Laura Lane's Blog, page 4

A Grateful Heart

“Gratitude opens our heart to allow love to move through us.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

This week I am celebrating!

Celebrating 24 weeks of writing and sharing my newsletter. (Did you know that all past issues can be read here on my website?)

Celebrating an award announcement for a project I have been working on for years. The award presentation is in October, but the news came this week. (I’m waiting to hear from the committee if I’m allowed to share the news publicly yet.)

Celebrating being nominated by a colleague for the RevolutionHer Award.

Celebrating 3 successful meditation retreats in the last year.

Celebrating terrific clients who come back year after year and refer their friends.

Celebrating the 4th print run of the Stronger Daily Planner for cancer families.

Celebrating the 11 hospitals across the country who came on board to distribute the Planners.

Celebrating all the businesses that have supported the planner in the last year, like Maljohn Company,  Castel Niagara Building and Design Centre and Impressive Printing.

Celebrating the organizations who are helping me like OPACC and Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Celebrating the amazing team that I have supporting me – Tracey and Amy.

Celebrating my incredible mentors – Tom, Lisa, Charmaine, Teressa, Jennifer

Celebrating my favourite people who I get to hang out with in the organizations I belong to – Evolutionary Business Council, Canadian Association of Professional Speakers

Celebrating my wonderful husband and family who are always there for me.

Celebrating my best friends across the world – Leili, Janet, Diana, Wendy, Ashley, Jessica and Ginette

I am so grateful for all the wonderful people in my life. I am grateful I have so many people to celebrate!

When I look over my list, I realize I am grateful that I have such a wonderful life!

What do you have to celebrate in your life right now?  How does it make you feel to see that the wonderful things going on in your life? What ways can you share or express your gratitude to others?

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

William Arthur Wade

The post A Grateful Heart first appeared on Laura Lane.

Connection through Kindness

“True strength comes from love that produces gentleness, which in turn creates miracles.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens‘

All week I have been thinking about gentleness and how it ties to love and kindness. Every time I have tried to sit down and write something about it, I have come up blank. It may be because I am under the weather, fighting a cold. Maybe I will simply be gentle with myself and share something I wrote a long time ago, a poem about kindness. A poem in four parts – four stories. I hope it will remind you of times when you have gone out of your way to help others and brought a smile to their face.

Kindness

1

In the mid-nineties
at a bus stop
downtown Victoria
westerly wind blowing in from the pacific
a damp cold February
She recognized him from the soup kitchen
he stood there fumbling with his jacket
just couldn’t get the zipper done up

A smaller man
at least a head shorter than her
probably twice her age
his hands shaking
smiling she offered to help
he seemed more like a school boy
when she crouched down to do up the zipper

He thanked her and they talked
she didn’t understand much of what he said
His delusions made it hard to follow his line of thought
He told her of his idea
a jet powered space pack
He needed someone to type out his plans
so he could send them off to NASA

He seemed so pleased to talk about it
she agreed to take it home and type it out
It didn’t make an ounce of sense
but she typed every word
just to see him smile

2

Twenty years ago in Edmonton
it was afternoon rush hour
the crush of university students
business men and women,
and shoppers jostling to get off the bus
and into the warmth of Safeway

He stood on the corner of Whyte Ave
and ninety-seventh street
in the middle of the crowd
almost in the way
offering his stack of Our Voice Magazines for sale

No one looked
they just skirted around
eyes down
eyes looking away
she couldn’t help but notice him standing there
invisible to all around him
those not wanting to see what was painfully obvious

She drove through that intersection
parked and walked back to that invisible man
Tall, native, long hair, ragged coat
arms clutching thin freshly printed magazines
not expecting to be acknowledged

She stood before him
asking for one of his magazines
ten dollars outstretched in exchange
disbelief passed over his face
looking at her strangely

She spoke up
“I’d like to buy your magazine”
pressing the money into his hand
finally he smiled
and handed her the sheets of paper
He looked at her like she was an apparition
She was sure no one had spoken to him all day
she held onto his smile as tightly as she clutched the paper he sold her

3

A dozen summers ago
in downtown Toronto
she had just come out of Roy Thompson Hall
thousands of people pressing out onto the street
to make their way to buses, subway stations and car parks

A young man in his twenties
sitting against the low wall
hand outstretched
cup held out
There was something about his kind eyes
that drew her in

Stopping, she had to
fish for change
crouching down
looking him in the eye
placing the bills in his hand
not in the cup
touching his hand

Wishing him well
smiling, he smiled back
thanking her
genuine thanks
smiling again
feeling connected
walking away

4

She can’t even remember how many winters ago
the downtown skyscrapers
channeling the bitter cold westerly wind
right through her down filled jacket
she couldn’t help but notice
there was a little elderly Asian man

Grey hair and old thin grey overcoat
shuffling his feet
shuffling forward
penny please
extra penny please
broken English
shuffling back
his cold hands outstretched
no gloves

As the snow blew between the buildings
standing just down the street from
the King Edward Hotel
she met his eyes
“sorry I don’t have anything
only a smile today
Please have a good day”

He doesn’t understand
doesn’t hear her good wishes
As her small group continued on their way
she noticed a small shop
she ran inside and bought 5 pairs of gloves
she asked her family to please wait
as she ran back to find the man
she wanted to give him the gloves
but he had moved on
she hoped he held onto her smile for him
it was the only thing she was able to give him that day.

What opportunities do you have to make someone smile?

“Do not underestimate the power of gentleness. Gentleness is strength wrapped in peace
and therein lies the power to change the world.”

L.R. Knost

The post Connection through Kindness first appeared on Laura Lane.

Affirmations to move you forward

“It’s the private victories that matter most and are felt the deepest and last the longest. It’s the internal triumphs that aren’t recorded on scoreboards or broadcast on the eleven o’clock news that define who we are. Ollin is what determines success in our lives, instead of the conventional measure of winning and losing. With that as a definition of success, it is possible for everyone to win all the time.”
Kevin Hall, Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words

Kevin Hall, Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words

A few years ago, I took few days to myself at resort on Buckhorn Lake in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. Each morning I would get up early and take a kayak out on the lake. As I paddled in the early morning hours, the lake was calm, the sky was clear and my sole companion was a loon that would swim alongside of me, dive down in the water and resurface again beside me 20 yards later. It was magical.

One morning after I had been out for an hour, as the sun got higher in the sky, a solar wind picked up. That wind was now pushing me away from my destination.  With every stroke I had to dig in deeper and pull harder in order to make it back to the shore.

As my leisurely paddle became more of a workout and my strength was being challenged, I came up with a chant of affirmations to keep me going.  With every stroke as I paddled directly into the wind, I repeated over and over again:

I am strong.

I am fit.

I am healthy.

I am loved.

I am beautiful.

I am radiant.

I am wealthy.

I am abundant.

I am happy.

I am content.

It helped get me back to shore feeling stronger, more confident and positive than before I left.

What do you have going on in your life that is a challenge, that could use a chant of affirmations to keep you going? What affirmations would you chant at your adversary to keep you remaining positive and resilient?

“I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was.” Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali

The post Affirmations to move you forward first appeared on Laura Lane.

Loving Acceptance

“Success is how we live every day, every moment. It is our ability to love, be passionately engaged. It is being willing to sacrifice for what we love, be caring, teachable and share what we learn and minister to others. It’s how we live every day, not what we accomplish.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

In my grade 12 year in high school, I went down to the guidance office to complain that something was wrong. I was struggling in school. I had failing grades. I had to repeat Math and English not once but twice. I knew I was smart but why was I having such a hard time. I asked my guidance counsellor to find out if I had a learning disability.

After a battery of tests, what came back was that yes, I was smart – almost Mensa level smart with a pattern recognition in the 99th percentile. But only I had a low C average in my courses. My test results were not reflecting what I knew. The tests pointed out that my short-term memory was a problem, and my vocabulary was below average, but we had no definitive answer as to why.

I didn’t have ADHD. I wasn’t on the autism spectrum. I wasn’t neuro diverse. They simply said, “we’ll give you more time for taking tests and when it is feasible you can have oral assignments instead of written assignments.” It helped and I finally graduated in my Grade 13 year.

It wasn’t until years later when I learned about the impacts of various traumas, especially childhood trauma, that it finally made sense as to why I had struggled in school. At age 9, I had lived through a car accident that killed both my mother and sister. Previous to that my parents were divorced. I changed homes to living with my father, a stepmother who didn’t want me, and a stepbrother who molested me. I was sent halfway across the world to live with my uncle and cousins, then sent back again only to end up in a foster home situation. That’s a pretty high ACE score.

No wonder I had a difficult time in school. These were serious issues holding me back. But as far I knew none of those stressors were listed on my learning disabilities report. No one explained that such a high level of stress was causing forgetfulness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. I didn’t sleep well which certainly compounded the situation. It created a perfect storm of disfunction when it came to learning and preparing for higher education.

So why do I share this? On the surface it looked like I was just a lazy student who wasn’t studying or applying herself, but the truth was that there were underlying causes to the difficulties I was experiencing.

How many times in our lives do we make judgements of others not knowing or understanding everything that they have gone through, the full story or circumstances? On the surface we see their addictions, bad habits, what we perceive as laziness, or unwillingness to work hard or integrate into society. We see a drug addict, a gambling problem, a rough tough biker or gang member, a lazy welfare recipient, a homeless bum.

We tell ourselves that we are not like them, we would make better decisions if we were in their shoes. We work hard for a living and so should they. If we give them money, they will just use it for drugs. If we try to help them, they might steal from us or harm our family. We feel justified in looking away. It’s just too hard a problem to solve and anyways, there are programs out there to help them.

When we make these assumptions, we stop seeing the truth of who they are. The majority of people who struggle in this life do so because they have experienced terrible traumas that they are ill equipped to deal with.  The homeless man standing on the corner begging for money, dulls the pain with alcohol and drugs because he can’t cope with the nightmares since he returned from serving as a soldier. He can’t hold down a job because the PTSD is too much to cope with and the veteran’s pension doesn’t even pay enough for rent.

We have no idea what other people are going through.

Throughout time there have always been people on the fringe of society, undesirables, and outcasts as well the underprivileged.  How we treat those less than us defines our society and us individually as people. Today’s term for it is DEI – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We hear a great deal about DEI in business. How are we supporting our employees in the workplace so everyone can succeed and advance in their careers?

But the next question is how do we apply DEI principles to our daily life? Jesus was the foremost expert on that. He lifted everyone around him. He surrounded himself with poor fishermen, tax collectors, commoners, adulterers, sinners and outcasts, Samarian and Jews alike. He did not shy away from healing the lepers or those afflicted with evil spirits. He loved and taught them all equally.

How can we do the same? Can we befriend those who are different than us, be it nationality, race, religion, political, wealth or social status, sexual orientation, physical mental, intellectual, emotional or spiritual abilities?

How diverse is your friendship circle? Do you treat everyone you meet equally and fairly? Do you make an effort to include others and share with them your abundance? Do you love and accept those who have made different lifestyle choices than you?

Are you willing to get to know people, get close enough to them to learn their story so you can better love and accept them? What do you need to do to diversify your social circle?

“When Jesus said, ‘Love Your Neighbour!’ He knew your neighbour would Act, Look, Believe, and Love differently that you. It’s kind of the whole point!”

Toby Mac

The post Loving Acceptance first appeared on Laura Lane.

Changing our Trajectory

“When you allow yourself to be loved, that love transforms you. When you love something or someone, your love transforms it or them. When you love someone or something, you begin to see it more clearly. When you see something more clearly and it is light, you fall in love with it.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

In Dave Blanchard’s book Today I Begin a New Life, he talks about Og Mandino’s teachings about love. I love his explanation of the different forms of love, specifically his definition of charity. Charity comes from the Greek word agape—which is a heightened level of awareness, to see someone as God sees him or her.

As I view others the way God sees them, with all their frailties and weaknesses as well as their strengths, I can learn to treat them tenderly, view them from God’s perspective: lovingly, tenderly and patiently with love and respect.

“Love is an expression of tenderness” Yann Dall’aglio

I was watching a video today about a man who lived a chaotic lifestyle filled with drugs and crime. One day while he looked in a mirror, as he leaned over that mirror to do a line of cocaine, he realized God had created him to do way more in his life than this.

That realization is not an anomaly. I would wager that everyone who has walked through the doors to church, to temple, to synagogue, to mosque, has had a moment in their life, a moment of regret that God wanted more for them then they were currently living up to.

All of us have come up short from the standards God has set for us, fallen short and missed the mark. Christians use the word Sin, which is actually an old archery term meaning to miss the mark. We all miss the mark. 

Jesus knew this when he challenged the scribes and Pharisees who brought to him the woman taken in adultery. “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

God says to us just as Jesus said to the woman, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

“The moment we are loving someone, we are no longer judging them.” Mother Teresa

God understands our troubles, our struggles, our fears and our mistakes. He wants us to pick ourselves back up, brush ourselves off and try again. He knows we can do better and we are made for better things.

Love is charity,
to see as God sees
to have clarity and perspective
to see the beauty.

I do not believe that we will be judged by a solitary moment in our lives but by the trajectory and direction we were aiming for over the span of our lifetime. And as we review our life, our life choices up until now, we must not forget that there is always an opportunity today to course correct and to head in a better direction than before.

What is the current trajectory of your life and in what way can you course correct to become more of who your Father in Heaven sees you becoming?

“If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse but if I treat you as what you are capable of becoming, I will help you become that.”

German philosopher Goethe

The post Changing our Trajectory first appeared on Laura Lane.

Becoming a Beacon of Light

“Courage is being willing to love so much that it hurts because it is a healing balm that purifies my heart and soul. A refiner’s fire. From that pain purging me, I will create something new and beautiful. That beauty will shine for all the world to see.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

Cape Forchu Lighthouse by Jeffrey F Schade

In my home, I have a beautiful painting of the Cape Forchu lighthouse in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia overlooking the Bay of Fundy inlet. It is one of many lighthouses along the Atlantic coastal region.  It was painted by my great grandmother’s sister, Sue Boles. It is not only a cherished family heirloom but this spectacular and unique lighthouse it also reminds me of who and what I want to be in the world.

Have you ever noticed that there isn’t much need for lighthouses in the prairies? It is only when the seas are rough and the storms are raging that people ever look for that light on the hill. 

Humans crave light and safety from troubles. We have come up with thousands of ways to light the darkness and protect ourselves from danger. We pay inordinate amounts of money to feel safe in today’s chaotic world. We want to feel mentally. emotionally, and spiritually safe. 

The world is hurting, feeling lost, and afraid. Many are consumed with their addictions and vices, and have become distracted so much so that they are being swept into the gulf of misery and wo. It is safe to say that men and women’s hearts are failings them. 

For this very reason, during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus admonished his followers that they need to be a light to the world. We can be beacons of light and goodness, radiating love, compassion and kindness to bring healing to the world during these dark times. 

If you have goodness in your life, things that bring you joy, that light you up – share it! If you have found truth that comforts – share it!  If you have means to lighten someone else’s burdens, even a little bit – do it! If you can smile and give a compliment to brighten someone’s day – say it!

There are so many ways we can be a bright light in a dark world. 

But if you find that your own light is becoming dim, if fears are overtaking you, if the darkness is crushing you, don’t give up hope. Fear is the darkness that clouds our vision. 

The opposite of fear is knowledge. Knowledge and study create trust and faith. When we have hope – a beautiful vision of something, when we can see clearly a beautiful future, when we can trust enough do the things that bring us closer to the that vision, when we can trust those who love us, especially God’s love for us, all of those things will dispel the fear, dispel the darkness.  

The opposite of fear is also courage. 

Brené Brown, in The Gifts of Imperfection, talks a great deal about courage. She explains: “The root of the word courage is cor—the Latin word for heart.” I would go further and say that courage is about being pure in heart. Courage is also associated with being valiant which means to be strong. But do you know what makes us strong – pushing through difficult situations. Metal is made strong through a forging process and so are we.  We are made strong through an emotional and spiritual forging process. 

Dave Blanchard sums up that process beautifully in his book Today I Begin a New Life. “Our character has been forged in the furnace of adversity. We know what pain feels like. We cannot change the past. However, we can choose to use these reference points as a rich resource to assist us in better understanding and connecting with people. When we use our life experiences in the service of others, we will finally find purpose in our suffering, joy in our journey, and much needed healing in our souls.”

I would challenge you to look to see how your struggles and hardships and the resultant empathy that they create for you, have helped you to understand other’s struggles, have prepared you to be a beacon of light and goodness. 

In what ways can you radiate love, compassion and kindness to help guide others safely to shore?

What is to give light must endure burning”

Victor Frankl

The post Becoming a Beacon of Light first appeared on Laura Lane.

How to become Spiritually Strong

“Miracles come from a little seed of hope, a glimpse, a vision of something beautiful that makes our heart sing. Sometimes we can fall in love with it so much so that we are willing to trust and listen to inspiration and act on what we have been guided to do. That is when miracles happen. That is faith.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

Hi Tracey,

About 10 years ago I spent a whole year being mentored by Steve Seibold, the then president of the National Speakers Association’s Million Dollar Speaker Group. Steve speaks to Fortune 500 corporations all around the world,  coaching them on the importance of Mental Toughness.

After retiring from playing professional tennis, Steve took to the speaking stage working alongside his mentor and founder of public speaking, Bill Gove. Steve and his wife Dawn now teach the Bill Gove Speaker Training School. He has some amazing stories and I really appreciate everything I learned in that year being mentored by Steve. 

At our very last in person group training session, I stood up in front of a dozen men to tell my story about my daughter Celeste and her last few days with us before she passed. 

Celeste had been given the diagnosis that she only had days or weeks left to live. The tumors in her brain had grown and spread and there wasn’t anything else the doctors could do. Celeste was completely at peace with the idea that her time here on earth was coming to a close. She told us quite plainly that she wanted to go peacefully in her sleep. 

So, every night before bed she would not only say good night, but she would also say goodbye. Then the next morning when she woke up, she would pout and say “Mummy, why am I still here? I didn’t get to go yet!” and I would have to explain that I guess she needed to stay one more day. 

One night as she prepared for bed and was saying goodnight and goodbye, she said to me, “Mummy, I’m going to miss you!”

As tears welled up in my eyes, I replied, “Sweety, I’m going to miss you too ….  but there is something you need to know. Everything I learned about being a Mummy I learned from my Mummy, and unlike other grandmothers who can be old and crotchety, Nana Joy was only 38 years old when she died. I look just like my mum, and I sound just like my mum. It’s like you are going to going from one Mummy to another Mummy and I know you will be in the best hands possible. I can completely trust Nana Joy to take care of you for me.” 

There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Steve wiped his tears and said to me, “Laura, I have been teaching mental toughness for over 20 years, and I don’t know how you just did what you did.” As I thought about Steve’s remark, I realized you can’t do what I do with mental toughness, it can only come from Spiritual Strength. 

Over the years I have continued to contemplate what it takes to become Spiritually Strong.  Here is my list:

Seven things I have learned to become spiritually strong:

1.         Live an inspired faith-filled life by developing a connection to God.

2.         Pray and meditate daily.

3.         Courageously ask for what I need.

4.         Love unconditionally.

5.         Give generously and show charity.

6.         See the world through a Divine perspective.

7.         Express gratitude daily.

Which of these do you need to focus on more to become more Spiritually Strong in your life?

“There is beauty and peace in helping my child make a graceful transition to heaven.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

The post How to become Spiritually Strong first appeared on Laura Lane.

Cultivating Divine Connection

“See, feel and know all that God has in store for you.”   

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

This week I was reading Brene Brown’s book Atlas of the Heart. I found a golden nugget in the final few pages of her book. She spent 5 pages describing what it means to cultivate meaningful connections. She said, “Connection is the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued: when they can give and receive without judgement; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”

She goes on to explain what connection does not look like. It doesn’t involve having to prove yourself. It doesn’t involve protecting fragile self- worth. It doesn’t involve controlling the path or walking away. It doesn’t involve performing or performance connection.

As I thought about her definition and explanation, I wondered how that could be applied to our relationship with God.

How do we currently relate to God and how can we cultivate a more meaningful connection with God?

So first let’s look at what connection doesn’t look like. Am I trying to prove myself to God or do I struggle to know that He values me for who I am?  Is it hard for me to imagine that He actually does love His beautiful creations, that He actually loves me?

How do I see God? Do I see Him as authoritative dictator who insists His minions do as He demands because He is trying to protect His authority and worth as our God? If I do, can I recognize that that view could be greatly hindering my connection with Him?

Is my relationship with God based on fear? Did you know that when you read the references in the Bible about fearing God (for example Deuteronomy 6:3 and 10:20), when you look at the original Hebrew word ‘Yirah’ meaning awe, reverence, respect, that it means to revere. Rabbi Lew describes it as “the fear that overcomes us when we suddenly find ourselves in possession of considerably more energy than we are used to, inhabiting a larger space than we are used to inhabiting. It is also the feeling we feel when we are on sacred ground.” (link)

Am I in a power struggle with God? Do I feel like He’s controlling my life or do I only want a relationship with Him if it is only on my terms? Do I lack a connection with God because I have simply walked away?

My communication with God, my prayers, are they a performance? Is it all flowery words and no substance or am I truly pouring out my heart to God? When I ask for His help for myself or others, am I willing to walk alongside Him to help make the situation better or do I want Him to feed the hungry so I don’t have see the poor and destitute as I walk down the street?

If we truly want to cultivate a divine connection, we need to take a closer look at the relationship we have with Him.

Do we see God for who He is? Is He Father, Friend, Mentor, Guide in our lives?

Do we hear Him? Do we listen to His guidance? Do we live by His words?

Do we place value on Him and His word and His promises to us?

Do we recognize or do we know that God sees us, He hears our prayers, He values us and all we do in the world, for others, for our contribution?

What do you need to feel a loving connection to God?

Do you see, feel, and know all God has in store for you?

Once you can see what He has in store for you, are you receiving and accepting those blessings and love?

And in return are you filled with love and gratitude?

Do you express that love and gratitude to Him and share it with those around you?

Finally, do you allow your relationship with God to strengthen you, to sustain you?

What is the energy of the connection you have with the Divine?

“Love and connectedness should be the focus of my meditation to start each day. Then I can go out into the world ready to be a conduit, receiving and giving love, abundance and guidance.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

The post Cultivating Divine Connection first appeared on Laura Lane.

How do you listen to what the Divine has to say to you?

“God wants me to work with Him, partner with Him. My job is to remember to not leave the house without Him.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

In my first newsletter 4 months ago, I shared my thoughts on how to ask the Divine for help. I compared the need for prayer with both a pilot’s flight plan and going out for a swim in open water.

Lately I have felt like I am barely treading water and I’m running out of energy. I don’t quite feel like I’m drowning but I do feel exhausted from the swim and the shore feels like a long way off.

I currently live 15 minutes from the second biggest lake in Canada – Lake Huron. I grew up going to the cottage here every year as a child. Summers were spent on Sauble Beach, playing on the soft warm white sand and swimming in the shallow turquoise waters of Lake Huron.

The beach is 5 miles long and the water is shallow for at least half a mile. As kids we would wade out up to our chests, swim a few feet and find ourselves on a sand bar where the water only reached our knees again. We would do this over and over again as the sight of our parents on the beach got further and further away. We felt completely safe. We knew we could touch bottom if we needed to. When the winds picked up, we could ride the waves back to shore.

In my life and business this week, the wind has picked up and waves seem to be getting bigger. I’m swimming against the current. The water feels deep. I have a thousand things to do, and I keep having to remind myself with a recent announcement from my doctor that my iron levels are now in the anemic range that that’s why I feel so tired all the time!

I don’t need my Divine Lifeguard to jump in to save me but from His vantage point on the tower I could use His perspective to tell me where the next sand bar is and when to put my feet down.

So, the key question for me right now is: how do I stop myself from struggling long enough to listen to His advice?

I know the answer is in the safety of looking to my Heavenly Parents. Setting my sights on the shore. I know the way for me to do that is through quiet meditation. If I will stop long enough to listen, God will encourage me, remind me how far I have come, and help me get to my destination.

In my Soul Chocolate Meditation Retreats we talk about how meditation can help us reach one of many destinations: the destination of Peace, Gratitude, Love, Inspiration or simply encouragement and renewed strength, to know we are not alone. We can learn to receive all that if we just stop long enough, put down our struggles and simply be with the Divine.

That is my challenge: put my pen down, close my laptop, turn off my phone, step away from my desk, go for a walk, find a quiet spot and sit long enough that I can see, feel and know all God has in store for me.

What do you need to be able to better listen to what the Divine has to say to you?

“[When we] approach [our] God in secret there are at least four great blessings that will come to [us] here and now; … Gratitude, gratitude for blessings unrealized. …Guidance … Confidence … Inspiration… It is not an imagination that we can approach God and can receive light and guidance from Him, that our minds will be enlightened, our souls thrilled by His Spirit.”

 David O. McKay

Peace

“Truth sheds light on all things so I can see everything clearly. It is Divine Perspective.” 

Laura Lane from “I Touch the Heavens”

Peace is so much more than the absence of war
it is the stillness that heals the soul
it the quiet of the night
the hand of God calming our racing heart
holding our hand in the shadows
it is the safety from the storm
it is the angels carrying us to celestial heights
on gentle wings of tranquility
it is what binds us to the heavens

My favourite scripture in the New Testament is John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

As I was studying John 14:27 this last week I discovered something I hadn’t noticed before. John 14:27 is the bookend to a whole lesson that Jesus was giving that starts with John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” I never realized that all of his words about “if you love me, keep my commandments” and “Many mansions” and “I am the way, the truth and the light”  are all there to teach us not be afraid. These words are there specifically to help us feel as peace. These words are to help us gain a divine perspective.

He is telling us that we will have the gift of peace once we have enough faith to trust God.

In the past whenever I read the scriptures where it seemed that God was demanding that we obey Him, since the time of Adam and Moses that He has issued commandments to His people, it didn’t fit in with every thing I know about Jesus and how loving both He and the Father are.

In John 14, Jesus repeatedly tells us that He and the Father are one, of one mind, one heart. Everything I learned about Jesus is that He loves us, and God loves us with all their heart, mind, soul and strength, so why would He on the other hand be demanding? I knew I must be missing something.

Everything I have learned in my studies has pointed me to a different understanding of Obedience.  God is not a towering controlling father who insists we do everything his way. Not “DO AS I TELL YOU OR ELSE”. When God asks us to obey Him, He is inviting us to listen to his council, internalize it, and try it out. 

When Jesus says “ If you love me, keep my commandments” He is asking us to keep his council close to our hearts. Internalize it. Live it. Make them your watchword. He is teaching us that by keeping His council, trusting His advice, it will give us comfort. That the spirit of truth will whisper to you and you will know you are not alone.

If we learn to do that, we will can then become one with God and Jesus just as they are one. 

You will feel their love, their love for you, and you will feel greater love for them.

And Jesus’s promise is that when we do forget, the Comforter will be there to bring all these things back to your remembrance and continue to teach you along the way.

That is the Peace that He promises us. John 14:27 is truly the bookend to  John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled.”

I would invite you to reread John 14 and see what new perspectives you gain as you look even more closely at Jesus’s council in this chapter.

What could you look at differently in you life so you could feel more at peace?

“Joy and peace come from a divine perspective.”

Laura Lane from “I Touch the Heavens”