Thoughts on being generous souls

a knower of truth knows that a fundamental foundation of all that is - is this simple maxim - you reap what you sow.

Jesus knew it. Lao Tzu knew it. That is why Tao 27 refers to this truth as:

"The great wonder."
"The essential mystery."

"The very heart of all that is." 
And so it is.

It is the first decision we must make as children. do we shout "Mine! 'Mine!" or, instead, do we open our hands to share our treasure?

this early choice - which we are graciously allowed to revisit all our lives - sets our course. 
will our journey be expansive and wondrous - or narrow and predictable?

will we - in faith - sow freely the seeds we've been given, or will we - in fear - greedily hoard the little stash of our beginning? 

for all of us begin with little - and it is the decisions, the intentions that will determine the sum of our life.

when we leave this world and pass to the next, what will be our legacy? have we grown during this season - or like a tree in winter - have we remained dormant, with only the hope of some future spring's blooming?

"giving and receiving are one." and if we make that choice to give now, give freely and often - then we will know - so deep in our bones as to be beyond knowing - what Lao Tzu, and Jesus, and Gandhi knew.

because "the great wonder" is that someday - when you least expect it - a long ago, long forgotten action and intention for good will come back to you. 

it will not be at a time of your choosing, but it will be at the best time. it will not be in a form you conceived, but it will be perfect. it will not be a gift that anyone could have purchased, but it will be priceless.

because those small seeds of love,  compassion, and forgiveness that you cast upon the wind so many years ago have now come back to you - fully grown - as a majestic oak with strength and breadth to shelter you and bless you.

because "the essential mystery" of Tao 27 is that love, compassion, forgiveness - these seeds always grow ever higher - into eternity. that smallest seed of good intention never falls to the ground unproductive. even if you do not see it, even if you have traveled on to the next world, goodness never dies.

that small beginning- your faithful giving - is the truest expression of the divine heart. God is ever-growing, ever-creating, ever-loving and forgiving.

to live this way is truly to embrace the divine. 

to choose this path is to express and nurture the God within us all. 


dg

Sent from my iPad

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christina's World at Starbucks

There was the dark-haired girl by the window The strawberry blond with freckles behind her The brunette walking past me with an awkward gait Upon reflection Further examination revealed a permanently curled left hand All of this she managed quite well Good enough that only a poet would notice I, too, have a limp My soul is slightly twisted Bent from years of fitting in We all write stories of Contortion that mar the smooth babies We once were I wish I had known her well enough or Had been brave enough to ask How her delicate blend of Beauty, grace and deformity was born What triumphs and failures Have made her thus So many nights I wiped away a daughter's tears The soft sorrow nearly broke me Thank god I was able to adequately lie Don't worry, honey It's OK Everything will be all right And the mystery of the lie Is that it is also true How can we be both liar and sage How is it that we are both broken and whole Only the angels know How a painfu...
Read more

Now that's more like it...

Image
I'm watching the 2004 film "What the Bleep Do We Know!?" which stars Marlee Matlin, and deals with quantum uncertainty. A pretty heady subject for a Hollywood film, no doubt. All of my life, I had this feeling that was very hard to quantify. The feeling was that this world is all less real and more fantastical than anyone I knew felt. I remember in 8th grade when the teacher told me to refrain from touching the air conditioner's thermostat that I told her no one really touches anything. It is only the force of our electrons repelling each other. She was not amused. So, in this film, the ideas of quantum physics, quantum mechanics are discussed by several intellectuals who are quite enjoyable in both their appearance and their delivery. As each of them spoke, I had the distinct joy of "I told you so!!". That is not to say that I clearly understand quantum physics, I'm not sure anyone understands quantum physics. But, they did state what has been o...
Read more

Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee...

Image
John Donne's 400 year-old wisdom From Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII. In case you don't know much about John Donne, let's have Wikipedia educate us: John Donne (1572–1631) , English poet and cleric in the Church of England. He is considered the pre-eminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are noted for their strong, sensual style and include sonnets, love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. Another important theme in Donne's poetry is the idea of true religion, something that he spent much time considering and about which he often theorized. He wrote secular poems as well as erotic and love poems. So, I'd like for you to stop a moment, and ask yourself: Can you imagine Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, Joel Osteen, Pat Robertson, or any other Television Evangelist writing metaphysical love poems? I didn't think so. I ask this because I'd like to no...
Read more