And it started me thinking about how we often live without remembering that people are paying attention. We may never know how that one thing we say or do may have an effect on someone's life. It could be in the way we relate to our children or spouse at the grocery store or WalMart. It may be in the way we drive our cars. In may be reflected how we live out friendship, or in how we relate to people we don't know. It may be in the way that we react to the circumstances around us... new jobs, new friends, unemployment, kids going off to school, or kids coming back home to live. There are as many situations as there are minutes in the day, and if we are mindful, we can reflect love in every single one of them.
"Oh, no," you're thinking. "Now I have to be careful about what I say and do all the time." Well, yes - that's the way it works. But it does get easier if we think about living one day (hour/minute) at a time. It becomes a way of life... a habit... an essential part of ourselves. Does that mean we don't think about it? No, it is very easy to get pulled back into what I call an "unthoughtful" posture. I like to think of this lifestyle as character development. And just like in mastering a musical instrument or a sport, it takes practice.
For me it's more than "What Would Jesus Do?" It's more about asking, "What am I called to do?" Whether we consider ourselves religious or spiritual, I believe that each of us has a calling. Some of that is about profession, but I have discovered over the years that it's more about being fully present and attentive and active in the lives we live. This isn't about going to church, although for many that is important. It's not about being overtly pious, either. This calling is about making a life that is more about being centered... giving when we can and receiving when we are in need. And believing that we are stronger when we are in relationships with others than we can be when we depend only on ourselves.
We may never know how much our care touches others or how our love brings out the best in those around us or how much we have to give until we try. We may never know how much others need to give until we are willing to receive, how much our centeredness in God and with one another gives our lives grace and peace and meaning, or how that centeredness reaches into the lives of those we touch, even if it's just a minute or too.
We may never know how much we make a difference in each other's lives, but know we do and be mindful of making it a good difference. It's as simple as sharing a smile, offering a hand, or going out of our way. Be grateful for the good around you, even when things aren't going the way you planned. Be sad at the sad things and look for joy around you. This is the life to which we have all been called.
I am reminded of the prayer attributed to St Francis of Assisi in the 14th century.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where these is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console,
to be understood, as to understand, to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.
May we all be instruments of God's peace. Deb
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