Going With the Flow
Water images speak to me, so I can relate to the New Morning theme "
Let Life Flow." It's interesting how often water as a symbol of Spirit comes up in the world's religions. I'm thinking of how the Sufi poets refer to "the ocean" to represent God's embrace and how in Buddhism and Taoism, the flow of water represents freedom and naturalness. Going with the flow is a way to describe being on the spiritual path.
One segment of today's show focused on a project founded by
Chad Pregracke which is cleaning up the Ohio River. Living Lands & Waters has a full-time staff and as many as 5,000 volunteers in a year. We saw them going along the banks of the river, picking up all kinds of trash that has washed up from the river. As they carried tires and refrigerators and bicycles to their barge, I realized that in the water those items could be real hindrances to the flow. What kinds of obstacles am I encountering in my spiritual life, and how did they get there?
Life coach
Margie Warrell talked about the kinds of attitudes that can block the flow. One is resisting what is, not being willing to see things as they are, perhaps because they are something we don't want to accept about ourselves and world. We need courage and a sense of adventure to quit fighting against life.
Writer and minister
August Gold and co-author Joel Fotinos observed that confusion and self-doubt can block the flow by making us believe we can't do something. They were talking specifically about prayer and our ability to create an open channel to God.
I think of the water channels all over the planet that are visible from space. In how many different ways and places have I opened myself to the grace flowing from God? Today as I ponder these questions, I'm also remembering a favorite saying from the Buddhist teacher Ajahn Brahm. It's something I learned in the river safety lessons during lifeguard training. "Whenever the current is stronger than you are, that is the time to go with the flow." My spiritual life is about going with the flow of what is stronger than I am alone.