OPEN HEARTED!

We are often faced with many challenges in life, especially as regards our ability to change.

The world is moving at such a fast pace. There is so much knowledge and interests to take on board / so much to learn and keep up with.

And yet, there is one thing that never changes and that is LOVE.

No matter who we are; what age we are, or what achievements we have made OR not made, we all have a need for love in our lives.

For those of us who have been blessed with Faith and believe in HE who is LOVE, then we have a guideline / a way to follow, to help us grow in love.

Still, the daily 'opportunities' come our way in so many different ways. It can be family / friend or non-friends that present us with our need to love more.

It's so easy to grumble and complain and blame others, yet in our hearts we know the truth. God is inviting us to be open-hearted, to share ourselves / our lives, with others.

Are we open? Can we reach out?

An open-hearted person is blessed with the ability to love, and will be loved in return.

THE HAND OF GOD

A lot of things happen in our lives; some we like, others we definitely don't like. Yet, it can be a learning curve to realise that the Hand of God is behind everything that happens to us.

God is the great Master / Creator of the Universe; the Creator of each one of us. He has the power of life and death, yet it is only with a compassionate Hand that He wields His power.

What does this mean?

It means that God, because of His Love for each one of us, allows us the freedom to make choices. We can choose to love, or not. We can choose to be a positive-minded person, or not.

We have a wonderful sense of freedom, instilled in us by this Gracious Creator.

This freedom that we have is bought at a price.
We practise our freedom of choice by our willingness to allow God to guide our lives / by responding to LOVE.

Then, we might ask, why do things happen that are not good?

People die. Sometimes, evil, instead of good, grows in people's hearts. Yet, even these truths show us how much God cares for us, allowing us the freedom to choose, either good or evil.

Death is inevitable. No one lives forever. Therefore it would be an act of trust on our part to believe that God will call each one of us, when it is a good time for us to go.

Of course, we may have plans / attachments / loved ones, and yet all is well.

If with our faith, we can see the Hand of God in all that happens to us, then indeed, all is LOVE!

ACTS OF LOVE

Each day we have so many opportunities to make acts of love / little sacrifices that can mean so much to others. It could involve visiting a friend / making a phone-call / writing a letter, etc.

OR, we may be asked to forgive someone who has hurt us / ignored us / damaged our reputation in some way or other.

The act of forgiving can be huge. We are human and our pride does not lie down easily. So, to be able to forgive another person can require a major act of love.

On another level, the act of love that God may inspire us to make could be in relation to someone we like / love. Can we reveal our love? Can we allow ourselves to be vulnerable?

This can require a mega act of love on our part.

No matter who we are there are opportunities to make acts of love.

The more acts of love we make, the greater a person we become. This is not an act of pride.

Acts of love lead us on the path of humility towards God who is LOVE.

LIVING IN THE MOMENT

The ability to live in the 'moment' is both easy and difficult. When we are happy, we more naturally live in each moment without being conscious of doing so.

Perhaps this is the way to learn to value and live each moment, of each day of our lives.

Being happy / being positive occupies us in a way that we have no need to worry or think about negative / disturbing events. Our happy nature steps in and helps us to be innovative in finding solutions to whatever difficulties come our way.

So, life is more easy than we might have imagined. Living in the moment comes from a happy disposition, an awareness that we are loved. Therefore we love.

This loving attitude brings us close to He who is LOVE.

INSPIRATION

There are times when we look for / search for / need inspiration. We are like a painter with a blank canvas. The artist may be talented, yet the creative work has yet to begin.

How does the artist begin work?

All begins with INSPIRATION. A thought in the mind of the artist emerges and work begins.

Inspiration unfolds as the artist applies him/her self to the work on hand. Application and dedication are revealed in brush strokes and blended colours outlining the inspired mind of the artist. A certain beauty is created!

All of us are inspired to create. It may not be a painting, yet it may well be more, more precious than any masterpiece.

We are created to Love. Love is our goal/ our focus in life.

Sometimes it only takes a smile / a kind word / a kind thought. At other times we need to be strongly inspired to be able to reach out to another person, to show love.

Life is a huge canvas and each one of us can make our imprint. Let it be done with LOVE!

BE CREATIVE!

When we think of being creative, we may assume that we need a special talent; writer / painter / sculptor etc. So, it might surprise us to know that being creative is of a spiritual vein.

The creative person is one who follows their 'passion' and fulfills their dream, whatever it might be. For some this could be found in gardening / knitting / housekeeping. The creative mind sees opportunities everywhere.

For the busy house-person it could display itself in colour-coordination / imagination in relation to child-activities etc. And, special creativity in managing a budget.

For the office-person, creativity would be found in time-management, and time-out in keeping the grey-cells active and alert.

For the spiritual mind, creativity is found in LOVE. This awareness of opportunities to love and foster love in and for others is a passionate and imaginative way of life. The monk in his cell can be more creative than the greatest of artists in the world today.

All of us, no matter what our calling in life, are spiritual beings. We will fulfill ourselves best and reach heights of creativity when we allow ourselves to be guided by LOVE!

WISDOM

There are times when we may be unable to focus or know the right thing to do. We want to do what is right, yet it is as if we are trying to find our way out of a fog, into a clear sky.

What we need is WISDOM, the ability to do the right thing at the right time.

Guilt and scruples are a waste of time. Positive action is needed. We need help.

Who can we go to?

Wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit, rooted deep within us. We have been given the gift of wisdom when we were confirmed, so that seed is waiting to be developed and matured.

Perhaps one of the first steps to take on the path of wisdom is to focus on all that is positive in our lives.

We have a God who loves us very much. We have friends and family and neighbours who have a high regard for us.

We are lovable and have the ability to love. We are precious in God's Eyes.

Wisdom will grow in this positive 'soil'.

So let us relax. Pray and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us.