Two Week Check-Up
Time to check in. We are now 14 days into 2016. How are you doing?

By now some of us have lost our momentum in pursuing our new year's resolutions. We may be feeling some disappointment or resignation. Some of us may be feeling confident because we have now made it two whole weeks -- and still going strong. Others of us have decided -- no resolutions this year, yet still hope that we'll be able to make some needed changes in our lives.

As for me, I'm sitting here thinking that I need to re-evaluate the resolutions I made. They are starting to look a little shallow. 
  
Deeper Dive
The reason I'm re-thinking my resolutions is because I just read an article by Bruce Modahl that paraphrased a saying from Martin Luther in this way:
"No matter what we say, our god is whatever or whoever we fear the most, and whatever or whoever we trust to relieve that fear."

So now I'm just wondering whether once again this year, I chose my resolutions based on what I wanted to see happen differently in my behavior and attitude, and failed to consider how to tap into the part of me that is driving those behaviors and attitudes. Who or what is my god?
What would a new year's resolution look like if it was directed at giving less power to the lesser gods who rule my life? How can I get reconnected to the God of Love who seeks to relieve my fears in the deepest part of my heart?   
  
Reflection Questions
What are some things you fear? How do these fears impact your behavior? your relationships?

What are some ways you compensate for your fears? Or mask them? How well is that working for you?

How are some ways you trust in Love to relieve your fears? How can you do even more of that in 2016?

A Tiny Stretch; a Big Impact

As part of my post-surgical recovery process, I've been going to physical therapy twice a week. After lying flat on my back for so long in the hospital, my muscles had atrophied. I tried to get back into shape on my own, working out at the YMCA, but to no avail. My neck, knee and hips just refused to cooperate. 

The therapist did an assessment of my condition and then prescribed a few exercises for me to do every day. One of those exercises was a simple neck stretch. I was supposed to lie on my back and nod my head gently, feeling a slight pull at the back of my throat. 10 times, twice a day. I was skeptical that such a tiny stretch could possibly do any good. But within just a few days, the stiffness in my neck had disappeared.  

I reported my progress to the therapist on my next visit. I also asked her for more exercises. I had improved so much in such a short time, I wanted more of it. "I need a new challenge," I said.  The therapist explained that the work we were doing was not like other exercising. It was not about setting a goal to achieve. She explained that what we were doing was designed to "strengthen the core." For the neck stretch, the purpose was to simply "be aware" of that muscle at the base of my neck which had lost its strength.   
  
Strengthening Our Core

The therapist's comments led me to think about the impact of very small "stretches," not only for our physical bodies, but also for our spirits. I asked myself, "What is the tiny stretch I need to do in my spiritual life that will strengthen my core? What do I need to practice being aware of?"

My first thought was "Self-Compassion." As author Paul Gilbert reminds us, it is very difficult to be compassionate with others when we are not compassionate with ourselves.

Reflection Questions

What is a tiny stretch you could make to strengthen your emotional or spiritual core?
What is a spiritual muscle you have that you need to become more aware of?
What life crisis did you experience that resulted in "forgetting" about that spiritual muscle? Envision that muscle moving from a state of atrophy back to full strength and vitality.
 

The Power of Language

What would your life be like if you had never heard the words, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”?

What if you had never memorized the poem, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood. And sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could.”?

Can you imagine how impoverished you would feel if Dr. Suess had never penned these words, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful one-hundred percent.”
 
The Danger of Drawing a Blank

Human beings have a greater capacity for language than any other creature. With words, we can express profound wisdom and transmit it to others. Until a break-through concept has been translated into language, its potential to enact change is limited indeed.

Our brains store life-changing phrases in long-term memory where they can be drawn upon, when needed, to guide our actions in creative and meaningful ways. If there is no applicable language in place when we face an important decision, we lack the resources to make choices that are morally responsible. We need to be continually feeding our minds words that shape our spiritual destiny in constructive patterns.  Words are the building blocks of the person we aspire to become. 

Words to Live By

Here are words for which I am deeply grateful:
“I think I can. I think I can.”
"The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind."
“The truth shall set you free.”
“Love your enemies.”
"You are a child of God."
  
Reflection Questions

What are some words that have made an impact on your life?
What are some resources you can access to add more building blocks to your spiritual and moral vocabulary?
Of what opportunities can you take advantage to share with others the words that have shaped your life?    
 

A Family Vacation

From the moment we landed on the runway in Colorado Springs to the time our return flight lifted off, we saw mountains. What a wonderful backdrop for a family vacation. We traveled through five states in a Dodge rental car; everywhere we looked, breath-taking mountains. I kept breaking out in song, "Oh beautiful for spacious skies. For amber waves of grain. For purple mountains' majesty, above the fruited plain." I couldn't help myself; no matter how many mountains we saw, I was still in awe each time I lifted up my head from the map and took in the scenery.
 
Crossing the Mountains

As we drove through the mountains, we stopped along the roadside to observe the bison, elk and moose who were grazing. We rode a tram up to the top of a 12,000 foot peak and beheld the beauty of the valley below. We enjoyed the sight of flourishing fields of wheat at the base of the mountains - amber waves of grain. In some areas, we took four-lane roads up to the mountain summits and back down.  Once, our route took us unexpectedly through a stretch of road which made the list of "the 10 most dangerous in the US." The narrow road to the summit took us around hairpin turns without guardrails, a steep drop seemingly inches from our tires.  
 
On the Other Side of the Mountain

One way or another, we crossed the mountains. The impact on my spirit was healing. As we made our trip home, I was aware that I had crossed a threshold in coping with the trauma and challenge of the first seven months of this year. I was ready to put it behind me and look forward.

The idea that we do not scale the heights by leaps and bounds, but by climbing graded inclines at slow speed restored my sense of perspective. Having found the way through the mountains and back home again, I know that there is nothing we cannot pass through. The mountains in our lives are not barriers, but passageways to the next level of maturity and understanding.  
 
Reflection Questions

Name something that creates in you a sense of awe. What is it about that "something" that evokes such emotion?

What have been the mountains in your life recently, those seemingly impossible barriers you must cross?

Think about a time when you overcame great difficulty or achieved a challenging goal. What enabled you to "cross that mountain"?