of us as unique individuals with unique callings.  And seeing with our souls is our noticing and being thankful for that guidance as it comes to us through our intuition, dreams, and synchronicities.  And also through people in our lives and our interactions with them; our surroundings, including the beauties of nature; and the ways we choose to spend time.

Faith involves living according to truths that cannot be readily proved or concretely set forth.  It is trusting in our inner guidance and trying to follow that guidance without knowing where it will lead us; thus, trusting in a way we cannot see.  There are times when the choices we make as we try to live by faith are not understood or accepted by other people, including people we are close to.  Despite the discomfort or sadness this may cause, we continue on because we know in our heart and in our soul it is how we should live.

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Loved Ones Are Always with Us

Yesterday I was sitting in a chair facing a large window and looking outside while talking to a friend on the phone.  The bright red of a cardinal caught my eye as it flew and then perched on the branch of a nearby tree.  About two seconds later, a female cardinal arrived and alighted on a branch a few inches from the male cardinal.  Although it is my understanding that cardinals live year round in the area where I live, I rarely see them, which made this special.  It was special too that they stayed in the tree for several minutes so I could enjoy watching them.

I appreciate life’s small surprises, and this was one.  When birds catch my eye, in addition to the enjoyment of seeing them, I also think of the symbolism of birds in dreams:  they symbolize the soul.  When we are reminded of our soul, we are reminded that we were created by the Creator, and for that reason each of us matters and we are loved.  And also that we need to try to discern the purposes for which we were created by listening to our inner voice and endeavoring to live according to its guidance.

Seeing the cardinals and noticing how they remained several minutes before flying away made me curious to learn the symbolism of cardinals in particular.  By doing some research, I learned that cardinals are believed to be representatives of loved ones who have passed away, and that their presence shows us that they are always with us.  Learning this touched my heart, because my mother passed away about a month ago.  I also had the thought that perhaps the other cardinal represented my father, who passed away 14 years ago, stopping by to show me he is with me too.

Loved ones are also with us in our memories.  I’m thankful for memories I have of times with my parents and with other people I have known who have completed their earthly journeys.

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A Time for Every Matter under Heaven

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:  a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”  Ecclesiastics 3:1-4.

These words in the Old Testament reflect the various aspects of life.  Each of our lives is made up of many kinds of experiences and the emotions we feel as we live those experiences.  Recently a good friend of mine became a grandmother and sent me photos of her beautiful infant granddaughter.  A time to be born.  And a time of joy.  A month ago my mother, who was blessed with a long life, completed her earthly journey.  A time to die.  And a time for those of us who knew and loved her to feel the sadness of missing her but also to be thankful that we were able to have her in our lives for as long as we did.

There are times when we have many tasks to complete and deadlines to meet, and we feel a lot of pressure.  And when we’ve completed those tasks, we welcome being less busy and hopefully we are able to enjoy the feeling of satisfaction of a job well done.  There are times when we are ill and it is essential to slow down and take care of ourselves in order to be well again.  And there are times when we are healthy and energetic and lighthearted.

Life brings joys and sorrows.  There are times of activity and there are times of quiet contemplation.  Times to enjoy being with others and times when being alone is what we need.

Our life journey involves all of these facets.  In order to live a more meaningful life, it’s important that we live life fully by embracing each of them.