Did your 2011 start out exactly the way you wanted? Did all of your resolutions kick in, ready to recharge and revamp your way of living? How has your January 1st been thus far?
I absolutely love celebrating a New Year, and I think it has to do with the feeling of freshness. The world is a blank canvas just waiting to be discovered (perhaps even with bright colors, though I do tend to stick with more earthy tones!). My new year did not begin as planned, but sometimes I think that this is a blessing in disguise.
I absolutely love celebrating a New Year, and I think it has to do with the feeling of freshness. The world is a blank canvas just waiting to be discovered (perhaps even with bright colors, though I do tend to stick with more earthy tones!). My new year did not begin as planned, but sometimes I think that this is a blessing in disguise.
Resolution #1: Dive into my faith more than ever this year!
Reality #1: Sneak out of bedroom quietly to allow husband to sleep -- leave my Bible tucked away at my nightstand.
Solution #1?: Find a devotional online and start January off right! And boy do these things happen for a reason, because let me show you what I found there this morning:
John 6:60 (NIV): On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching, who can accept it?"...From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
Jesus had finished explaining to many of his disciples some of the principles surrounding who He was. But what Jesus said was difficult for them to receive because what He said rubbed harshly against their flesh. What Jesus said did not settle with what they in their own human wisdom could reason out. "Many of his disciples," the scripture tells us, "turned back and no longer followed him." Their response was to say within themselves, "I just can´t understand that--I don´t even want to think about it." We like to feel secure in our beliefs and understandings about the way things are. When something or someone comes along that shakes those beliefs and causes us to question things of which we have felt secure in our understanding, our tendency is to resist. We become uncomfortable and insecure and find ourselves at the crossroads--wondering what is right and who is wrong. We have a choice: struggle through the questions, trusting God for the answers; or bow to the bliss of ignorance.
Well, anybody who knows me or anything that has happened to me in the last 18 months will understand why I loved this devotional. I think that, specifically, I do not want to be afraid and run away from something that is beyond my understanding. God is so much bigger than human reason or comfort, and I truly believe that Christianity is not about being comfortable...but being edgy, perhaps even dangerous! And what that means in reality is hard to say, but I do not want to live in blissful ignorance any longer.
Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." (Matthew 8:24-25)
Wait, this one will make more sense if I back up a bit.
Resolution #2: Do more yoga! (Original, I know, but the temptation to skip out on personal practice when you teach 30+ classes a month is overwhelming at times.)
Reality #2: Threw my back out during my last class of 2010...can barely move or walk, not to mention forward-bend, backward-bend, sideways-bend, or any kind of yoga bend for that matter.
Solution #2: Skip my yoga practice on the very first day of the New Year.
Now it doesn't seem to tie in with the verses in Matthew, but let me explain a bit. The little devotional that went along with this particular passage was talking about lack of faith. When things got a bit scary and tough, the disciples were afraid and overwhelmed...and Jesus called them out on it. Difficulties in life are the things that temper us and make us stronger -- without pruning there would be no growth. So though I may ask for a year filled with peace and prosperity, that would not condition my personal and spiritual growth.
Yes, when I finally get back in that room and complete my 26 asanas I'm sure it will be painful...and require every bit of patience, faith, concentration and determination that I've got. But how much more rewarding to finish the class?! How much more sympathy and compassion will I bring to my students due to the reality of my own frail body?
The storms of life weather us into the people we need to become...may God Bless you with many storms this year! :-)
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