Tag Archives: meditation

affirmation, choices, Control, Enlightenment, journey, life, Rest, sabbath, self improvement, spiritual enlightenment, Uncategorized

What Is A Sabbath And Why Do I Need One?

The Bible commands us to remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. The concept of the Sabbath, a day of rest and reflection, is deeply embedded in various religious traditions around the world. In the Abrahamic faiths, particularly Judaism and Christianity, the Sabbath holds immense importance and is an important part of the foundation that everything else is built upon. Today I want to talk about some of the reasons behind God’s establishment of the Sabbath and spend a little time thinking about the sabbath’s enduring relevance, especially in the hustle and bustle of the contemporary society we live in today!

Sabbath Commemorates Creation

One of the primary reasons God instituted the Sabbath is to commemorate the creation of the universe as described in the Book of Genesis. According to the Bible, God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. By observing the Sabbath, believers are reminded of God’s creative power and the sanctity of all life. Rest is not a bad thing, it is a necessary thing. All of us should build rest into our lives. Rest allows time for the resetting of our mind, re-energizing of our body and revival of our spirit.

Sabbath Is A Time For Spiritual Renewal and Reflection

The Sabbath provides a designated time for individuals to disconnect from the demands of everyday life and focus on their spiritual well-being. It allows meaningful time for introspection, meditation, and a deeper connection with the Divine. This period of rest rejuvenates the soul and fosters a sense of inner peace. Our lives discover their greater meaning through the discipline of a sabbath.

Sabbath Helps To Build Community & Strengthen Family Bonds

The Sabbath encourages getting together for worship and growing family togetherness. It provides an opportunity for families and communities to gather, share meals, and engage in meaningful conversations and meaningful fellowship. This communal aspect strengthens social bonds and nurtures a sense of belonging, which all of God’s creation needs.

Sabbath Teaches Us To Resist The Tyranny of Work

In a world driven by productivity and materialism, the Sabbath serves as a counterbalance. It reminds individuals that their worth is not solely determined by their work or achievements. Taking a day of rest acknowledges the inherent value of each person and their need for spiritual and emotional nourishment. It is one of the greatest ways to take on and take out the attack of our ego.

Sabbath Promotes Physical And Mental Well-Being

Regular rest is crucial for physical health and mental well-being. The Sabbath encourages individuals to prioritize self-care, allowing them to recharge and face the challenges of the week ahead with renewed vigor. It is very possible to burn yourself out and then you are literally good for nothing.

Sabbath Encourages Us To Practice Gratitude

Observing the Sabbath fosters a sense of gratitude for the blessings in one’s life. It prompts individuals to reflect on the abundance they have received and acknowledge the source of their blessings. This gratitude cultivates a positive outlook and a deeper appreciation for life. The old Gospel hymn says to count your blessings and name them one by one…

Sabbath Sets a Moral and Ethical Standard

The Sabbath emphasizes the importance of ethical behavior and justice. It calls believers to reflect on their actions and consider how they can contribute to a more compassionate and just society. This moral reflection extends beyond the Sabbath, influencing daily conduct. It is amazing how just slowing down and getting quiet will allow the mind to find solutions that were there all along.

The establishment of the Sabbath by God carries profound spiritual, communal, and ethical significance. It serves as a timeless reminder of our connection to the divine, the importance of rest and reflection, and the value of human relationships. In a fast-paced world, the Sabbath stands as a bright light of tranquility and a continual source of spiritual nourishment, offering respite and renewal to all who take the time to observe it by putting it into practice.

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Unload Your Truck!

At my core, I’m just an ole country boy. I love country cooking, country music and riding around country roads in my Dodge Ram pickup truck. I love my truck. It’s not anything fancy and it has a lot of rough miles on it, but it’s mine and it’s paid for. I’m not really sure how it happens, but every so often, I have to take some time to clean out and unload the back of my truck, which us country boys call the “bed” of the truck. Some how, trash, bottles, cans, tools and an assortment of other stuff always seems to accumulate in the bed of my truck and it drives me crazy, until I take the time to clean it out.

I have found that the very same thing happens with my mind. It accumulates thoughts, many of which serve no real purpose, other than taking up space, rattling around and making me crazy. I have learned that every now and then, it is important for me to take time clean out and unload my mind.

It’s not very difficult to figure out how this happens. We think one thought until another thought comes a long and takes it’s place. We don’t really release the first thought, we just throw it in the back with all the other thoughts that we think we have moved on from. The problem we face now is that we have all these thoughts rattling around, making noise, competing for our attention and sometimes this makes it very difficult to get anything accomplished.

So, every now and then, it is very necessary to take some time to unload the truck. The way we unload our truck/mind is by taking and making some time to meditate, pray, practice devotion or sit in solitude. This time allows us to take advantage of the tiny spaces located between our thoughts.

We have no real idea where a thought comes from. What we do know is that it comes out of silence. When we have a thought, there is a very brief moment between the letting go of one thought and grabbing hold of another. This brief moment is a time of silence and space. You can call it whatever you want to call it, the important thing is to realize it exists and offers us an opportunity to exercise some control, so that we might have a little more say about what comes and goes.

There is an old Zen saying that says: “It is the silence between the notes that makes the music.” We train ourselves to listen to the sound and usually ending up missing out on the power of the silence. This is why we need to empty the truck/mind every so often, so we can learn to hear, appreciate and learn from the silence. Music would be impossible without the silence and so life becomes impossible when we allow ourselves to be overtaken by our thoughts and all the noise they produce.

At the very heart of a thought is the act of creativity. The creativity happens in the silence, moment and space between our thoughts. You were created in the image of your Creator and therefore you are a creator yourself. So, I want to encourage you to take some time to get still, to find comfort in silence and discover your place of creation. Once you are there try to do these three things:

– Unload and clean out your heart, mind and spirit!

This does not have to be complicated. I like to use a journal, there is just something about pen and paper that help me to get my thoughts out and organized. It makes it easier to know what to hold onto and let go of. The important thing is to take the time on a regular basis to do the work. A little work every so often, saves you from a lot of work and usually some pain later on.

– Learn to enjoy solitude and silence!

For most people, taking time to get away from all the distractions and sit in silence is a challenging task. It’s not easy, but with a little practice, consistency and discipline, you can do it and you will be glad you did. Start with just five minutes a day, focus on your breathing and practice letting go of your thoughts by every time one comes into your head for attention, shifting focus off of the thought and back onto your breathing.

– Embrace your creativity and have some fun with it!

Once you begin to start unloading your truck/mind, you will discover what a difference it makes in all aspects of your life and you will look forward to the time and the creativity that it unlocks to flow from your life. You may want to use this time to write, draw, color, paint, work on some kind of craft or whatever? Just find some sort of output that allows you to express the creativity that has been freed up, because you will be amazed at how this will grow into a blessing for you and others.

The Bottom Line: This is your life, do what you have to do, what you want to do to enjoy it, because you were created for so much more…

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Sacred Spaces And Reflection Places…

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The Not So Secret Secret!

One of my favorite ways to begin the day is outside. And I always try to begin my day with some time spent in meditation and prayer. This combination of some quiet time out in nature allows me to do the inside work that is so important to helping me not totally cave in or explode completely apart. It is often a fine line and time in meditation, contemplation, prayer and reflection is a vital part of my daily process that allows me to keep on keeping on, even and especially when I don’t want to.

This morning I headed out to one of my special spots that I call my prayer rock. On my way, I decided that in this new year, I wanted to use my physical copy of the scriptures during this time, rather than my electronic device. I love my iPhone and am very blessed with my iPad. They help me to research, write and share in incredible and amazing ways. They are tools which make tasks quick, efficient and a lot easier. I just thought it would be nice in the new year to go “old school” and actually hold “THE BOOK”, flip the pages, look up the scriptures and feel it as I allow it to fill me with His presence and power.

Now, I’m not looking to get into a debate about which is better, because I think that our Creator is more than capable of communication through whatever and however He chooses. This is just about me, what I like and taking some steps back to something very familiar, healing and encouraging to me. To each his own and my Grandaddy taught me: “There is more than one way to skin a cat!”, but that is another blog for another time.

One Of My Prayer And Meditation Rocks

The important a thing to grasp here is that we: 1.) Take Some Time To Do The Inward Work Of Thinking and Thanking. 2.) Discover & Utilize Special Places Of Peace, Relection And Meditation. 3.) Embrace What Is Special To You And Keep It Special. Below are three ideas with some of what works for me:

TAKE SOME TIME TO DO THE INWARD WORK OF THINKING AND THANKING! You can do this anytime you want, but I want to encourage you to take time everyday to: 1.) Spend a little time in the inspirational and encouraging scriptures found in our Bibles. God’s Word is powerful and once it is taken inside of our mind and life, it begins a work that stays with us for all eternity. I try to write at least one verse or passage in my journal everyday that I am considering and thinking through… 2.) Think about all you have to be grateful for and express that gratitude in some “out loud” way. I do this by saying “THANK YOU”, writing at least three things I am thankful for in my journal everyday and practicing a gratitude meditation where I just basically take time to speak thank your out loud for many of my blessings by making them.

Special Place Not To Far From Home!

DISCOVER AND UTILIZE SPECIAL PLACES OF PEACE, REFLECTION AND MEDITATION! I have places inside and outside. I have places at home and away from home. I am discovering new places all the time. Everyone needs a place to escape to. It may be a special room in your house. It may be somewhere in the backyard. It could be a special chair on your porch. It can be a bench in the park, a blanket on the ground or even the quietness of just sitting in your car. Just find you a place and use it as a sacred space for you to spend time with your SPIRIT to find peace as you reflect and meditate on what really matters.

EMBRACE WHAT IS SPECIAL TO YOU AND KEEP IT SPECIAL! This is one of the big secrets: Once you have figured out what, how, where, who and when is special and sacred, then make sure to protect it and utilize it. We have such wonderful, amazing and supernatural tools that our Creator has put at our disposal, but we often leave the tools in the box, the books on the shelf, the ink in the pin and the pages in the journal… Make sure that you use it, so you don’t lose it!

Scripture!

It really is the simple things that have the potential to have the biggest impact on our lives and living, so I encourage you to invest a little time to rediscover the simple things that are so special to you and you know what? I bet, you’ll be glad you did!