deep, meaningful, reckless aspiration

The last couple of days, I’ve written in my journals about finding my rhythm and trusting the flow. This is what it means to live deeply. When I think about the relationship between Father, Son, and Spirit, I also think about this triune relationship we have of mind, body, and spirit. I find this a fascinating thought experiment to consider these divine relationships as I aspire to live life more deeply.  

As I care for my body, I must also care for my mind and my spirit. As I care for those around me, my neighbors, I find it necessary to care for my neighbor’s needs. Mind, body, and spirit. Of course, I don’t have a clear answer to what this looks like, and that is exactly why I need trust (faith), openness (hope), and connection (love). I need to find my rhythm and trust the flow of Life. 

Every day, I wake up with a purpose and an opportunity. My purpose is to live fully and deeply, loving God and my neighbors. My opportunity is the choice in how I will show this love. What I’ve found is that we demonstrate our love with meaningful work. On ourselves and on the world around us. Each of us is given a unique life experience that enables us to grow and serve. And I’ve found humble, quiet, simple acts of growth and service to be the most powerful. Waking up. Doing the work of our day. Loving the people and the world around us. I am certainly no theologian, but that sure does feel like a great way to live out the prayer “Thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” 

This prayer is also a request to “give us this day our daily bread.” I like to think of this as our sustenance, not only for our bodies, but also for our minds and our spirits.  

A couple of years ago I wrote this prayer, “Lord, grant me reckless compassion, forgiveness, and love for those around me. May I be deeply centered on you. May I find such deep union with you that I cannot help but reflect your compassion, your forgiveness, and your love for everyone I encounter today.” Reading this prayer made me smile, because I fall short, but I still have this deep, meaningful, reckless aspiration. And I am grateful for it. 

Photo by Oleg Moroz on Unsplash