An Open Heart

Let us love then with an open heart.
~ Anna Lin ❤ ❤ ❤

Daily LOVE

Night Prayers

For now – the day is over –
all that is left undone . . .
may it pass away
into your realm of grace.

For now – may I be at rest
and be at peace;
my soul restored
to live onto another day.

~ Night Prayers of Anna Lin

Photo at Pinterest

 

Know Your Life Values ~ ~ Your Truth

Going Deeper ~ ~ Know Your Life Values ~ ~ Your Truth

Gentle people: Today is a good day to focus on what you value most in life.
What are the ideals, morals, and principles . . . the TRUTHS by which you
choose to live?

If you make a list, it might include things like:

freedom   family   education   world peace   civil rights

love   compassion   faith   spirituality   beauty   wealth

truth   prayer   diversity   women’s rights   simplicity   God

fame   wisdom   fun   openness   human rights   reading

solitude   the Arts   health   learning   connections with others

time for oneself   personal development   study   animal rights

worship   creativity   care for the environment

Go ahead and make a random list of things that come to mind.
Everything is acceptable here.

After you’ve made a list, draw a circle around 5 of these that you think
are most significant to your life. Then, on another sheet of paper draw
a large circle. Thinking of this circle as a clock. Add in the approximate time each day, or week, that you devote to these 5 life values. In the remaining space note where you actually spend your time.

I find it’s important to reflect upon our life values every year because
they really do change. I used to spend most of my time on my health –
trying to find ways to recover from diazinon poisoning. Then I realized I was missing out on LIFE. There was so much I could still do even with
limited health, and that was even more healing!

It’s also easy to get distracted from what we really value in life and get stuck on a path that leads us away from who we truly are.

Are you living the things you value most in life?

May you be guided to know the truth about yourself.

With grace and peace to you,
Anna Lin

What Is True For Me?

Going Deeper ~ ~ Reflections ~ ~ What is True for Me?

As I mentioned earlier, since December I have been reflecting on my word for 2017, which happens to be TRUTH!

Please note: It is not my intention to be political here. I actually wrote this before the recent events of the day; but now the whole world is actually focusing on the word Truth.

In my personal reflective time I began asking: What is true for me?
Our character tells the truth about who we really are, ideally revealing
honesty, integrity, authenticity, faithfulness . . . being honorable, sincere,
pure.

We live in a time of deception when it is difficult to know truth from falsehood. . . where some think that if something is said over and over again people will believe it’s true. We even do this to ourselves. . .
pretending we are what we are not . . . covering over our lives with lies and deceit about our character . . . our deeds . . . our life’s purpose.

Like the apostle Paul, I catch myself doing this again and again.

“ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. . . For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7: 15 & 20)

Or, we may be too hard on ourselves . . . only focusing on our mistakes, our weaknesses, our failures.

Dear friends, Let us be honest about our lives. What is true for me?

Each year I find it helpful to take an honest assessment of my life.
I make a list of all of my strengths and all of my weaknesses.
Then I give thanks and celebrate my strengths and look for ways I can build on these strengths.
But I am also aware of my short-comings and realize that it is my weaknesses that keep me seeking daily communion with a loving God through Jesus Christ. I ask for God’s help to turn these into strengths.

Dear friends, God will use us just as we are!
Of that we can be sure.
God’s grace is true!

~ Anna Lin

WHAT IS YOUR WORD FOR 2017?

WHAT IS YOUR WORD FOR 2017?

Many of us have the delightful practice to be guided by
a particular word each year. My year actually begins
with Advent . . . when I sit in silent retreat time and listen
for a word to be given.

My word (s) for 2017 is SPIRIT and TRUTH.

My intention is to be guided by the Spirit each moment of my life
in the Truth of Christ . . . which is all love and joy and peace.

Each week perhaps I’ll share a bit from the in-sights I am given through this spiritual practice, and I’d love for you to also share what the Spirit is revealing to you as well . . . that we might encourage one another and build up the body of Christ.

What is your word for 2017?

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
Psalm 119:105

 

Leaves of Gold

The leaves are showing golden faces ~ ~
reflections of the sun that has warmed them
throughout the summer days.

~ Anna Lin

Photo on Pinterest

Merciful Love

Merciful Love

Anna Lin,
One of Grace and Beauty,
dweller in Merciful Love ~ ~ ~

This Rose I give to you
as essence of the love you’re meant to be,
Gift of the sorrow that has ruled your pain.
Now meant to open as the flower of Love,
Fragrance of myrrh that wise ones
through you bring . . .
mingled with grief of all that you have been.

Know this,
that now the petals bloom,
show forth this Beauty . . . Love and Grace unfold.
Take now the story of your toil,
raise it to life,
so others too may heal.

Wonderful mercy of a gentle flower,
abundant blessing given
amidst the thorns.
Nourish compassion in the way of peace,
Fervently follow the way of Christ, your Lord.

There is such Love,
poured out upon you now . . .
Anointing the remembrance
of broken hearted dreams.

No longer shall the fears infest your soul
for you are raised to triumph as a King’s
most cherished being.

~ Anna Lin
(October 5, 2000)

Tinged with age, but still calls me forth to new life ~ ~ ~

Returning To Love

For many churches in the Christian tradition, today is Ash Wednesday.
The common scripture passage is from Joel 2: 1-13 with words that say:

But now, now, says the LORD,
Come back to me with all your heart. . .
Return to the LORD, your God,
for he is all tenderness and compassion,
slow to anger, and rich in steadfast love.

We need to know this ~ not just on this one day of the year ~
but on every day ~ at every moment of our lives.
Whenever we feel separate from the Divine Source ~
it is not God who has left us ~ but we who have strayed
from our source of love and compassion.
Our God is earnestly inviting us to come back into a
full relationship in order that we might be deeply loved, cherished,
and provided for our every need.

Even as whole nations we can wander off the path of truth and life.
Let us hear the voice of gracious Love that calls to us today.
“Come back to me with all your heart, dear people.”

This is worth remembering always.

~ Anna Lin

Gracious Wisdom

“Somehow I feel sure that the most direct route to religious experience is to ask for the grace to give, to share, to console another, to bandage a hurting wound, to lift a fallen human spirit, to mend a quarrel, to search out a forgotten friend, to dismiss a suspicion and replace it with trust, to encourage someone who has lost faith, to let someone who feels helpless do a favor for me, to keep a promise, to bury an old grudge, to reduce my demands on others, to fight for a principle, to express gratitude, to overcome a fear, to appreciate the beauty of nature, to tell others I love them, and then to tell them again.”

– John Powell, S.J.
in Through Seasons of the Heart

Photo on Pinterest