"Lift your Eyes Up and SEE"

The Holidays can be a lovely yet also stressful time for many. The excitement of gifts and extended visits with family, putting together new toys, bikes or kitchen island carts, which Dave built this past week, can cause stomachs, hearts and heads to churn.

Being willing to face and work through the challenges presented when our routines and experiences are changed, invites us to keep our eye focused on the desired results while keeping our attention in an observation mode of noticing and allowing the thoughts and emotions to pass.

Like the story found in (Matthew 14:25-30) when Peter asks to join Jesus walking on water but, having got out of the boat and feeling the great power of the wind and waves began to sink, crying out in fear, "Lord, save me!
Esoterically, this passage is about the power of the Christ within each of us to still the strong, restless power of the elements in our lower animal nature, symbolized by the wild and rolling sea.

Keeping our eye and intention lifted onto the horizon we are not detered by the warning "assembly required," and we are able to complete the bike, finish the dollhouse, or assemble the kitchen island with grace.

And afterwards perhaps go out with family and friends for a fish dinner.
Amen, it is done!
Rev Janice

"Lift your Eyes Up and SEE"

A few years ago Dave and I went snorkeling at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park located in Key Largo in the Florida Keys. This is a beautiful underwater playground where you go out on a two and half hour snorkeling tour and play in the warm waters among the coral reefs.

In the midst of the waters you come upon a statue of Jesus. His head and his hands are reaching upwards and fish swim around and through his outstreached arms. After about an hour and a half of snorkeling, the captain sounded the horn signaling us to return to the boat.

As I reached the boat's ladder and brought myself up and onto the deck of the boat, suddenly I felt dizzy and my stomach was turning summersaults. The first mate told me this was a common experience for a lot of people, and he gave me a bottle of water and told me to tilt my head up and keep my eyes looking up and onto the horizon, above the water until the feeling passed.

This was indeed the antidote as the queasiness passed away.

There is a spiritual Principle here: To lift the focus of our attention above any situation or concern, to lift it upward, Godward, onto the horizon and give thanks.
Jesus always lifted up his eyes and gave thanks; he lifted up his hands and gave thanks, he lifted up others and gave thanks; he lifted up little children and gave thanks.

When we lift our eyes onto the horizon, the queasiness passes, as the fear lifts. What emerges is a sense of Faith, a sense of gratitude, a sense of peace and love as we realize: We Are an integral part of something much Bigger, grander, glorious, we are the twinkling, blinking, colorful expressions of Christmas Light.

Shine On!
Rev Janice

"Many Decorations, One Message"

Coming back from a breakfast meeting this morning, I was driving down Bayshore, which seems to have the most "blow up" Christmas decorations of Santa, reindeers, and snowmen. Of course, being the daytime they were collapsed into piles on the lawns.  Our subdivision also seems to have many blow up Christmas decorations including bears and the polar express train. There are very few "traditional" decorations of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in a manager.

A friend sent me a link to a youtube song, called "Where's the line to see Jesus." It's a nice song actually, yet it brings up for me, anyway, a tinge of expectation that one needs to worship a person called Jesus in a certain way. And I am sure that many of us have seen the bumper stickers that say: "Keep Christ in Christmas."

Now, I love the nativity story; and when viewed spiritually, I can see how Mary, Joseph and Jesus lives in us. For fun, let us see how Santa, the reindeer and snowmen also live in us.

Santa is our heart's generous desire to give and receive gifts, eat cookies and drink hot chocolate; reindeer are our strong and fast luxury vehicles that can move us above congested traffic with one upward kick off; and snowmen, well, to me, they are about relationships. Their button noses and eyes made out of coal sure make me remember being dressed in layers of leggings and scarves, hats and gloves, rolling the snow, with the help of my friends, into as big a ball as we could manage to lift.

Decorations, whether they be traditional or contemporary; whether balloon type blow ups or made from plastic, whether they have a religious or secular theme, really all have one message in common to share.....

"Be of good cheer"
Peace
Rev Janice