This is the perfect preface for tomorrow's post by Brenda Smith.
Do you really feel like flying today? Is today you think you would
rather be a passenger on someone else’s flight. Are you tired and
running out of hope? I have days like that. Sometimes it seems that
nothing is going right. I thought about dropping out of school. Do I
really need a PhD? What will I do with it after I get it? How will I
ever repay those student loans? The answers are of course I need a PhD
if for no other reason than I want one. I will know what to do with it
after I get it. I will be able to pay back the student loans. I need to
let tomorrow take care of itself and live in the moment. Yes, I remember
the scripture verse “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its
own trouble". Matthew 6:34
I am working on that part of me. I am trying to live in the moment. A very good sister girlfriend advised me to read The Power of Now A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
by Eckhart Tolle. It is really a good book for those of us who suffer
from rushing through life to get to the other side only to worry how to
get back. I know that I have spent much too much time worrying about
tomorrow and the day after while not enjoying the present day. That was
my life for a very long time. I am working on being present in my life
while it is happening. I am learning to be joyful as well as grateful.
Flying is so much easier that way, without all that baggage.
To aid me in my change in flight patterns, another dear sister girlfriend sent me this story of the fern and the bamboo.
THE FERN AND THE BAMBOO
One
day I decided to quit.... I quit my job, my relationship, my
spirituality. .... I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have
one last talk with God. "God", I said. "Can you give me one good
reason not to quit?" His answer surprised me... "Look around", He
said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?" "Yes", I replied. "When I
planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I
gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the
earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the
bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
In the
second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing
came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo". He
said. "In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.
But I would not quit. In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from
the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. He said. "Then in the fifth
year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was
seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the bamboo
rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots.
Those
roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not
give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle." He said to
me. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been
struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I would not quit on
the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don't compare yourself to others."
He said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern, yet, they
both make the forest beautiful."
"Your time will
come," God said to me. “You will rise high!" "How high should I rise?" I
asked. "How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return. "As high
as it can?" I questioned. "Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as
high as you can." I left the forest and brought back this story. I hope
these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.
Never
regret a day in your life. Good days give you Happiness. Bad days give
you Experiences. Both are essential to life. Keep going... Happiness
keeps you Sweet, Trials keep you Strong, Sorrows keep you Human, and
Failures keep you Humble, Success keeps You Glowing, But Only God keeps
You Going! Have a great day! The Son is shining!! God is so big He can
cover the whole world with his Love and so small He can curl up inside
your heart.
Are you the fern or the bamboo? How do you
spend your days flying? Is it with a glad heart or a dismal spirit?
Right now I think I am the bamboo. I am still growing roots. I have a
bamboo plant in my bathroom (that is my sacred place). Each day I marvel
at how tall it has become. Don’t give up. There is something better out
there for you.That is the beauty of flying; we can rise as high as our
wings can carry us. We can go as high as we allow ourselves to soar.
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