Month: June 2010 (Page 2 of 4)

Devotions from Margaret Silf’s book, At Sea with God

When we feel life is hard and painful, we may see heaven as our destination where all is well, and earth a place to just survive!  But many of our spiritual fathers of the past remind us that heaven is here and now too, as Jesus said He came to give us life in all it’s fullness.

Jesus tells us to become like little children who embark upon life’s journey with no sense of there being a destination. “They just get on with it, living each day as it comes, dealing with each new encounter, negotiating each new relationship, rejoicing in each new discovery, learning from each new experience of pain.” They are growing and becoming and they are in process, evolving into who they truly are, the person God dreamed of when He created them. We can learn from them to sail life’s seas in ways that help us to grown into wholeness. Actually the wholeness happens as we sail. The destination will look after itself, if we lovingly attend to the moment we are living, just as a child would. Our destination then evolves through the people we meet as we journey, through the incidences of our daily lives, through each word of praise and criticism we receive, through failure and achievement, through everything that challenges us…..through everything that happens to us as we sail. Let us allow God to launch us upon every new day of that journey!

Devotions from Margaret Silf’s book, At Sea With God

In the sea of life leaving the harbor can be both joyful and painful  If we are sailing on the full tide we may feel overwhelming delight and anticipation. If we are launching because of an experience of despair or trauma we may feel apprehensive. Others may hardly notice the moment they actually set sail.  Often though we my feel the need to push against the harbor walls of all we have known thus far and let go of any ropes that are holding us moored in the harbor.  Sometimes  the ropes are security as we may fear the unknown and are reluctant to take risks.  Or the rope may be the fear of offending those we perceive to be custodians of the harbor. Or we could be just inwardly lazy and prefer a quiet life in a safe haven. Our ropes are all probably different. But once at sea we may have times when we feel helplessly adrift. The rules we have known on land, seem to diminish in importance. We now look to the ocean chart and new “ocean disciplines”.  Our land map doesn’t seem to work well any more. This is about the time my methodical way of having devotions no longer served me. I longed for quiet and solitude and the spiritual disciplines. They were like landmarks along the way. Of course our new maps have to be updated continually too, as they reflect what is going on in our inner life. Let us all think today of those people in our lives that  have been landmarks also and helped us find our way. Maybe they seem to bob up just when we need someone with an encouraging signal.

Devotions from Margaret Silf’s book, At Sea With God

When we are voyaging with the Lord there is a time to launch out into the sea. There has been lots of preparation in the background before we reach that stage of our journey. Often it is the fruit of years of slow growth and carefully processed experiences we have had.  We come to a place where we desire a deeper relationship and fulfillment of our Christian vision.  Sometimes as we look back we may think we wasted much of our time and may even be stuck with memories of what might have been.  But in God’s economy there is not waste. Even what seems negative, God can weave into something potentially life-giving when we co-operate with Him.  For example, those that have suffered serious abuse or betrayal in their lives, produce some of our finest literature and are most sensitive to others.

When we notice God nudging us and stirring us within to launch out into the Sea, it may be dramatic for some and for others more of a gentle and uneventful experience. But we do notice that the river of our  more confined life is now widening into something bigger and less predictable. We are being challenged in new ways which is both exciting and for me a little scary at times. More tomorrow!

Devotions from Margaret Silf’s book, At Sea with God

Who is with us on our boat that we call our life?  Who are our personal “crew” and how close do we feel to them and value them?
1.  The Navigator/co-navigator, is someone alongside us who shares the voyage at an intimate level, encouraging us and helping us discern. This could be a “soul friend” or spiritual companion with whom we can share deeply.

2. A small select team of experience mariners is important. This could be our faith community, our church or  small group where we support one another in whatever ways are needed.

3. The cook makes sure that all the crew receives wholesome nourishment. This spiritual food can be found in surprising places but it is wherever we feel fed and spiritually alive.

4. The ship’s Carpenter deals with maintenance issues so we don’t “fall apart”.  This could be a soul friend or someone who can remind us to look after ourselves and to enjoy life.

5. Apprentices are those who we pass on our own life experiences to and tell them our sacred story.

6. Short term passengers are those people who we may have a brief encounter with but have been life-giving to us. Even though they may be short-term they may have long-term effects on us, even as we can affect the lives of others by something as simple as a remark.

Devotions from Margaret Silf’s book,  At Sea With God

As we voyage through life, we often accumulate excess clutter which is often a sign of insecurity- a defense barrier against the world or protection against facing some unfinished business.  What things fill up our boat and take up space?

1.Old hurts and resentments which can sap our energy. 2. Assumptions and prejudices that we have stored away in our hearts and minds. 3. Comfort blankets we have grown out of but can’t let go of…ex. Old coping mechanisms. 4. Too much busyness which can be a cover up for loneliness or low self-esteem. 5. Fears and old ways of responding to new situations. 6. False guilt that traps us in our self-focus and puts us at the mercy of manipulative power systems. 7. Poor self-image that convinces us that our own voyage doesn’t matter.  8. The victim mind-set that assumes once suffered some undeserved harm every new situation is going to prove harmful. 9. Other people’s baggage as we take on responsibility for another person’s journey. Even though we know this is unwanted baggage it may be tough to let go. But when our desire to sail free is stronger than our attachment to the baggage, then we will let it go. Let us move on to greater freedom this day!

Devotions from Margaret Silf’s book At Sea With God

As we think of our voyage through life what unique cargo is our life’s boat carrying?  What unique gift or calling are we carrying and who might it be intended for? Each of us has our own personal gifting, experience, innermost desires and longings that make up who we are. It matters to God that we live the fullness of who we are and carry it faithfully through our lives sharing it with others.  Our own cargo actually grows as we give it away and the vessel of our being will expand to accommodate it. Our own individual cargo resources are going to need replenishing as we journey.  Where do we dock and take on fresh supplies?  It could be a place or could be people that give us a special kind of oasis, and renew us with their encouragement. We each have our own “Home Ports” that help give us nourishment and the resources to go on. Not everything we stow aboard our boat is part of the cargo but more just baggage that can threaten the stability of our boat. We can spend so much time arranging it and rearranging it that we miss the experience of the journey.  As we are deciding what we really need and what is overloading us we can ask:  Is this useful? Do I cherish this as beautiful?  If not just let it go as it will drag us down.  Keep those things that lead to life. Radical separation from our baggage may be the beginning of radical healing! More tomorrow.

Devotions from Maragaret Silf’s book At Sea With God

As we think about our soul’s journey on the sea of life we recognize that certain aspects of our lives provide us with energy, and other aspects drain us of energy. How is our boat fueled, and what is our main energy source?   Like a sailboat we may feel our energy source is beyond ourselves, as we catch the wind and skim on the waves. Or maybe we feel like an oarsman struggling to row our boat through heavy seas.  Perhaps we feel like we need motorized assistance that calls on others to help us. Most likely we draw on all these resources at different times and situations.  We need to be aware of life giving sources of energy and give time and space to engage in those things.  We also need to recognize what drains us of life and minimize those losses by avoiding those things. Sometimes we may feel others steal our energy by putting us down with sarcasm and criticism. They may withhold affirmation and even belittle our skills. We can fight back which drains us further or we can find our own energy sources.  We may notice our energy flows when we are enjoying what we are doing or people we enjoy being with.  Or we can gain strength by being out in nature and sense peace and harmony. The most important thing is to be sure we are in touch at a personal level with the Source of all energy, who is God. We can constantly draw from that supply of divine energy and love. We do so when we withdraw into prayer and meditation or take time to reflect on where and how God is active in all that is happening in our lives. Why not take a 10 minute  walk today and just be with Him and listen to Him and you will find yourself refreshed!

Devotions from Margaret Silf’s book At Sea with God

Our life is like a voyage of discovery.  Every moment is an opportunity to discover something more of the mystery of God and his desire for our personal growth.  Each of us has a unique sailing vessel and must be willing to put to sea and make those discoveries. No two boats are alike and all are equally welcome to sail God’s seas.  We were made to sail and must move into unchartered waters. What state is our boat in? Is it seaworthy? Has it had been properly maintained?  The better we care for it the more joyously it will journey. We need to care for our body ( not pushing it to the limits), our minds (filling it with good things), and our spirits (having our inner hunger satisfied). The most important thing is who is at the control center of our boat. We may salute God as our guide and navigator, but do we ever let God take the helm?  We need to spend time with Him and then trust Him to steer our boat on a true course. May we give it thought today as to what draws us closer to God and what tends to pull us away from our true center. Let us live in that center!

Devotions from Scott McKnight’s book, Embracing Grace

We were created in the image of God and our catechism says our chief and highest end is to glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever. Isn’t it something that we are the visible bodies that reflect the glory of God?   There has been a steady erosion of how we perceive ourselves as the glory of God’s creation to now being diminished by ideologies, laws and power plays.
Individualism is a big obstacle to the gospel of embracing grace. Yes, we are individuals but we are more than that as we are in relationship to God and to others. Individualism tells us we are on our own, and makes God and others commodities to further our own ends. It really diminishes who we are made to be. We can get so self-absorbed that we have a long list of entitlements. But we were made to relate to God and others in a perfect balance in which our individual integrity is protected.  . We are individuals but part of a larger community through which God is working. We are not perfect but are being transformed from one degree of glory to another and this will spread to all of our relationships. Can others see Christ in us?!