Meditations on God

Conducive To Peace

While we should try to create circumstances in our lives that are conducive to peace, this will likely prove to be impossible.

We cannot control everyone and everything.

Life and the people around us will never fully cooperate with our plans.

Beyond that, we, ourselves, may not actually know what conditions will bring peace to our hearts, minds, and lives.

We may work hard to get what we think we want, only to find out that we are still not content, satisfied, or at peace.

This is our dilemma.

Instead of trying to change the world to suit our desire for peace, we will be far better off if we change ourselves in such a way that we are able to be at peace regardless of circumstance, in spite of difficulty, and in a way that is not contingent upon specific outcomes.

In order to do this, we must practice.

We have to find that place within ourselves wherein unconditional peace exists and we must go back to that place over and over again no matter how difficult it may be to get and stay there.

Regardless of what life throws at us, regardless of what the day brings, we must make time for this practice of coming back to peace.

We have to learn to make a home in this place so that we can find it no matter what else is going on.

Through this practice of returning to peace within ourselves over and over again, day in and day out, we may just come to find that all of the circumstances in our lives are in fact conducive to peace because our peace is not reliant upon circumstances.

This will not be easy.

We will falter along the way.

Failure is part of the process.

April 25, 2021

contentment, failure, happiness, peace, practice

Dissatisfied Seeking

We are fickle creatures, easily distracted and dissatisfied, constantly chasing after this and that to quell our ego’s insatiable hunger for new, more, and better.

The problem with insatiability is that no amount of new, more, or better will put an end to our dissatisfaction.

So we continue to seek distractions, moving from one thing to the next, over and over again for the remainder of our days, always seeking and never satisfied.

Unless we can shift our focus from new, more, and better to something more stable, more consistent, and more permanent, we are doomed to live and die in this endless cycle of disappointment.

Finding and tapping into that which is stable, consistent, and permanent, that is the difficult part, but we could do worse than to start by looking deep within ourselves.

April 24, 2021

impermanence, permanence, satisfaction, seeking

Time For God

As I sat at my dining table last night after a long, but satisfyingly productive day, I scrolled through the open tabs on my computer looking for something to lose myself in.

I sought distraction, something to help me unwind.

Out of habit, I checked my social media accounts, hoping to see or read something of value or interest, but was ultimately unsatisfied by what I found.

I then looked for a movie or show to watch, but, again, nothing seemed worthy of the time and attention that would be required of me and I was left feeling disappointed.

As I sat there restlessly wasting time, the thought came to me, “If you have time to do this, you also have time for God.”

I ignored this notion for a while, but I knew what I had to do and I also knew that I was procrastinating.

I closed my laptop, walked over to my meditation space, opened up the book that I read from before settling into quiet contemplation, and said a prayer of both thankfulness and invitation.

I then proceeded to sit quietly for twenty minutes as I try to do twice a day, every day, seeking that place inside of me that is beneath the noise and beyond the toil, the place wherein I attempt to settle into that which is eternal and wherein I attempt to allow that which is eternal to settle into me.

After my meditation session was over, I said another prayer and got ready for bed. I slept well knowing that I would not easily forget the thought: If you have time to do this, you also have time for God.

April 23, 2021

god, meditation, prayer, spiritual practice

Evolving Self Perception

As we go through life, inevitably our concept of self will be challenged.

Our circumstances and our relationships will make us question who we are, who we thought we were, and who we want to be.

The realities of life will often be in direct conflict with the story we have told ourselves about ourselves, our place in the world, and the meaning of our existence.

This may happen many times over throughout the years of our lives.

It is not really a matter of if will happen, but of when, how often, and to what degree this will happen to us.

When it does, we will be given a choice.

We can ignore what is happening and pretend nothing has changed, we can resist what is happening and push back against it, or we can embrace this new information and change accordingly to suit it.

There is no real right answer in all of this.

It is a very personal experience and what is right or wrong depends on us, our situation, and our previously held concept of self.

One thing is for sure, however.

If we cling too tightly to our self perception and our self perception happens to be based on false information, we will suffer until we can learn to let go.

If, on the other hand, we adapt, grow, and change as new, better information about ourselves, the world, and our place in it becomes available, we gift ourselves with the opportunity to evolve.

Evolution does not care about who we think we are.

It only cares about whether our truth aligns with the truth.

April 22, 2021

change, evolution, growth, self perception, truth

The Results Of Willingness

There is no use being envious of people for reaping the benefits of doing things we were never going to do anyway.

If someone has something we do not, whether it is money, power, prestige, or a relationship, being upset about this fact will not change it.

Not only that, quite often people have things we do not because they were willing to do things we were not in order to get them.

Of course, luck, fate, and opportunity all play a part in our circumstances, but, that aside, effort and willingness can get us pretty far if we apply ourselves correctly.

Often, the reason others have things we do not is because they put time, effort, and attention into getting those things that we were unable or unwilling to.

Quite likely, our time, effort, and attention were spent on other things.

If this is the case, we are not actually missing out.

We made a choice and so did they.

Being upset about the results of these choices will not change what has been done and it will not help us move forward, living our lives according to our values.

April 21, 2021

attention, effort, envy, time, willingness

Conducive To Peace

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Dissatisfied Seeking

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Time For God

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Evolving Self Perception

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The Results Of Willingness

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