Laura Lane's Blog, page 5

Divine Harmony

“I dreamed of weaving a carpet or rug. When I awoke, I realized the symbol was telling me that I need to weave love and gratitude into the fabric of my life, into everything I do.” 

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

As I was preparing to give a talk at church this Sunday, I came across notes I had about Divine Harmony. I spent a few days contemplating that I idea. What does that mean to have Divine Harmony and what would my life look like if I am living in harmony with God?

Harmony comes from the Latin word Harmonia meaning joining or to fit together. How can I fit or knit together with my Heavenly Father? Harmony can also represent the combining of notes or chords to create beautiful music.

When I consider who God is, my first response is God is Love. If there was one word to summarize the vibration that represents Him, it would have to be Love.

So, if I want to have Divine Harmony, I will need to have Love as my primary vibration. The other notes I can weave into that harmony are Peace and Gratitude. These are notes I will need to sing or play on a daily basis. Not just once but everyday as much as I can. Just like a musician if I hit a wrong note, if I go off key, I can stop, pause, check what notes I should be playing and try again.

There are times when we get distracted, angry, frustrated and things just go wrong or at least not as planned and we are no longer in harmony. Once we realize where we are, we can course correct. Ho’oponopono is an excellent way to do that. Every moment is an opportunity to let go of the past moment and refocus on love, peace and gratitude once again.

My goal then becomes to raise my vibration to that of love and gratitude, to send the energy of love and gratitude to others and my Heavenly Father so that it will transform me, so I can become more like God.

My invitation to you is to consider how would your life look different on a daily basis if your goal was to live each day in Harmony with God?

“When I root myself so that I am experiencing love on all levels: feeling it in my body, in my heart, accepting love, surrounded by love, generating love, when I am giving as well as receiving at the same time, then I am connected to God, connected to all God wants to give to me. “ 

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

Divine Harmony through the Atonement

Divine Harmony through the Atonement Talk by Laura Lane

On June 9th, 1842, just three months after Relief Society had been formed in Nauvoo, prior to the building of the Nauvoo temple, The Prophet Joseph Smith came to address the sisters.  At that time, as the Relief Society was growing so very quickly, it had been recommended that the new sisters had to be invited and presented on good report by two other sisters.  And because of this ruling a certain Sister Mahala Overton had previously been denied membership.

The Prophet spoke to the sisters and apologized to Sister Overton. He then spoke to the sisters about the topic of mercy saying,  “Supposing that Jesus Christ and angels should object to us on frivolous things, what would become of us? We must be merciful and overlook small things.

It grieves me that there is no fuller fellowship— if one member suffers all feel it— by union of feeling we obtain pow’r with God. Christ said he came to call sinners to repentance and save them. Christ was condemn’d by the righteous Jews because he took sinners into his society, he took them on the principle that they repented of their sins.

Nothing is so much calculated to lead people to forsake sin as to take them by the hand and watch over them with tenderness. When persons manifest the least kindness and love to me, O what pow’r it has over my mind, while the opposite course has a tendency to harrow up all the harsh feelings and depress the human mind.

God does not look on sin with allowance, but when men have sin’d there must be allowance made for them. All the religious world is boasting of righteousness— tis the doctrine of the devil to retard the human mind and retard our progress, by filling us with self righteousness— The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more are we dispos’d to look with compassion on perishing souls— to take them upon our shoulders and cast their sins behind our back.

If you would have God have mercy on you, have mercy on one another.”1

That mercy is at the heart of the Atonement.

There are two ideas I would like to share with you today The Power of the Atonement and Divine Harmony – that union of feeling that the Prophet mentioned.

President Boyd K. Packer of the Council of the Twelve beautifully explains the Atonement with the following parable. The Story of the Debtor and the Creditor. 2

There’s a man who borrows a sum of money from a creditor with an agreement to pay it back when required.

One day the creditor demands his money, and the debtor doesn’t have it.

If he doesn’t pay up, he will be put in jail.

The debtor begs for mercy but the creditor cries that if he gives him mercy, he won’t have justice.

They are at an impasse, until a mediator steps in and offers to pay the debt, giving the debtor mercy, and the creditor justice.

The debtor represents all who have the sinned. All those things that come with a price but yet we cannot ever truly repay the errors of our ways: the lies that cannot be taken back, the gossip and harm it causes, the malice and hurtful words, the harm we cause to others and ourselves, the anxiety and fear, neglect and abuse, sadness and loneliness, broken promises and covenants.

The creditor represents those who are harmed, who cry out for justice. Whether or not they receive justice in a court of law. An earthly court of law can never fix the emotional and spiritual wounds that are afflicted.

Only the Saviour can step in as mediator to provide mercy to the Debtor and justice and healing to the Creditor.  He in essence provides healing to both. The Saviour understands completely that the Debtor is only in the position he is in because he is broken and wounded himself. The debtor needs compassion as much as the creditor – the man he has wounded.

That was the lesson Joseph Smith was teaching.

“Nothing is so much calculated to lead people to forsake sin as to take them by the hand and watch over them with tenderness.”3

Mercy!

To the creditor – to the man or woman who has been harmed. When someone who has wronged us, and we are crying out for justice, someone owes us a debt and we are demanding to be paid. It is then that the Savior steps in.

He mediates between us and says, “I see your pain. I know your pain I feel your pain. I will make it right. I will repay you for all you have lost.”

He sees the lies that were told – He knows the truth. He knows the gossip that was told and harm it caused you: the malice and hurtful words, the harm caused to others, the wounded spirits, the anxiety and fear, neglect and abuse, sadness and loneliness, broken promises and covenants. He has felt all of it.

He loves and embraces you and will heal your wounds if you will let him. He will share your burdens. He cried your tears in the garden of Gethsemane. He will kneel beside you as you cry to the Father, and he will stand between you and persecutor.

The beauty of the Atonement is that it helps everyone of us become AT ONE with GOD.

It creates a divine harmony.

I return again to the quote by the Prophet Joseph Smith, “by union of feeling we obtain pow’r with God … When persons manifest the least kindness and love to me, O what pow’r it has over my mind … The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more are we dispos’d to look with compassion on perishing souls— to take them upon our shoulders and cast their sins behind our back.” 4

I would invite you to consider what that would look like in your life if heart, mind, and soul were to become more in line with the compassion and mercy the Saviour has for each one of us?

That is Divine Harmony.

Harmony comes from the Latin word Harmonia meaning joining or to fit together. How can we fit or knit together with our Heavenly Father? Harmony can also represent the combining of notes or chords to create beautiful music.

 When I consider who God is, my first response is God is loving, compassionate, and merciful. If there was one word to summarize the vibration (Music is a vibration) that represents Him, it would have to be Love – a Christlike love.

 So, if I want to have Divine Harmony, I will need to have Love as my primary vibration. The other notes I can weave into that harmony are Peace and Gratitude. These are notes I will need to sing or play on a daily basis. Not just once but everyday as much as I can. Just like a musician if I hit a wrong note, if I go off key, I can stop, pause, check what notes I should be playing and try again. 

 There are times when we get distracted, angry, frustrated and things just go wrong or at least not as planned and we are no longer in harmony. Once we realize where we are, we can course correct. The Saviour’s Atonement gives us that opportunity. Every moment is an opportunity to let go of the past moment and refocus on love, peace and gratitude once again. 

 Our goal then becomes to raise our vibration to that of love and gratitude, to send the energy of love and gratitude to others and to our Heavenly Father so that it will transform us, so we can become more like God.

 My invitation to you is to consider how would your life look differently on a daily basis if your goal was to live each day by accepting the Saviour’s Atonement in your life and live in Harmony with God?

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Notes:

Smith, J, “Minutes and Discourse: 9 June 1842 full transcript” The Joseph Smith Papers, (June 2023). ttps://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/minutes-and-discourse-9-june-1842/2#full-transcriptThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, “Chapter 12: The Atonement” Gospel Principles, (June 2023) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-12-the-atonement?lang=engSmith, “Minutes and Discourse”.Smith, “Minutes and Discourse”.

You are a Purposefully Created Blessing

“The first great commandment is to love God with all our heart, might, mind and strength [because] the first great truth… is that God loves us with all his heart, might, mind and strength.”

Jeffrey R Holland

As I was teaching last weekend as part of my Soul Chocolate Meditation Retreat, I focused a great deal on the love God has for us and how we can become rooted and grounded in that love. In the last few years, I have been practicing Qigong every evening. Qigong is ancient Chinese martial art, and a form of moving meditation. It is the base forms or postures from which Tai Chi comes from.

Every evening I practice Shanghai Qigong combined with affirmations that, for me, becomes a form of prayer. It reminds me what I should be focusing on. It involves sending love to those who are most important to me but also receiving God’s love. Being filled with that love. Letting it move through me so I can share it with others.

Sometimes we might feel inadequate in our abilities to succeed in this life. But I have discovered that God had it all planned out.  I believe that God intended to create you, specifically you, your unique combinations of frailties and strength. He lovingly made you to come forth at a specific time for a specific purpose. He needed your talents, your uniqueness to love and inspire those around you. He thought about your time in history, in the world, in your unique environment and created you in order to bless and help those other spirits around you. You were created in a loving manner to love and be loved in a unique time and place.

God loves you

for who you are

not what you accomplish.

He loves you for who you are

in the present moment

not what you did in the past.

Nor does he despise you for what you have done in the past.

He loves you for who you are,

including your weaknesses,

because those weaknesses humble you

to rely on Him.

He loves you for your ability to be loving, kind, thoughtful, nurturing, and sensitive to the needs of others and teachable.

His love for you is not contingent on whether you get the task done.

He loves you for your desire to do good,

for your love for others,

for the desires of your heart.

He loves you for your faithfulness

for your efforts in listening to his guidance

in acting on His inspired wisdom

in trusting Him and serving others

in believing and loving Him.

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.

How does knowing that truth help you feel more confident in your ability to succeed everyday?

“Receive [God’s love] and allow it to fill you and heal you. You are loved more than worlds.
God lovingly created you. He adores you.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

Please feel free to leave comments below.

A Day of Healing and Reflection

“The Sabbath is truly not only a day of rest but a day of healing.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

A few years ago, I spent weeks studying Ephesian 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” And as I did, I came across a commentary written by the Nineteenth century Scottish Baptist Minister Alexander MacLaren, (Measureless Power and Endless Glory (Ephesians 3:20, 21)) His commentary addresses God’s perfection and how that relates to the sabbath.

First it is important to note when I looked up the etymology of the word Sabbath, it comes from the Hebrew word shabbāth meaning to rest or God’s day of rest.

So MacLaren in his commentary shares: “Perfection is the sign manual of God in all His works, just as imperfection and the falling below our thought and wish is our ‘token in every epistle’ and deed of ours. Take the finest needle, and put it below a microscope, and it will be all ragged and irregular, the fine, tapering lines will be broken by many a bulge and bend, and the point blunt and clumsy. Put the blade of grass to the same test, and see how regular its outline, how delicate and true the spear-head of its point. God’s work is perfect, man’s is clumsy and incomplete. God does not leave off till He has finished. When He rests, it is because, looking on His work, He sees it all ‘very good.’ His Sabbath is the Sabbath of an achieved purpose, of a fulfilled counsel.”

Most of the time I feel I struggle in my Sabbath day worship and making the day holy. I know it is a day of rest, but I struggle to make it so. My sabbath is by no means perfect and neither was my week of toil and labour – there were many things left undone. But this is where MacLaren’s commentary is helpful.

Our works and our worship and our rest will never be the perfection that is God’s. He only asks us to make an attempt, to do our best. That best may vary from week to week and year to year but each week we have the opportunity to rededicate ourselves and the day and the week ahead to Him. He asks us to lay down our burdens at His feet, just as we lay down our heads each night, to restore our strength for the coming week.

Recognize that He is willing to forgive our errors and misdirection and wandering off the path. He will heal the hurts, fix the wrongs done and restore all things in the end. If we dedicate our work and our rest to Him, He will perfect what we start. If we recognize His perfection and His ability to “to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,” we will begin to see the miracles in our lives, feel His love and be filled with abundant gratitude.

The Sabbath is truly not only a day of rest but a day of healing. A day dedicated to honoring that which we are given so that we can direct our thoughts to the Saviour, to receive spiritual nourishment, to remember His love for us, to reflect on our blessings and to express our gratitude.

When you come to the Sabbath, you can acknowledge the week and pronounce it as good, then rededicate the next week’s work to the Lord and ask Him for His love and grace (His help) to accomplish all that He and you desire.

I would invite you to consider, as you reflect on your week, what can you express gratitude for?

“The Sabbath is a day of reflection, gratitude and thanksgiving.
Reflect on the past week.
Give thanks for the perfection
of each day,
of the good deeds done,
the miracles seen and experienced
for the love I’ve felt
and all I’ve accomplished because of God’s grace.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

Endorsing the Source of Miracles

God is constantly and continually giving.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

The other day I was thinking about the Christian tradition of bearing testimony or bearing witness.

In my church, we dedicate a Sunday service every month to bearing testimony. I know some people who avoid going that week of the month because they find what others choose to share to be repetitive, boring, preachy and sometimes downright annoying.

I have heard church leaders try to give guidance on how we can better share our testimonies. As a child, decades ago, many of us were taught to recite the same words month after month, and a string of kids would line up to bear our rote testimonies. Some adults are still bearing those same testimonies decades later. 

But is that what God needs us to be doing? Does it do any good? Is it helping anyone else in the room or bring us closer to God?

I began to think about the world of publishing and product sales, there is a similar word to testimony – testimonials. The endorsement of a book, product or program, a bearing witness to the effectiveness of the wisdom, usefulness or practicality of an object or book or course. 

An effective testimonial will state the struggle or pain point I had before I picked up the book, what I learned, how that helped me, and how much better my life is today because of it. 

It requires a level of introspection, growth, and vulnerability to share these things. 

Is that not what we should be sharing: our experiences learning and growing in the gospel, our deeply held spiritual and religious beliefs?  It doesn’t have to be preachy or annoying and it certainly won’t be boring. 

If we share the struggle we were having, and how learning and implementing a certain spiritual insight changed the way we looked at things, changed the way we acted, changed the way we treated ourselves and others, wouldn’t that have a more profound impact on others?

Wouldn’t that be a reminder to ourselves of God’s goodness, greatness, and wisdom? It could even help us better see God’s hand in our lives and recognize that when we listen to His great wisdom, test it out, try it out, implement it, then amazing miracles happen to us and those we love. It will help us grow our gratitude and as a direct result increase our faith. 

Those are the types of testimonies I would love to hear from those around me. When I hear how a product, program, or advice worked for someone else I am more likely to try it out myself. When I am struggling, I want to hear how God’s wisdom helped my neighbour, so I am more likely to remember to try it out myself.

Have you taken stock recently of where you were mentally, emotionally, and spiritually before you felt God’s love, and how that love and wisdom has bettered your life?  I would love to hear about it too!

There are miracles everywhere and can be found in every circumstance if I look for them.” 

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

Shifting Perceptions, Shifting Reality

“Beautiful people don’t just happen.”

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

I love this quote by Wayne Dyer. “The way we observe the world we live in affects that world.” It reminds me of the unseen impact we each have on the world around us. When I ruminated on it even further I came up with the following:

“My ability to see love in the world creates more love in the world.

My ability to see beauty in the world creates more beauty.

My ability to see generosity in the world creates more generosity.

My ability to see abundance in the world creates more abundance.

My ability to see good in the world creates more good.”

In what can sometimes feel like a dark and dearly world, when we are bombarded with negativity, chaos, and catastrophic events happening around the globe via news stories, social media and TV and movies, we need to remember that there is in fact much more good, beautiful and inspiring stories happening around us every single day.

There are people who are feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, rescuing those afflicted by tragedy and trauma. There are people making beautiful music, beautiful art, beautiful homes, beautiful food. There are people loving each other in simple kind ways every day. There are parents and children, aunts and uncles, grandparents, neighbours, church members, community members and complete strangers reaching out to each other to lift and protect when tragedy strikes.

There is more good happening out in the world then could ever be reported in a 24 hour newscast.

Everyday the sun comes up and creates a beautiful sunrise. The flowers turn their heads towards the sun. The birds chirp even before we see the sun’s rays. In the winter the crisp white of snowfall blankets and quiets the earth reflecting light back into the sky. The pups and cubs and all newborn animals tumble and play. Butterflies sprout new wings. Trees blossom, flowers bloom, and even in fall the leaves turn gorgeous colours. The world is filled with beauty and wonder if we will only stop long enough to notice.

What do you need to stop long enough to notice in your life?

“When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.”

Wayne Dyer

Lightening Our Burden

“The Saviour promises to give us rest, to find rest unto our heart and soul through love and healing.”
Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

I have been a Sunday school teacher for many years – more like a few decades now. Teaching both to adults and to the youth. Currently I am a youth teacher for a class of 12 to 18 year olds. But it has been weeks since I have taught. I travel a great deal and I have been sick each time I have come back from a trip.

This week I thought I would finally see my class again and get to teach them about one of my favourite scriptures in Matthew in the New Testament. But the weather and the road conditions all combined against me. Yet again I was not at church.

In order to assuage my guilt for not being there, I decided to share with you instead my notes about what Jesus was talking about then he promised us rest.

In Matthew chapter 11 verses 28 to 30, Jesus taught “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

A couple of years ago, I was struggling with the weight of my own difficulties coping with my grief, struggling with the weight of my responsibilities at home, at work in my own business and the family business and supporting my family members in their own difficulties.

During all that, I was drawn to this scripture in Matthew. More like the angels flipped the bible to this page and said, “here read this!”  I knew it was exactly what I needed but at the same time I had no idea how  Jesus’ words were actually going to help me.

There had to be something I was missing. There had to be more to this than I could currently see. I set out to find meaning through the etymology of the words he used. Did these words have a different meaning thousands of years ago that have been lost over the years?

I had researched the word yoke before. Yoke comes a Proto-Indo European word Yugum or yeug meaning join, unite or join together. Traditionally a yoke was used to tie two oxen or other farm animals together so that they could pull a heavy weight, distributing the weight evenly between both animals.

A good yoke must fit properly and be smooth so it doesn’t gall or choke. Ideally it would be made out of wood. Iron yokes were often times used on slaves and were heavy, irritating and humiliating.

So, when Jesus said “Take my yoke upon you … for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” He was inviting us to unite with him. He would share our burden and make it easy. It would be neither heavy, galling or irritating nor humiliating. 

My bigger question was how? How was he going to do that? He first promises, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Then he says “learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

How will me learning of or about him give me rest? I’ve been learning about Christ my whole life, but I still feel the weight of my struggles.

The answer had to be there, somewhere. So, I looked again. He says “for I am meek and lowly in heart:” How does his being meek and lowly of heart help me? Obviously, I was missing something here. I looked up the words Meek and Lowly of Heart. 

Meek in the topical guide in the back of my bible referenced words like contrite heart, humble, humility, poor in spirit, teachable. Again, my question: how does his being those things help me? I looked further.

Meek comes from the Middle English word Meoc means courteous, gentle, quiet, unaggressive, benevolent, kind, which comes from the old Norse word Mjuker meaning soft and gentle.

In the bible meek translates from the Latin word Manusuetus meaning tameness, gentleness, mildness. The Latin verb Mansuscare meaning ‘to tame’. Manus mean ‘hand” and Sucsere ‘to accustom or habituate’. It literally means ‘to accustom to the hand’.

How must we behave in order to tame or accustom to the hand something or someone who is fragile or frightened? Gently and softly. Jesus knows that when we are burdened and struggling that we can be emotionally skittish, frightened, wary and weary. He will be gentle with us.

The second thing Jesus says is that he is lowly of heart. The footnote in my bible says to look up Contrite Spirit in the topical guide, with humble and humility being the first references. So again, how does Jesus being humble help me?

Humble comes from the Latin word Humus meaning ground and Humilis meaning low or lowly (here is the key to lowly of heart) So lowly, on the ground, earth or soil. These are all related to the Sanskrit words: Ksa meaning field protector or cultivator of the field, and Ksam meaning be patient or endure.

The verb Humble is bend, kneel or bow.  To be humble is also to reconnect with the earth, to plant your feet, to get back to nature and to be grounded, to come back to what is important.

Christ has set the example for us by being supple, bending to the weight of life like a young tender tree in the storm not rigid and unyielding. He is grounded in what is most important. He continuously reminds us we need to be rooted and grounded in love.

The prophet Moroni teaches the same principle and brings it all full circle.  “Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.  And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart. If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.” Moroni 7:42-44

What is charity then? Charity comes from the Greek word for Agape which is a heightened level of awareness, to see someone as God sees them.

When we are struggling and heavy with the weight of the world on our shoulders, the Saviour invites us to let him share our burdens. He promises to make it easy. He will be soft and gentle with us. He will be our protector. He knows what is most important and will love us conditionally. He sees us as God sees us. He will be our hope and we can trust him to support us in our time of need.  We can be rooted and grounded in his love for us so it can bring us healing and wholeness and strengthen us so that we can accomplish all we need to do with his help.

“Love heals. Love transforms. Love creates.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

My Big Brother

“As I see God’s goodness and greatness, I am filled with love and life and light, which is the fountain of living waters.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

This is one of my favourite paintings of Jesus. It is called Living Water (Jesus and the Samaritan Woman) and was painted by Simon Dewey. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/m...)

The I have 4 copies of it in different places in my home and office to remind me that I can always sit at the Saviour’s feet to learn from him. That his example is the greatest example I can seek in learning to love and accept others.

I see Jesus Christ as my big brother who loves and protects me. He has stepped in to intervene in the most difficult moments of my life. He has become the mediator between me and those who have hurt me. He has sat beside me, and I have felt his loving arms around me, as I grieved the loss of my daughter. In my darkest moments has always been there to comfort me, guide me and safeguard me.

He loves me no matter what and I love the example he has given me of how to love others. Every time I read about his caring selfless life it encourages me to do better and be just a little more like him.

I hope you will reflect today – Easter Sunday, and think on how Jesus’s goodness has impacted your life and how you might become a little more like him.

“As I gratefully receive and share [God’s] love with others, it again fills me with more love and life and light, and it heals me and others, springing up into everlasting life. I can then become a beacon of light and hope.”
Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

Ever Watchful My Celestial Team

“Strength comes from courageously asking for help, acknowledging that we can’t do it alone and boldly asking for the help we need to do the job.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

What is Prayer? It is simply asking the Divine for that desperately needed help.

How often in your day do you sit down and access the needs that you have and the resources available?

Do you begin the day that way? Do you stop halfway through to see what progress you have made and then at the end give the day a quick review and pat yourself on the back for a job well done or a day well lived?

I have found that some days are easier to live through than others. Some days take all the energy I have and many times I completely forget that I don’t have to do it alone.

I don’t know why I don’t always remember to ask for help.

I’ve learned to do it when the stakes are really high. When my daughter Celeste was rushed to the hospital with a brain tumour diagnosis, I knew that day we were going to need all the help we could get. I made a list and started making phone calls. I knew I was in deep scary water.

But on an average day, when it feels like I’m in shallow water, I think I’ve got this, I don’t think to check to see if my Divine lifeguard is watching over me. I forget to tell him my plans, how long I plan on swimming or how far.

My husband Matt is a pilot and he has learned that when he wants to fly he has to call in a flight plan: where he is going and how long he thinks it will take to get there. Then once he arrives, he calls to report he made it safely. Someone on the other end of that call is waiting to hear that everything is okay otherwise they will send out search and rescue to find him.

The knowledge that someone is watching out for him can be such a big comfort.

I sometimes forget that I have my own Divine search and rescue team watching out for me and if things get difficult at any point in the day, I can call out not just for help but for reassurance that I am not alone.

Earlier this winter, I had to drive down to Owen Sound, the next nearest city to where I live. It’s about 30 minutes away. The road were a bit iffy, which is Canadian for snow covered and slightly treacherous. The plows hadn’t done both sides of the highway yet.  This particular day, as I set out, seeing it wasn’t going to be easy, I called in my divine flight plan.

I needed to know that I was being watched over that my divine search and rescue team were waiting in the wings. I have had many close calls over the years, so I know how hard the angels work to keep me on the road and help me safely to my destination.

As soon as I called in my request for extra help, to be watched over, the nervousness I had been experiencing disappeared. I knew I could completely trust that no matter what happened I would be okay. The angels were watching over me and they had my back.

I realize now that are there are many more times and situations when I can be checking in with my Divine team to help me through the day. Reviewing those questions I asked before:

How often in my day do I sit down and access the needs that I have and the resources available?

Do I begin the day that way? Do I stop halfway through to see what progress I have made and then at the end give the day  do I do a quick review and pat myself on the back for a job well done or a day well lived?

What would be the difference if I did?

How about you? Do you think you could live courageously and ask for more help, Divine or otherwise?

My invite to you is to think about what difference it would make in your day if you partnered with the Divine throughout the whole day and reported back on how it went. If you are game enough to try it or you already do so on a regular basis I would love to hear from you how it went.

“Spiritual strength is acknowledging the unseen forces of the universe, the Divine and the angelic and having faith enough to ask for and receive that help.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

Becoming a Peacemaker

“Prayer turns into meditation when there is no more need to say anything, when we can just sit in peace with the Divine”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

I was listening to a talk last week when I began to wonder what does it take to become a Peacemaker? Here is the list I came up with as I listened.

Compassionately treat others with kindnessBe generous in our thoughts, words and actionsDevelop peace in our livesCultivate a peaceful demeanorBe at peace with the people  and circumstances in our lifeRadiate peaceBe centered in loveSet an example of peace for those around youFollow the example of Jesus’s example of gentleness, love, compassion, kindness and generositySeek out other peacemakersLook for the good in othersPray for other and pray with themNotice those in need or strugglingBe at peace with the pace in which things are unfolding

What would you add to this list? Who do you know who is an exemplary peacemaker? What sets them apart from others? I would love to hear your responses.

“Peace comes from having Divine Perspective”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’