Two Wonderful Things..

We watched a family movie recently called "Mom's Night Out" which was really funny and good..the movie is about a mom who wonders if she is 'enough' - and at the end of the movie, two statements are made that sum up so well what I feel God has been showing me this past year of my life..

The two thoughts are basically:

My life does not have to change for me to be happy.

I am not a failure; God says I am enough, even perfect.

These two thoughts are so profound to me, and I feel like they are such revelations deep in my heart.  I can really be happy right now, no matter what life looks like at this moment.  And I am really okay/enough right now, no matter what I am like at this moment.  I don't have to wait till things change in order to be happy -  happiness is mine now.  And I don't have to wait till I change to be okay/enough - I am fine right now.  God is fine with me and my life right now, and so I can be as well!

These two truths have given me such peace and joy in the last several months.  I have had a newfound love of life growing inside of me, a cherishing of the simple things like my daughter's smile or long walks in the woods.  I have seen so suddenly the beauty, the wild deliciousness, the precious value of this life we have here on earth, every breath something to be savored, every sunrise and sunset something to be enjoyed, every laugh with a family member something to be cherished.  I have become so grateful for this life and is seems so wonderful, even in the midst of the chaos that sometimes occurs in my circumstances.

And I have been so much more 'okay' with ME lately..so much more willing to give myself a break, to let myself feel what I really feel, even if it is a so-called 'unacceptable' emotion like anger, doubt, bitterness, or frustration.  I have allowed my soul to voice questions and struggles, allowed myself to be real, to be imperfect, to be messy.  And yet I feel more whole, settled, grounded, and at peace than ever!  It seems every time I allow a part of me that is hurting to express that hurt feeling, the feeling seems to be soothed somehow and calm down..and work itself out naturally without any effort..almost as if some part of me that was hurting just wanted to be noticed, heard, loved and validated..allowed to express its feelings and be loved and embraced in the midst of them..and then that part seems to be more okay, calmer, quieted down inside.  It is almost like the hurting parts are like a little child crying, and that little one calms down as it is held, listened to, allowed to share its hurts.  Every part of me deserves love, validation, acceptance and understanding.  Every part of me deserves pampering, kindness, help and support.  Every part of me is made by God and special!

I just wanted to share these two wonderful thoughts.  I am so thankful and grateful for this wonderful life we all are sharing together here on this planet as children of God.  I love each of you and am so thankful to have you as my brothers and sisters in this great family! 

Already Home, Already Free (sharing a beautiful Grace song by Kirtana)

Here is a wonderful song that Woolly has shared with us..such wonderful lyrics about how we are already FINE and can just BE, just as we are, for just as we are is perfect!

Lyrics:

Already Home, Already Free 
(Kirtana)

Nothing to seek.
Nothing to gain.
Nothing to know.

Nothing to lose.
Nothing to do,
but let go.

Let's rest here
where the future
and the past disappear...
Here--
in the sanctity of Now.

Nothing to prove.
Nothing to own.
No one to be.

Nowhere to move.
Already home.
Already Free.

Let's just stay
in the cave of the heart today
and bask
in this ever-present love.

Nothing to fix.
Nothing to change.
Nothing to fight.

Only what is.
What if what is
is just right.

Why not trust
this Mystery living us
and rest
in the refuge of the Self.

Nothing to judge.
No one to blame or fear.
Only my face
greeting me in the mirror.

Nowhere to turn.
Nowhere to hide.
Nobody else.

Nothing outside
that isn't inside
myself.

Let's just see,
Is anyone here but me? --
Here--
in the present moment now.

Nothing to know.
Nothing to do.
No one to be.

Nowhere to go.
Already home.
Already free.

Nowhere to go.
Already home.
Already free.

Nowhere to go.
Already home.
Already free.

I was thinking about this idea recently, that since we are made by God, we must already be fine, adequate, enough, beautiful, wonderful and even perfect..for 'whatever God does is perfect!'

How wonderful to know that since He is obviously satisfied with anything HE makes - which includes you and me - that we too can be satisfied with the you and me He has made..we can be satisfied with ourselves, okay with ourselves, accepting of ourselves, pleased with ourselves.  For God thinks we are enough in His eyes, so we can be enough in our own eyes!

We can really gives ourselves a break and love ourselves and be good to ourselves..we can be okay with ourselves..and know that we don't have to feel a need to change, grow, improve, fix ourselves, do something, make something happen, get somewhere, or become something 'better' - we are already fine right at this moment, where we are, as we are.

We can say that just as we are, we ARE okay, enough, good, even wonderful, beautiful, great..perfect in our messy human imperfectness and weakness..perfect to Him always..for we are His amazingly perfect handiwork always and forever!

What Grace Means To Me..

To me, right now, I feel that Grace means...

Everything is okay..
All is well..
We are safe..
We are home..

We can't be lost..
It's impossible for us to be lost..
We are in a safe place,
A protected and sheltered place..

We are not free-falling,
Waiting to crash at any moment..
We are never going to crash..
The hammer is never going to fall..

For there is no hammer!
There is no danger of crashing!
There is something solid under us, supporting us..
Solid and strong, yet also buoyant and uplifting..

God's arms are underneath us,
Holding us up..
Carrying us along..
We are being carried by Life Himself!

So we are not free falling..
We are not spinning out of control..
We are actually flying!
We are soaring on currents of Light, Life and Love!

And everything is accepted..
Everything is allowed..
All parts of us, all thoughts, feelings, and even behaviors
Are accepted, embraced, understood, loved!

There is no part of us that is rejected..
There is no part of us that is unacceptable..
There is no part of us that is unwanted..
There is no part of us that is ugly, misshapen, or wrong..

Every part of us is beautiful!
Every part of us is beloved!
Every part of us is allowed to be, to express itself, to exist and breathe easy..
Just as we are, in this moment, we are perfect, we are precious, we are love..

That is what Grace is to me -
It is the reality of a Love so strong, so encompassing, so unconditional,
That it means we are perfectly safe and secure
Guaranteed a happy ending, guaranteed a safe arrival and joyous welcome..

It is a Love so perfect, pure, open, vast and embracing
That is means we can be anything, do anything, feel like anything
And still be loved, still be accepted, still be okay,
Still be home!

And so this Love frees us from having to worry whether we will be
Judged..or punished..or rejected..or abandoned..
This love frees us with its utter security..frees us..
To be ourselves, to be real, to be open, to be vulnerable, to be human!

It frees us to try and fail and not worry whether we fail or not..
It frees us to ask questions and even doubt and know all is still well..
It frees us to not have to know all the answers or even know the questions!
It frees us to think any thought and feel any feeling and know it's valid, ok..

It frees us to feel safe in God's arms..knowing we can't fall out of those arms!
It frees us to get to know Him, feel safe opening up to Him, talking to Him..
It frees us to allow ourselves to be loved by Him,
It frees us to be feel worthy of love..

It frees us to love ourselves,
It frees us to be kind to ourselves,
And to allow ourselves to be the wonderful, awesome people we really are!
To be the magnanimous, joy-to-be-around children of God we truly are!!

That is what grace means to me..
How wonderful..
How reassuring..
How freeing..

Grace is God saying, "I won't ever leave, reject you, or kick you out..
I am here to stay, and you're with Me to stay.
Everything is okay and all right between us,
And everything is going to be ultimately all right."

And you don't have to make some move for all of this to be so.
It IS so.
That's the good news..That's the gospel..
That's GRACE!