With excitement my grandchildren shared with me their discovery of this frog sitting in the cool of the pool on a sultry summer day.
Two things strike me about this. One, it is okay to relax. When situations are hectic and hot, it is okay (even beneficial) to cool off a bit and even (using this term may date me) to "chill." Second, the childlike joy of discovery is a precious gift. All too soon in our lives we seem to lose this joy. How can we nurture our young ones to keep it? How can we regain that if we lose it? May you "chill out" today! May you joyfully discover something today!
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This beautiful sunrise picture was taken by my son, Zachary, in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Northern Minnesota a few days ago. I am constantly amazed by the beauty and majesty of God's creation. We live in this wonderful and awesome world. Perhaps a picture like this can remind us that we are stewards of this creation. It is great to enjoy it, but we also have a responsibility to protect it.
These cloud formations were the harbingers of some strong storm conditions. Only a few minutes later, there were violent winds, pelting rain, and even substantial hail. While I am aware of and respect the damage such storms can cause, I am one who sees these storms as beautiful. Their sights, sounds, and touch engage my senses in intense and powerful ways filling me with awe and delight. The storm is then followed by calmness and peace, but the energy which drove it still continues. My senses have been taken into a more intense level, and I experience life to a fuller degree.
Can this be a metaphor for our spiritual lives? Can the dangers and trials of living bring us to a new and deeper awareness of who we are as the children of God? Can there be beautiful storms? Sometimes it helps to frame your vision. This photo was taken at Leif Erikson Park in Duluth, Minnesota. Looking out from one of the towers in the park focuses a person's vision only on what can be seen through the opening - the beauty of the trees and Lake Superior. There are no distractions of other people, of the cityscape, or of any types of "clutter". Perhaps we need to frame our lives on occasion. Perhaps we need to focus in on our spiritual relationship with God. Do you think it would help you to "frame" your life occasionally?
Clouds, rain, wind, and the cool temperatures were with us all day. Then as the evening of the day came to closure and night approached it was as if the beauty of the setting sun was chasing the clouds away.
Have the difficulties of the day been with you all day? Do you long for them to be chased away? What do you think might be the "setting sun" for you in your personal life? If I might be so bold, I offer you this suggestion: Take a walk with God today. Give up your cares and worries. Let the Divine work in you. I thought I was taking a photograph of a beautiful hot air balloon. Later, I noticed the sign at the bottom, "Slower traffic keep right."
This caused me to have some humorous thoughts and laugh, but also to have a fewer deeper thoughts and to consider different aspects of life. Here's a few questions to prompt thoughts: What traffic is being referred to? What does it mean to be slower? What is "right"? How might you reference "right" in a 3-D environment? How do you "keep" such a thing? As you can see, the philosophical and practical questions start to multiply. I have no answer to give you today concerning the above questions and any others that this picture may prompt, but I think it can do some things for you today. It can remind you to notice the world around you. See things. Laugh at life. Think about it. A new day dawns full of peace and promise. As the sun bursts forth in glory to brighten the day and this sight fills my heart with peace, I pray that others might know this peace.
I start to think of all the places in this world where peace is absent in the daily lives of so many. There are daily reports in the news of violence in this world and of brutal acts of terror and war. Does this shatter the peace of this beautiful dawn? I hope not. Rather than letting violence destroy the peace, I pray that peace overwhelms the violence just as the glory of the rising sun overwhelms the darkness. As the dawn fills my heart with peace perhaps I can be one who shares that peace and brings it to others. Perhaps you can also. "Awestruck" is such a wonderfully descriptive word. This image of God's creation embodies this word for me. Disclaimer - No photographic filters, adjustments, or enhancements were made to this picture! This was the sight as seen by the naked eye!
I was up and about before dawn on a Spring day earlier this year (2014) when it was as though the hand of the Divine began to paint the skies. From moment to moment, colors blazed deeper and more vibrant. I slowed in my walking because I could focus on nothing but the cascading colors of this breaking dawn. Finally I had to stop moving at all. I could only stand and watch the glory unfolding before me. I was completely awestruck. The wonder of it filled me entirely. Awestruck. Gradually the colors muted and then turned to a more normal hue, but having been struck in that moment, I was changed; and I was challenged. How could I ever see the world again through "normal" eyes. Knowing that with a few brush strokes by the loving hand of God this creation is revealed in all its wonder gives me little excuse to see any of it or its creatures as ordinary. This is an extraordinary world in every moment. Let yourself look around and see it. Let yourself be awestruck. Perhaps you can make out the paths that form the shapes of hearts in the image above. The photo shows a portion of the Open Heart Labyrinth that I walk and pray. It is a meandering labyrinth which means that the paths do not follow a geometric pattern or turning sequence, but still follow the concept of a labyrinth in which the paths lead you in and then lead you out again. Sometimes it is hard to keep an open heart in life. We go through so many difficulties, misunderstandings, and hurt in our relationships with others. Sometimes others may have caused us unintended pain and sometimes we may have been the ones to inflict it. Sadly, at other times it may have been intentional. When we are hurt we tend to close our hearts to others so as to avoid future pain. It is an understandable reaction. However, when we close our hearts to avoid pain, we also close them off from love. So this winding prayer path invites the one who walks through it to always keep an open heart. Let the divine love infuse you, and let it wash through you to touch others. Keep an open heart. |
AuthorJoel Kreger is a writer who grew up in Minnesota, spent many years of his life in Iowa and Wisconsin, and now lives in Minnesota. His life experience includes careers of serving 17 years as a Lutheran parish pastor, working 18 years as a public school teacher, and now writing as a novelist and blogger. Archives
April 2019
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