
I recall a phone greeting that said, "At the sound of the tone, please tell me who you are and what you want. You may think these are simple questions, but most people go through their entire life and never satisfactorily answer either."
These are essential questions to ask ourselves every day. Who we are is more than our name or what we do. We want more than our desired acquisitions or even the goals we have set for ourselves.
Advertisers constantly bombard us with messages that seek to tell us what we need to be happy or complete. Consciously or unconsciously, we may find ourselves snagged into believing that what big business sells is what we want or need to be fulfilled. We may find ourselves filled with something all right, but it is merely the empty calories of life. In most cases, when acquisition becomes the object of our life, the by-product is a more stressful life.
As the election season heats up, political operatives are in repeat mode, seeking to convince the body politic that only their description of reality is the truth, not what we see with our own eyes. If one is not grounded in knowing who they are and why they are here, they can become candidates for having their psyches manipulated by Jedi Mind Tricks.
However, there is an answer: going into the silence. All power is in the silence, and everything else is a spent vibration. Many people don't intentionally take the time to go apart to be still and quiet. In the silence, we can connect to the source of true power, realize our reason for being here, and recognize our real identity.
In addition to setting aside time for daily meditation and silence, it is precious to take extended times in which we walk, eat, and do tasks in silence. When I become still enough, witnessing the thoughts that run through my mind never ceases to amaze me. Many thoughts ought not to go out of the confines of my consciousness.
Most of our thoughts focus on something other than the here and now. Often, we think about what will happen in the future or regurgitate something that has happened in the past. When we are not in the present moment, we are not experiencing the fullness of what God is or has in store for us.
In silence or meditation, we can become aware of the ever-expanding good of the Spirit and stretch ourselves to become spacious enough to realize our life is the life of God. It is in this space we discover the "dynamic still point." It is called the dynamic still point because something potent happens when we pull our attention inward and still our calculating surface mind. The power of peace, love, joy, and well-being takes over the surface of the mind. All that is perfect begins to reshape our body of affairs, also known as our life.
If we wake up in the morning raring to go, and stillness has not become part of our day, we have merely brought our experience of life into the now moment, spiced it up with a little imagination, and moved into the world the same person. However, let's start our day with silence, quietness, or meditation. In that case, we start our day primed for increased energy and the ability to negotiate our day more clearly and effectively. We must go to the dynamic still point to see the world as God sees it. In this space, we can more effectively answer the question of who we are and why we are here, as well as uncover the answer to the question, "What does God want?"
Peace and Blessings,
James
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