Build, Breathe, and Pour

The wise man built his house on the rock. 

Create some space for your soul to breathe. 

What we take in by contemplation, we pour out in love. 

A great passage comes from the closing of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. He says that everyone who hears his words and puts them into practice is like a wise man who builds his house on the rock. The house withstands harsh weather because the foundation is strong. A faulty foundation cannot be trusted. So, we need our actions to be based on wise teachings. We need prayer and contemplation, and we need to put our faith into action. 

In Emily P. Freeman’s book, The Next Right Step, she talks about creating space. Finding moments to breathe. Allowing our soul to pause in the moment and take in some life-giving oxygen. What feeds our soul the oxygen it needs to survive? Taking the next right step. There is nothing profound about the idea that we are all exactly where we are right now. We may wish to be in another place or further along our place on our current path, but after all the wishing is done, we are exactly where we are. Often, the best way to begin is to stop. And to breathe. To take that moment to create some space and allow the flurry of our snow globe minds to settle. Then, we will better see the next best step in our path. 

Eknath Easwaran begins his March 16 daily devotional with these words from Meister Eckhart. “What we take in by contemplations, we pour out in love.” He then says that without action, we lack opportunities. Without contemplation, we lack the strength to change.  

Action = Opportunity. Build your house. Create some space. 

Contemplation = Strength. Follow wise teaching. Stop to breathe. 

May we search for the opportunities to take action and the strength to seek contemplation today as we build, breathe, and pour out love. 

Photo by eberhard 🖐 grossgasteiger on Unsplash