Awareness

I sit with my coffee this morning, aware of Jesus’ presence around me, which brings me to tears – tears of joy at the thought……  To be able to sit in complete silence in communion with God is one of the best feelings in the world.  I understand first hand what He means when He says, “be still and know that I am God.” Stillness is POWERFUL!  True stillness, that is – not sitting still and reading a book or sitting still and going through a laundry list of things to do in your mind.  True stillness, for me, is sitting in silence and pondering – pondering Jesus, pondering one of life’s big questions, sitting and looking out the window and just observing what’s there without judgment, just breathing and settling.  I may have said this before and I’ll probably say it again in future posts, the more I practice stillness the more I want.

The holidays are upon us – Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The busy-ness has begun.  In the past, I would stress over everything that needed to get done – cooking, cleaning, decorating, etc.  It seemed as though there weren’t enough hours in a day.  What I have come to realize is that, although I have much to do, I organize my time much better now and I take the time each day to be still regardless of how busy I think I am.  The stillness brings me back to my center, my place of peace.  When I am in this place of peace, I am able to focus on the task at hand, to be in the moment as opposed to being focused on the five other things on my agenda for the day.  In this place of peace, time moves much slower, there actually are enough hours in a day – there’s actually some to spare!  Imagine that!

Stillness has led me into a heightened sense of awareness and this awareness gives me a sense that everything I do during the day and everything I encounter, good and bad, is considered a prayer.    The thought that my entire day consists of prayer helps me to foster an attitude of gratitude and also forces me to want to do all things well – to really make a conscious effort to give my all in everything I do, whether it’s writing a reflection or cleaning the toilet bowl!  There are so many bible verses that lead us to this truth.  1 Cor 16:14 says “do everything in love”; Col. 3:17 – whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father; Phil 2:14 – do everything without grumbling or arguing.

Each morning I offer my day to Christ with this prayer:  Oh my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer to you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day, for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my family, friends and relatives and in particular, for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen. By offering my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of the day, I trust that His will is done (papa knows best), I focus on my work and do my best because it is my gift to God, my joys become magnified because I know Christ is sharing in my happiness and my sufferings become sweeter because I am aware that regardless of what I may be going through at that moment, Jesus, my Good Shepherd, is carrying me!

I often wonder how many people actually read this blog.  Of those who read, I wonder how many are truly inspired or how many actually click on the links I share.  I wonder how many have included a different spiritual practice into their routine or how many are regulars here.  How many have shared it with others?  As I ponder, I am reminded of my daily prayer and am comforted by the fact that regardless of how many people read, this is my gift to God – my job is not to wonder but to continue to do what I do and do it well, in the name of Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father!  He’ll take care of the rest.

So as you  prepare for Thanksgiving and begin your Christmas shopping, I hope you are encouraged to give yourself the gift of stillness.  It doesn’t cost a thing and it is truly the gift that keeps on giving.  When you begin to feel yourself being devoured by the demands of this life, remember to offer your day to Christ – it will change your perspective.  You will no longer see yourself as being swallowed up by the quicksand, you will begin to see yourself as a true disciple of Christ, simply “taking one for the team.” God bless you!