- Had a much needed and very much anticipated (I'd had to reschedule it three times) massage today. It was great!
- peanut m&m's
- time with my family
- bought some food I buy normally, on sale, at the grocery store, but they were also bonus point items, meaning that on a sale where I would have normally earned 52 points (25 aeroplan miles), I earned 372 points. I like anything that means aeroplan points and being closer to having enough for a free flight.
- Got some reading done.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Daily 5 - Day 213
Today's Daily 5:
From Henri Again
A few more thoughts worth considering have collected in my email inbox from Henri Nouwen, so I thought I'd share again.
Freedom from Judging, Freedom for mercy
We spend an enormous amount of energy making up our minds about other people. Not a day goes by without somebody doing or saying something that evokes in us the need to form an opinion about him or her. We hear a lot, see a lot, and know a lot. The feeling that we have to sort it all out in our minds and make judgments about it can be quite oppressive.
The desert fathers said that judging others is a heavy burden, while being judged by others is a light one. Once we can let go of our need to judge others, we will experience an immense inner freedom. Once we are free from judging, we will be also free for mercy. Let's remember Jesus' words: "Do not judge, and you will not be judged" (Matthew 7:1).
Our Unique Call
So many terrible things happen every day that we start wondering whether the few things we do ourselves make any sense. When people are starving only a few thousand miles away, when wars are raging close to our borders, when countless people in our own cities have no homes to live in, our own activities look futile. Such considerations, however, can paralyse us and depress us.
Here the word call becomes important. We are not called to save the world, solve all problems, and help all people. But we each have our own unique call, in our families, in our work, in our world. We have to keep asking God to help us see clearly what our call is and to give us the strength to live out that call with trust. Then we will discover that our faithfulness to a small task is the most healing response to the illnesses of our time.
The Spirit of Jesus Listening in us
Listening in the spiritual life is much more than a psychological strategy to help others discover themselves. In the spiritual life the listener is not the ego, which would like to speak but is trained to restrain itself, but the Spirit of God within us. When we are baptised in the Spirit - that is, when we have received the Spirit of Jesus as the breath of God breathing within us - that Spirit creates in us a sacred space where the other can be received and listened to. The Spirit of Jesus prays in us and listens in us to all who come to us with their sufferings and pains.
When we dare to fully trust in the power of God's Spirit listening in us, we will see true healing occur.
Freedom from Judging, Freedom for mercy
We spend an enormous amount of energy making up our minds about other people. Not a day goes by without somebody doing or saying something that evokes in us the need to form an opinion about him or her. We hear a lot, see a lot, and know a lot. The feeling that we have to sort it all out in our minds and make judgments about it can be quite oppressive.
The desert fathers said that judging others is a heavy burden, while being judged by others is a light one. Once we can let go of our need to judge others, we will experience an immense inner freedom. Once we are free from judging, we will be also free for mercy. Let's remember Jesus' words: "Do not judge, and you will not be judged" (Matthew 7:1).
Our Unique Call
So many terrible things happen every day that we start wondering whether the few things we do ourselves make any sense. When people are starving only a few thousand miles away, when wars are raging close to our borders, when countless people in our own cities have no homes to live in, our own activities look futile. Such considerations, however, can paralyse us and depress us.
Here the word call becomes important. We are not called to save the world, solve all problems, and help all people. But we each have our own unique call, in our families, in our work, in our world. We have to keep asking God to help us see clearly what our call is and to give us the strength to live out that call with trust. Then we will discover that our faithfulness to a small task is the most healing response to the illnesses of our time.
The Spirit of Jesus Listening in us
Listening in the spiritual life is much more than a psychological strategy to help others discover themselves. In the spiritual life the listener is not the ego, which would like to speak but is trained to restrain itself, but the Spirit of God within us. When we are baptised in the Spirit - that is, when we have received the Spirit of Jesus as the breath of God breathing within us - that Spirit creates in us a sacred space where the other can be received and listened to. The Spirit of Jesus prays in us and listens in us to all who come to us with their sufferings and pains.
When we dare to fully trust in the power of God's Spirit listening in us, we will see true healing occur.
Musings
Yesterday was one of the infamous "soap opera days" at my office. This time it was mostly me caught in the melee, because of my particular position in the company, and my current role organizing our big upcoming annual conference. There were tensions flying between two in management, both upset because of a variety of double standards, some moral, and some not so much.
My choice in handling it? I did the little that was necessary in terms of speaking with the people involved, tried to remain steadfastly neutral, and spent the rest of the day in my office, working. Buckled down, tackling the long list of remaining details for the conference that is now just under a month away. Oh, and I sent a humorous email to L., off in Scotland at the moment, describing the events of the day.
I wish sometimes that I could share in this forum the details of some of these crazy situations I get caught in at work. But I remain cognizant of the fact that it would be less than professional or discreet to do so. And that sometimes my desire to rant about my job comes from a certain sense of self-righteousness.
It's days like yesterday when it really hits home that my roommate is now on another continent, and I can't come home in the evening and vent a little before setting aside the stuff of my day. There are many good reasons that we dubbed my Christian place of employment "the soap opera" and on days when those reasons assert themselves, it's nice to have someone to talk to who has met the people, knows the history, and understands.
I wonder, sometimes, if my place of employment has colored my opinions on working with other Christians.
In any case, the events of the day made me incredibly glad when the weekend arrived. Incredibly glad that one of the involved people will be out of the office for all of next week as well.
And I am sitting, propped in bed on a quiet Saturday morning, pondering the fact that I need to rise soon, shower, style my hair, grocery shop, and then make my way to a massage appointment that I've got scheduled. The day holds various other plans as well - some time with my family, and hopefully the chance to watch my brother lead worship and sing in the choir at a local church service tonight. That's the plan - a mostly quiet day. A needed quiet and rest.
My choice in handling it? I did the little that was necessary in terms of speaking with the people involved, tried to remain steadfastly neutral, and spent the rest of the day in my office, working. Buckled down, tackling the long list of remaining details for the conference that is now just under a month away. Oh, and I sent a humorous email to L., off in Scotland at the moment, describing the events of the day.
I wish sometimes that I could share in this forum the details of some of these crazy situations I get caught in at work. But I remain cognizant of the fact that it would be less than professional or discreet to do so. And that sometimes my desire to rant about my job comes from a certain sense of self-righteousness.
It's days like yesterday when it really hits home that my roommate is now on another continent, and I can't come home in the evening and vent a little before setting aside the stuff of my day. There are many good reasons that we dubbed my Christian place of employment "the soap opera" and on days when those reasons assert themselves, it's nice to have someone to talk to who has met the people, knows the history, and understands.
I wonder, sometimes, if my place of employment has colored my opinions on working with other Christians.
In any case, the events of the day made me incredibly glad when the weekend arrived. Incredibly glad that one of the involved people will be out of the office for all of next week as well.
And I am sitting, propped in bed on a quiet Saturday morning, pondering the fact that I need to rise soon, shower, style my hair, grocery shop, and then make my way to a massage appointment that I've got scheduled. The day holds various other plans as well - some time with my family, and hopefully the chance to watch my brother lead worship and sing in the choir at a local church service tonight. That's the plan - a mostly quiet day. A needed quiet and rest.
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