May 21, 2006

Keeping God at the center

The past week or so has had me filled with a whirlwind of thoughts, concerns, and emotions. My heart has been weighed down with sadness over how some things have progressed in my life of late, including and most especially among Friends.

During Meeting for Worship, though, I was made to understand that I had been placing myself at the center of my concern:
How was I going to get through this?
How was I going to deal with whatever decision I would make in the end?
When I remembered that God is at the center of my faith, when I returned God to that center, I felt a shift inside me. My breathing lightened. My burdens lightened. The fog cleared a bit from my very fuzzy brain.

I can't say that I've reached clearness about how to move forward with certain difficulties, but I can say that I'll be paying attention to where I am and where God is in relation to how I view my experience in the world over the next couple of days.

It's as if this simple affirmation, God is at the center, has helped me detach from the worldly worries I was carrying. Detach, yes, but not be so far removed from things that I will slip into denial or procrastination. But by detaching just a bit emotionally as a result of putting God at the center, I have gained some emotional breathing room and a different spiritual view of what I am facing.

Pretty cool.

Blessings,
Liz

P.S. I am grateful that Martin has written about his understanding of keeping God at the center. It was nice to re-read this piece at a time like this.
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3 comments:

  1. Robin M.May 22, 2006 11:42 PM

    Dear Liz,

    I hope things will become clearer for you and that you're keeping up with your writing, even in the midst of the daily drama of life.

    This is a good question: where is God in relation to how I view my experience in the world?

    I will work on that for myself as well.

    Blessings to you,
    Robin

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  2. efMay 23, 2006 3:27 PM

    Liz-

    Thanks for this for me, too. It was actually just what I needed to be reminded of - My boss walked in yesterday to find me writing "keep god at the center" on my inner forearm. oops!

    I feel like I have gone on and on, at vaious points about how every moment of my life should be "quaker" (or perhaps ratehr, "godly") - but it was a shock to realize how often I tacitly say to God, "this isn't your department, I'll handle it on my own" - I'm not sure where that tendency comes from

    peace
    Pam

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  3. Liz OppMay 23, 2006 6:05 PM

    Hi, Robin - ...Did you have to use the word "drama"??? smile

    And Pam - Writing such a reminder on my arm "would not have occurred to me," but I'm glad to know you are doing what works for you!

    Anyway, in the past two days since posting this piece, my heart has felt so much more open, and I feel better prepared for being of service to the Spirit, rather than seeking how Friends and God might serve ME.

    What a relief!

    Blessings,
    Liz

    ReplyDelete

I am moderating comments for posts older than 30 days, so you may not necessarily see your comment online right away. I retain the right to choose *not* to publish comments, especially if they are for particularly old posts, and/or if the comment repeats points made in earlier comments. --Liz