Post #12- I Can't Stand the Rain

For me, there is nothing more soothing than a much needed nap either after a big lunch (particularly after church on Sundays) or better yet…..on rainy day. To sink into your bed or favorite sofa and release the tensions of the day is merely therapeutic to the body and mind.  While sleep is best for the physical body, being “awake” is best for the spiritual, most therapeutic to your life. Over the last eight years I have personally gone through a pretty remarkable awakening, and over the last two years I have stirred to a level of consciousness I, honestly, haven’t known since I was a small child.

I believe we come to this life on earth in a state of acute awareness, in touch with our truest selves much like an animal is. For example, a dog doesn’t know what he is; he simply is, intuitively in touch with himself. Likewise, as young children no one is  yet to tell us what or what not to be, and we are therefore our truest most authentic selves. However and unfortunately, we are soon exposed to the demands of others and the expectations of society, caging us into ways of being that may not be our own and leading us to realms of inauthenticity that serve to separate us from our divinity and sever us from our birthright of joy, peace and fulfillment. Moreover, this sends us on the quest of our adult life, a spiritual journey to “find ourselves” once again. This journey can be tedious and laborious or it can much simpler and adventurous. The key to the latter is to simply wake up.

There is a great psalm that explains sorrow last only for a night but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Years ago I heard a minister exclaim that joy comes in the morning, but he asked, “When is morning? When you wake up!" Yes, indeed, the sorrow of your life is not meant to be your norm! It is not your birthright! In fact, there is joy waiting for you, you simply have to be awakened to it!

When your children or spouse or partner or coworkers or friends or loved ones are talking to you, are you there with them or are you consumed with some other problem or issue? Do you savor your food and drink, enjoying the experience and grateful for the provision or do you gobble it all up without much thought to where you are and what you are really doing? Can you truly enjoy your favorite music or movie or do you often find yourself distracted? If you answer any or all of these in the negative, you just might be asleep.

Are you living life on purpose or on accident? Are you intentional and purposeful about not only who you are but also who you aren’t?  Who are you and most importantly, who are you becoming? If these questions seem odd or the answers difficult to articulate, you just might be asleep.

Or, if you’re like I was, you might be making bad choices, trying to live a life according to someone else’s standards, living beyond your means and driven by underlying fear and anxiety that manifest in you being judgmental, blaming others for your own mistakes while leaving a trail of poor relationship and financial decisions. If any of my symptoms sound familiar, then my friend… you just might be asleep.
 

As demonstrated by our canine counterparts, dogs and other animals represent the best examples of awareness because of their simple but profound ability to be present in the moment. To be awakened to “now.”  I have previously stated in these series of blog posts that we are infinitely wise and intimately connected to divine consciousness, the collective soul or what has traditionally been called the mind of God. However, the rain of life (demanding professional lives, hectic family schedules, children, family, school, work, traffic, technology overload….just fill in the blank) can too often rock us to sleep and drown out the voice of God, the leading of our own intuition, our “unction” of the Holy One.  Therefore, the best remedy for this life-numbing stupor is “presence.”

We are to be present in the current moment. This requires relinquishing the pain of yesterday and releasing the anxiety of tomorrow. This means being grounded in our authentic selves, taking responsibility for the past, current, and future state of our own life and thereby being present to feel the moment as it is happening while paying attention to the lessons our life is trying to teach us.

Where are you being lead? What is the spiritual and emotional trajectory of your life? Who and what are you in the process of becoming? In your meditation time, ask God these questions and then listen for the answers. Prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening for the answer (you should try that listening thing some time), because once you have quieted your mind (as best you can) the answers will come bubbling up from the divinity and infinite wisdom within your own soul (“Christ in you, the hope of Glory”….Colossains 1:27).

So, please stay rooted in today, the now, the present. Don’t be lead astray by yesterday’s pain or tomorrow’s worries. Literally, feel and hear and see and taste and experience the right now. For when we realize that sleep is good for the body but detrimental to the soul, we will be awakened to the beauty of our own lives while knowing……..

This is not the end of your story. Your best days are not behind you, they are ahead of you. Don't be rocked to sleep by the rain of life, bur rather wake up and be present to the divine opportunities unfolding all around you...... because you have #bigthingscoming!

Rise and Shine!  

 ~Ray

NOTE: If you’re new to the site it might be helpful to read my first introductory post. Also, feel free to post your questions or comments here and you can always reach out to me on Twitter @raycjordan using the hash tag #bigthingscoming. (Copyright, 2013, Ray Jordan)