Why does one person love cooking and another is passionate about golf? One son, by the age of eight, learned all he could about Abraham Lincoln’s life and another son instinctively knew how an internal combustion engine works when he’d never been taught! Why did I know, by the age of seven, that I would write books to help others have happier relationships?
Teri saw herself feeding thousands of faceless families. She didn’t understand what that meant. Later she develped a grocery coupon business that helped thousands of families on tight budgets buy groceries. Karen is passionate about providing healthy meals and doing anything else she can to serve her husband and two children. Kim successfully home schooled her five children, one of whom had what might be called a “learning disability.” She cares so deeply about deciphering how any particular child learns that she recently completed her Masters Degree in Special Education and now has her teaching credential. Her passion is working with “problem” children to unlock the code of how they learn.
Another Kim is passionate about igniting a passion in children for reading. She spent thousands of her own dollars creating a library inside her school room and instituting a “reading for pleasure” program while maintaining her responsibility to teach history to middle school kids. Many of those children improved their ability to read so much that their grades were better in all other subjects, as well. As their perception of learning transformed, their self-confidence grew.
You Don’t Have to be Religious to Believe This…
It helps, however, if you believe in a Higher Power or Creative Force in the Universe. I call this energy God, but God has many names, so use whichever one is comfortable for you.
God’s very nature is passionate, creative and curious. I believe that God embedded that nature within all of us. And since God loves variety, (look at the millions of forms of plant and animal life) we are each born with unique personal gifts and interests. We each in a very unique way, embody the interests and characteristics of this Universal Presence.
Even When I’m Goofing Off?
The Universe has times of rest built into its cycles. So do we! When I’m sleeping or “wasting” an evening watching a comedy, even that is an aspect of God. Rest, humor, puttering in the garden, spending a day as a couch potato…all of these have God’s approval. In fact, God is with me in those activities.
I used to think things like painting an old piece of furniture just for the pleasure it gives me was wasting time. Anything other than “work,” (cleaning, writing a newsletter, coaching a client) was subtracting from my “good girl” account with God. The past few years, however, I’ve realized that activities like those restore my energy and “prime” me for the next task in my chosen profession. So, they are not wasting time at all but serve the very useful purpose of preventing me from burn out.
Recently this awareness has gone much deeper. God is not just present in my life when I am doing good works for others, but that Presence loves to be with me when I’m justing sitting in my backyard, or repainting the multi-colored screen in my backyard, or taking a nap!
Psalm 139:3, 5, 9
Every religion has some form of this concept. “You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest…You both precede and follow me, and place your hand of blessing on my head…If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me.”
When I believed that God was punitive and judgmental, the thought of God’s constant presence felt a bit creepy. I thought I was being watched to make sure I didn’t step out of line. This made living pretty tentative and scary. I didn’t want God to see me being “bad.” Now, I feel comforted by these words…this change in my beliefs. During the times when I treated my husband so badly or yelled at my kids, God was with me…walking beside me with love and understanding. During the darkest periods of time in my life, God wasn’t judging me, but was whispering suggestions that later opened doors to learning new skills and practicing more respectful behaviors.
I’ve Mostly Been Silent
It’s rare that I’ve shared my faith with my clients…or anyone else. I didn’t want to “push religion down anyone’s throat.” But, this isn’t religion. This is simply a core belief in a Being that is present in my life. Embracing that Presence has required letting go of a lot of limiting beliefs…lies even…about who God is…and isn’t. I’ve been energized and inspired by Wm. Paul Young’s book, “Lies we believe about God.” (He’s the author of The Shack, a book that hit the world by storm a few years ago.) He doesn’t present his ideas as TRUTH, but as thoughts to consider. Yet, nearly all of what he says mirrors the ideas that have been germinating in my soul for years.
It’s a lie that God is hovering over me waiting for me to “sin” so he can shake his finger at me in disgust! It’s a lie that I should fear God the way I would fear a nasty bully. I, as a parent, would never deliberately treat my children the way many of us have believed God (the Father) treats us! How can we as loving parents have better intentions toward our children than God has toward us? The more I replace these lies with what I know to be true, the more relaxed I feel.
It’s OK if…
You may not agree with me, or perhaps resent your newsletter reading time being taken up with this message. You can dismiss this narrative, or email me so we can talk about these things! If this newsletter is meaningless to you, then delete it and move on! I know this is more like a journal entry than I newsletter. Please forgive me…
You have my love and support,
