The joy of being with loved ones can’t be measured . . .
I spent last evening with my husband and a few of our good friends. Following a Christmas Eve service at Unity Church, we gathered at our home and enjoyed a meal, coupled with the quiet pleasure of being in the presence of one another. There is no better way to spend time, whether it’s a holiday or simply any ordinary day in our lives. Because when you stop and think about it, no day is really ordinary. Every day that we are in the company of others is extraordinary. And why is that? I think it’s because God has carefully orchestrated the encounters we have with one another. Every one of them.
You have heard me say this in a blog or in person (if you have ever attended one of my workshops), many times. It’s the underlying truth of my life. Believing that every person who wanders across my path has been “sent,” makes every instance of my life rife with meaning and free of anxiety. If people have been sent, then God has sent them which means that God has joined our encounter too. How can one ever be frightened when the awareness of God’s presence is so evident?
Living nearly every day with this understanding has made my life so much richer than I had ever dreamed it could be. And it’s such a simple idea. It’s a decision, actually. One I had never anticipated making earlier in my life. It was in the fellowship that I was introduced to the idea that God simply was. Period. He was and there was no denying it. From that moment on, the rest of my life had a direction, a purpose. My part was to “show up” lovingly and full of trust.
Was there ever a time that I failed to remember this truth? Unfortunately, yes. I’ve been caught up in my ego many times over the years, particularly in the early years of my journey in the fellowship, but I don’t stay trapped for long. The freedom that I experience from believing in God and the idea of a purposeful life has been too sweet to doubt it for long. To the nonbeliever, this may sound ridiculous but I no longer concern myself with the judgments of others. I am not willing to give up my peace for the whims and opinions of others.
I am quite certain that I am on a path that has been designated for me and that I am following the guidance of “one” who never leaves my side. Even when I’m unaware of “his” presence, “he” is not unaware of me. And for that my heart sings a song of gratitude. Who is at your side today?
