The Water Lily

“I think that the best kind of change, is the change that comes from the inside and begins it's way out until it emerges on the outside; a change that is born underneath then continues and spreads until it has reached the surface. That's a true change. A powerful change. And I have found that while we are emerging, changing into something glorious; it is actually us becoming who we really are. A water lily is born underneath the water, inside the soil at the bottom of the river or lake. And the water lily has always been a water lily for that whole time that it was sprouting out of the wet soil, reaching up through the dark water towards the sunlight, stretching and grasping for the surface; where it then buds and blooms on the outside in the sunshine. It doesn't bud and bloom on the surface and then try to reach down below into the soil.”

― C. JoyBell C. - Author

At a Christian retreat in February, I found a red water lily floating in a glass bowl at our table.   It reminded me of the red water lily from a Monet calendar I had placed on the front of a Dream Garden Book I created for a special friend and his family.   The water lily was also a charm on a bracelet placed around my wrist at the retreat.   Was the water lily a coincidence or a sign?   In Eastern cultures a red water lily means love and passion.  In other cultures a water lily means pleasure and peace, delight and new life, purity of heart, or cycle of life.   Water is the renewal of all life and a water lily floats upon the water, its bloom lasting less than five days.   Around us are many signs of God’s love but we often ignore the signs, instead focusing on our intellect or reason.   We recognize the beauty of a water lily yet we do not stop or to appreciate the deeper meaning.    Often I create symbols or art and later understand the meaning.  I long for someone who can also see the meaning within symbols and build a language of metaphors that reflect the meaning and possibilities of a water lily.  

Heaven is for Real and the Joy of Music

Today I discovered a local nonprofit radio station 88.1 KDHX that plays independent music including local musicians that it showcases on YouTube.  What an amazing organization – the music really rocks!   I saw the movie Heaven is for Real this week and I smiled as the four-year-old boy asked the angels to play “We will rock you.”   The angels just laughed.  But in my heaven all sorts of music will be played – classical, rock, blues, big band, Motown, easy listening, disco, country and jazz.  Heaven will be like earth except it will be eternal and timeless and there will be no sickness, death, pollution, natural disasters, destruction, or crowding.   It will be a joyful place and even when we experience changes of nature we won’t feel the winter cold too fiercely or the summer too hot.  The colors of nature will even be more vibrant.    We will be at peace never doubting God’s love for us.       

The Power of Prayer and Acts

As I was watching “Call the Midwife” on PBS last night, two conversations resonated with me concerning loss.  One of the midwife nurses lost her boyfriend in a tragic accident and in a conversation with the Mother Superior she expresses she feels no presence of God.  The Mother Superior reminds her that God is never in the act, but in the response.   This is her way of saying that in our world free will and its consequences prevail, but how we respond as individuals and communities in a loving way is the expression of God.  So how does this pertain to miracles?  Do miracles occur only through human interaction at the precise moment it is needed or can also be a cure to an illness beyond medical science explanation?   Does the power of Jesus to touch and heal extend beyond the resurrection through prayer and faith?   I know in our present reality we cannot ignore the chance of natural disasters, illnesses or human crimes and the necessity to be prepared to take action.  But somehow I feel like we are losing touch with ourselves and are changing our environment through technology so much we no take longer trust in God.   We fail to acknowledge God works through each other’s acts as well as the power of prayer and divine intervention.   If we acknowledged both what miracles could be created?      

Resume or Eulogy?

Today I was listening to David Brooks, Columnist of the New York Times today on Ted.com’s speak on society’s emphasis on our successes which are reflected in our accomplishments listed on our resumes (external virtues) versus our eulogy (internal) virtues.  Internal virtues are the consistency of our values and how they are reflected in our lives.   One he says is based on our strengths, the other on how we fight our sins or weaknesses.  But as David Brooks points out that redeeming our weaknesses or sins requires a lifetime commitment.    The external virtues are based on economics and success and the internal based on love, redemption, and return. I agree with David that far too little value is placed on the internal.  David quoted Reinhold Niebuhr in his Ted talk and I thought I should share the quote with you.

“Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope.

Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith.

Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love.

No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.”

― Reinhold Niebuhr, The Irony of American History