HEART OF THE CHILD

 Dear Friends,

Jesus said, only those who turn and become like little children may enter the kingdom of heaven.

What does this mean, to be like a little child?

This is easier to understand when we observe the behaviour of little children. They are still very connected to the spiritual world, and their hearts are still very much open. They feel a close connection with plants, animals and the mineral kingdom. They are kind and forgiving. Their love is unconditional. Their energy and enthusiasm are positive and boundless. In their world, anything is possible. Their feelings are intense. If they see someone in pain, they feel that pain. They do not hold a grudge. What happens in the moment is quickly forgotten – they do not live in the past, nor do they worry about the future.

It is the ongoing task of humanity, according to Rudolf Steiner, to move from a mindset of taking, to one of giving, and self sacrifice.

People who experience pain and suffering often ask, Why me? This is a deep question and a complicated answer. Nevertheless, a starting point to that conversation might be, we suffer and experience pain so that our hearts can be open to others in pain. One example could be when someone loses a loved one to a particular disease. They then take up the cause of researching and eradicating that disease. In other words, our eyes have been opened to a particular problem, our hearts are engaged, and we find the will to focus on finding a solution to that problem.

When Peter asked Jesus, how often should we forgive someone their trespasses? Jesus answered, 70 x 7 times. HE also said, we should forgive all debts, for as we forgive, so will we also be forgiven.

Take a closer look at the word, forgive, or for give. This is almost a double movement. To give something is to pass something along. In some cases, people who have been given a gift or favor, say to themselves, I will pay it forward. If someone does you a kindness, often you will in turn do a kindness for someone else. The word for is also a forward movement. Nevertheless, we have to be sure we are not just going in circles, or the same old ruts, or even backwards. It takes courage (of conviction) to forge a new path, strength (faith) to keep going, and wisdom to know when to ask for help and engage others (humility).

Dear Lord, help me to weld wisdom, strength and courage into my soul, that I may work in the world in the right way. Help me to be as a little child.

Sparky

 

FEED MY SHEEP

 

Dear Friends,

First of all, I wish to express my gratitude for this chance to try to put down my thoughts and feelings from time to time, and to send them out into the universe. I hope in doing so, that I have not caused offense or concern, as this has never been my intention.

The opinions and ideas expressed are my own, and not necessarily a reflection of the views of the creators of this website.

Having said that, the following is just something I feel needs to be expressed.

We are challenged to think with our hearts and act out of feelings of empathy and compassion, even for our enemies.

That being said, it was with sorrow that I learned of the actions this week on the part of the Russian government.

Putting aside political considerations, the question is, why now?

If we look at the protests in the past few weeks in Canada and other countries, we see that feelings are running high, after two years of lockdowns. There have been a great many contributing factors to food shortages, limited medical care, a rise in gas and housing prices. The list goes on and on, not to mention the loss of loved ones. Each country and its people have suffered. In Canada, distance is a huge challenge in keeping supply chains going.

How much greater must this challenge be in Russia? We receive very little factual information with regards to what is happening in that country, but it is easy to imagine that their people are truly suffering, especially in the dead of winter. We know from history that aggressive military action only causes further hardship for civil populations.

Food, clothing, shelter and clean water are all basic human needs. When these needs cannot be met, desperation arises.

What if we, as a global community, worked to supply these items, food, at the very least, to the Russian people? Airdrops of food and medicine all over the country, from every direction, from every country and non governmental organizations. Would it not be great to turn war machines into bread machines – to turn stones into bread, so to speak, manna from heaven. We have the tools, but do we have the Will?

Yes, it is a naïve and childish idea, but then, we are also asked to be like little children…

Sparky