Presence, Footprints, and Paths of Life

One night a man had a dream.

He dreamt he was walking along the beach with his Lord.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.

For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to him, the other to the Lord.

When the last scene in his life flashed before him he looked back at the footprints on the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life. This really bothered him, and he questioned the Lord about it.

“Lord, you said that, once I decided to follow you, you would walk with me all the way. But I’ve noticed that during the most difficult times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, in times when I needed you most, you would leave.”

The Lord replied, “My precious child, I love you and would never leave you during your trials and sufferings; when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

Presence.

This our soul work theme for this month. And the above poem, Footprints — a popular poem I’m sure you’ve heard of before — creates a lovely and lingering visual into what presence is, or could be. It invites reflection upon one’s past, present, and future moments, doesn’t it?

What presence accompanies you?

Whose footprints do you see?

If your life were to flash across the sky, what scenes would appear?

Father Richard Rohr teaches that each moment is as an opportunity to see things as they are, and in doing so, we receive the gift of divine presence.

As you sit with the prompts into today’s intermission, we invite you to invite divine presence into your everyday realities. And in doing so, might your awareness be drawn to the footprints and presence of that which accompanies your journey.

– With Joy

Source: All the Way by Margaret Fishback Powers.

A Perspective to Ponder

“Our continual mistake is that we do not concentrate upon the present day, the actual hour of our life; we live in the past or in the future; we are continually expecting the coming of some special moment when our life will unfold itself in its full significance. And we do not notice that life is flowing like water through our fingers, sifting like precious grain from a loosely fastened bag.

Constantly each day, each hour, God is sending us people, circumstances, tasks, which should mark the beginning of our renewal; yet we pay them no attention, and thus continually we resist God’s will for us. Indeed, how can God help us? Only by sending us in our daily life certain people, and certain coincidences of circumstance. If we accepted every hour of our life as the hour of God’s will for us, as the decisive, most important, unique hour of our life — what sources of joy, love, strength, as yet hidden from us, would spring from the depths of our soul!

Let us then be serious in our attitude towards each person we meet in our life, towards every opportunity of performing a good deed; be sure that you will then fulfill God’s will for you in these very circumstances, on that very day, in that very hour.”

Alexander Elchaninov

Source: The Lion Christian Meditation Collection The Diary of a Russian Priest by Alexander Elchaninov.

A Pause to Practice

Visio Divina is an ancient way of Christian prayer in which space is created to listen and pay attention to the Holy at work by entering into a sacred image. This form of praxis is an invitation into the S.A.C.R.E.D. art of seeing, and the art below is this month’s featured offering for your time of reflection.

• Step 1 – Stillness: Find a comfortable place of quiet. Take a few deep breaths. Invite God’s presence.
• Step 2 – Acknowledge: Gaze gently over the entire image, allowing yourself to notice as many details as you can – shapes, colors, lighting, foreground, background, and symbols.
• Step 3 – Center: Notice what captures your attention, what your eyes are drawn to, or where your thoughts linger. Notice what inspires you, and perhaps what you might also be avoiding.
• Step 4 – Reflect: Meditate on any part of the image that has captured you. How might God be speaking to you through this? What might the message and meaning be? Is there an invitation in this for you?
• Step 5 – Express: Find words or a prayer of your heart to articulate the thoughts, emotions, memories, or desires that have awakened. Give voice to the insights you’ve gained.
• Step 6 – Dwell: Savor this sacred time. Rest in simple silence. Linger in the holiness of this space and place of practice.

Click here for a high-res / full-print version of this art.

A Passage to Pray

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• Click here for previous month’s art offerings

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