Tag: #gratefulness

Tranquil

Throughout the day, regardless of circumstances, I maintain a composed countenance. I stop, take a deep breath, and envision a still, quiet pond. My mind is tranquil, and my soul trusts that all is working together for good.

My calm and steady manner brings peace all around me. My faith is strong, and the peace of God that passes human understanding fills me. I see any discord as an opportunity to demonstrate my tranquility through my calm bearing. With a relaxed and rested body and peaceful mind, I take unexpected developments in stride. I am grateful for the ability to choose harmony even in inharmonious circumstances.

I end each day in peaceful, thankful prayer. I rest in blissful stillness, feeling the warmth and presence of God within me.

Be still, and know that I am God!—Psalm 46:10

LINK TO DAILY WORD

Weekly Contemplations W9

Rule 9
East, west, south, or north makes little difference. No matter what your destination, just be sure to make every journey, a journey within. If you travel within, you’ll visit the whole full World and beyond.

Weekly Contemplations W8

Rule 8
Patience does not mean to endure passively. It means to look at the end of a process. What does tolerance mean? It means to look at the thorn and see the rose, to look at the night, and see the dawn. Impatience means to be shortsighted as not to be able to see the outcome. The lovers of God never run out of patience, for they know that time is needed for the crescent moon to become full.

Week 7

Rule 7
Whatever happens in your life, no matter how troubling things might seem, do not enter the neighborhood of despair. Even when all doors remain closed, God will open up a new path only for you. Be thankful! It is easy to be grateful when all is well. A Sufi is thankful not only for what he has been given but also for all that he has been denied.

I really loved RULE7. It is really hard for me to remember that the way something appears is not the way it actually is. I easily despair and drift off. When my life or an aspect of my life appears to be off-course, I easily decide that God has forgotten about me and deserted me and now I am struggling and failing alone.

It takes me some time to sit and observe and REALIZE how wrong I am. What I perceive to be lonely is often just ‘disconnectedness’. I lose sight of God’s ever flowing good and loving. As a result, I feel alone and disconnected. This is when I take out my Gratitude Art Journal and draw away. I jot down everything, even those events or mishaps when I felt lost.

Lenten Season

audio of the text below

“Lent is the period of 40 days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by fasting, both from food and festivities.” Source

Today we started the 40-days of releasing and renewing. We remember that historical Jesus, a man with a message of Love and Kindness above all, went into the desert. He fasted and contemplated on his fate and his work ahead.

Today I imagined Jesus as an everyday guy with fears and hopes. I imagined him in the desert struggling with his conscience. Maybe he wanted to run. Maybe he wanted to live longer. Temptation is just a thought. A though that is driven by fear, any fear, a fear of death or fear of humiliation or else. Jesus did what we all need to do: just sit with the fear until it dissipates. For him fear dissipated in 40 days.

Fasting and withdrawing from the world and sitting with our fears allow us to emerge stronger, without doubts and with a stronger sense of God-self at the end.

After the 40-days of ‘Lent’, Jesus faced prosecution and death with a sense of courage that looked God-like. We can do the same. We can chose to use the 40-days of Lent to face our fears, release and centre ourselves in God’s Love and Care for us.

Though Jesus’ crucifixion seems like a giant failure it is actually a miraculous success of overcoming one’s limited self. He died on the cross which is pretty much a fact. The way he did it, though, is the message. He stayed Loving and Kind till the very end. He epitomized God’s Loving intention even in the mist of war and conflict. (very appropriate in light of Russian-Ukrainian war)

What am I fasting on this Lenten season?

I decide to fast on my doubts. My fear of not being good enough! Daily, as an act of kindness towards myself, I will release all self-doubt and affirm my greatness as an expression of God, the Divine that is inherent in my constitution.

What are you giving up this Lenten Season?

Weekly Contemplations W7

Rule 7
Whatever happens in your life, no matter how troubling things might seem, do not enter the neighborhood of despair. Even when all doors remain closed, God will open up a new path only for you. Be thankful! It is easy to be grateful when all is well. A Sufi is thankful not only for what he has been given but also for all that he has been denied.

This week we will be contemplating on GRATEFULNESS. Recently, I ran a 30-Day GRATERUFLNESS ART-JOURNALING Challenge. Here are some of the drawings created below.

I suggest that you take out some paper and pens (pencil, crayons, paint, etc.) and create Gratitude Journaling Entries. Make a note of all the different things that you are grateful for. Pay special attention to that ‘you feel that you have been so far denied’ and still express your gratitude towards them.

I would love to know what you have come to realize!

Weekly Contemplations W6

Rule 6
Loneliness and solitude are two different things. When you are lonely, it is easy to delude yourself into believing that you are on the right path. Isolation is better for us, as it means being alone without feeling lonely. But eventually, it is best to find a person who will be your mirror. Remember only in another person’s heart can you truly see yourself and the Presence of God within you.

This week we will look at how we isolate ourselves so not to feel lonely. We will also look at ourselves in the mirror of our loved-one or loved-ones.

Let me know what you you have found in your mirror.

Week 5

RULE 5
Most of the problems of the world stem from linguistic mistakes and simple misunderstandings. Don’t ever take words at face value. When you step into the zone of Love, language, as we know it, becomes obsolete. That which cannot be put into words can only be grasped through silence.

This week we will contemplate on the or I should rather say in the Silence. We will take words such as LOVE, GOD, DIVINE, SECURITY, BELONGING, – any word that can have multiple meanings depending on context or you just simply wish to find your meaning to – and contemplate on it in the Silence.

So, what have I found int he Silence?
Tears, mostly.
It is rather interesting. I was hoping to contemplate on meanings beyond meaning but instead I found the ‘feeling’. It was amazing to realize, that for me, the words’ meaning is on a feeling level. 
So, there is not much I can share about my experiences because it is rather difficult to put these feelings into words.

What have YOU found?