This resonated with me today. I needed to be reminded that “God is in the pots and pans,” something that Santa Teresa of Avila wrote. (Or something like that!) We simply must notice and open our awareness to that presence 💯!
What a relief that line is. It rescues the sacred from abstraction and returns it to the kitchen sink, the laundry basket, the emails we don’t want to answer. So much of the spiritual life isn’t about climbing higher but about seeing deeper. Thank you for the reminder. May we keep discovering that the Divine is not hiding from us in the mundane, but hiding in it.
‘The question is not whether we have time for prayer. The question is whether we are willing to see our lives as prayer.’ - I really love everything here. I heard something on a podcast the other day- (I can’t remember which one, I listen to a lot haha) - but he said something like ‘we tend to compartmentalize the area of our lives , our spiritual life being in its own place- but the spiritual life is just life. It’s just that most of us haven’t stopped to notice.
Taking notice is one of my favorite things ever. To be still and know. To recognize love woven throughout my story. And those around me, to hopefully help them see it too.
I love this so much. We’re the ones who slice it up into compartments and then wonder why we feel divided. What if nothing is actually separate? What if prayer isn’t a room we enter, but a way of seeing the room we’re already in? Thank you for paying attention. The world is gentler because you do.
Christopher, beautifully stated! The transformative journey you've described from young idealist (self-sacrificing) to wise realist (self-preserving) is so on point! As an enneatype 8, I recognize the pathway, the blueprint and the inevitable fork in the road (burnout) that leads to either Spirit or nihilism. As I approach my 79th birthday, the energy to serve & "leave the world a better place" hasn't passed - it has settled to the ground beneath my feet. I've become more forgiving, more understanding, more loving and more satisfied with serving in "doable" capacities. Right here, right now -"doing the dishes".
Thank you Sharry. That phrase *“the energy has settled to the ground beneath my feet”* sure sounds like wisdom earned the long way. There’s something profoundly Eight-ish about that fork you named: burnout pushing us toward either hardened nihilism or softened Spirit. I’ve seen that crossroads up close in my own life, and it’s no small grace to choose the path that keeps the heart open.
Happy early birthday. The world is better because you’re here, still serving right here, right now.
This beautiful reflection is greatly appreciated. God bless you in your important work.
Thanks so much Maureen, your encouragement has always gone a long, long way.
This resonated with me today. I needed to be reminded that “God is in the pots and pans,” something that Santa Teresa of Avila wrote. (Or something like that!) We simply must notice and open our awareness to that presence 💯!
What a relief that line is. It rescues the sacred from abstraction and returns it to the kitchen sink, the laundry basket, the emails we don’t want to answer. So much of the spiritual life isn’t about climbing higher but about seeing deeper. Thank you for the reminder. May we keep discovering that the Divine is not hiding from us in the mundane, but hiding in it.
‘The question is not whether we have time for prayer. The question is whether we are willing to see our lives as prayer.’ - I really love everything here. I heard something on a podcast the other day- (I can’t remember which one, I listen to a lot haha) - but he said something like ‘we tend to compartmentalize the area of our lives , our spiritual life being in its own place- but the spiritual life is just life. It’s just that most of us haven’t stopped to notice.
Taking notice is one of my favorite things ever. To be still and know. To recognize love woven throughout my story. And those around me, to hopefully help them see it too.
I love this so much. We’re the ones who slice it up into compartments and then wonder why we feel divided. What if nothing is actually separate? What if prayer isn’t a room we enter, but a way of seeing the room we’re already in? Thank you for paying attention. The world is gentler because you do.
Christopher, beautifully stated! The transformative journey you've described from young idealist (self-sacrificing) to wise realist (self-preserving) is so on point! As an enneatype 8, I recognize the pathway, the blueprint and the inevitable fork in the road (burnout) that leads to either Spirit or nihilism. As I approach my 79th birthday, the energy to serve & "leave the world a better place" hasn't passed - it has settled to the ground beneath my feet. I've become more forgiving, more understanding, more loving and more satisfied with serving in "doable" capacities. Right here, right now -"doing the dishes".
Excellent post - keep writing!!!!
Thank you Sharry. That phrase *“the energy has settled to the ground beneath my feet”* sure sounds like wisdom earned the long way. There’s something profoundly Eight-ish about that fork you named: burnout pushing us toward either hardened nihilism or softened Spirit. I’ve seen that crossroads up close in my own life, and it’s no small grace to choose the path that keeps the heart open.
Happy early birthday. The world is better because you’re here, still serving right here, right now.