This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it–the LORD is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jeremiah 3:2-3

……..to an evening meal…..

Where can I go from Your Presence?

Romans 12:14-21

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

When I am callous, short-tempered, sarcastic, indifferent, I know it is time for me to cease activities and to go aside.

It’s time to take stock and get back in touch with my humanity. The edginess, bristling, my snarky comments, are my warning signs. They warn me that I am getting pulled away from my humanity, my center, that I am avoiding something deep within me that’s aching to be addressed, and I am ready to ignore your humanity or at least be indifferent about you and to you.

My anxiety or busyness or odd feelings of elevated self-importance are doing what they always do, isolating me from who I really am, who I want to be. This false sense of being is isolating me also from you and all fellow travelers on this amazing shared journey.

If I catch myself in time, humble myself, recalibrate my goals, restate my vision, the most important shift that occurs within me is in perspective. The shift allows me to see you for who you are and gain a more accurate view of who I am and who I want to be.

Thankfully, I lose my coldness, my indifference toward self and others. 

As a result I am better able to care, to switch positions – in my imagination – with any person and ask myself “how, if I were he or she, would I like to be treated?” and then to do that.

https://on.soundcloud.com/yoymz1Sg8sGtX8Af9

Dear Rod

In your column yesterday 17 January 2023 you encouraged your readers to write something beautiful. 

I did not write this. My daughter, Kate, did years ago when she was a teenager. She wrote me a letter on Mothers’ Day. 

This excerpt is taken from that letter.

“ In King Lear, Cordelia, the king’s daughter, remained silent while her sisters lied as they flattered their father, just to get land and power out of him.

When he asked how much she loved him ( and she was his favourite ) she didn’t say a word as she felt she could not heave her heart into her mouth. This is exactly how I feel about you. I’m just giving you this gift as a token of my appreciation for all that you’ve ever done for me and continue to do, and hope with all my heart that you can understand how much I love you.”

I read this letter annually before I tuck it into the front of my new diary. It lifts my soul and reminds me what a gift love is; to give and to receive.

Thank you again for your wonderful column.

Kind regards

Dawn Rice

https://on.soundcloud.com/4JxNThKxBo4tAo2GA

Stop. 

Be still. Dig deep.

Visit the deepest place within you.

Find your soul, your spirit, the place within where thinking, creating. envisioning, and your capacity to worship, link and join forces.

Find this innermost place, the inner-sanctum which renders you as powerful and loved as any human who has ever graced this planet.

Read Romans 12:1. 

Therefore, I urge you, in view of God’s mercy, to offer yourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.

Go respectfully, confidently into that deep, awesome, beautiful place. Close your eyes if you must, or, open them wider than ever before. Eyes open or closed, allow beauty and love and the Power of a Loving God to penetrate your humanity.

Then, listen.

Spend time listening. 

Lots of it.

When it’s time to speak — and you will know when it is — say little.

I’d suggest our spoken words, yours and mine, be a version of this prayer:

My Lord and my God, I offer this place within me, this eternal place within me that is your handiwork, to You as a living sacrifice.

Teach me. Use me. Transform me. Show me. Send me.

Ubuntu, I believe, is a Zulu word.

Zulus, and descendants of Zulus of southern Africa which includes Zimbabwe, hold sacred the concept of Ubuntu. It captures a cultural concept of hospitality, openness, and the power of community.

Ubuntu is an ideal to which many aspire.

It means we make each other. I am more who I am when I am appropriately connected to you. You are more who you are when we acknowledge our mutual need for each other.

Ubuntu has no room for lone genius.

Consensus is highly valued.

As far as possible, all voices are heard.

Age is deeply respected.

Community-above-self is honored.

[If you know more about this beautiful way of life than I’ve tried to encapsulate here, kindly add to my description in a comment.]