Fulfilment By Bernard Thorogood
The leaf was made for dancing
And the cloud for shade at noon
The breeze was made for freshness
When the sea gleams in the moon
The waves were made for stirring
And the mountains to be still
The daisies made for sunlight
And great trees to clothe the hill
And everything that you have made
Was good in your sight Lord
For all things have a part to play
And nothing is ignored
You lead the way from seed to fruit
From womb to birth to youth
You trust all to be mature
To handle love and truth
Now help us Lord to give a place
To every living thing
To know the good that you have made
That every voice may sing
A friend just shared that poem and my response was:
Oh My God I love this poem!!! It resonates so deeply with my belief that we are all Good. Enough. Just as we are. Who tells a burbling brook or a crashing ocean wave or a dancing leaf to be "better", "faster", "straighter", "more than..." than the amazing creation it already is? If only we could learn to accept each other in the same way. "And everything that you have made was good in your sight Lord." What if, instead of insisting on the dominant culture's paradigm of continuous improvement, constantly seeking to excel and striving for perfection, we decided to fully embrace and celebrate ourselves and each other just as God made us? How subversive and wonderful that would be. That is my prayer for today and always :)
Let me add that I DO still believe we need to grow and change in order to thrive as we move through this journey of life. It's just that I think we expand and become our true amazing selves through positive reinforcement and affirmation, rather than through seeing ourselves as "not quite there yet", always feeling slightly short of the mark. Our creativity explodes exponentially when we feel loved and accepted for who we are. When we celebrate our gifts, when we share them for the sheer joy of being in relationship, and bring all that we are to the circle...that's where the growth and transformation is possible. Be free from the burden getting it "right" and from thinking that we must be ALL things for ALL people ALL the time (which, of course, isn't even within the realm of possibility for anyone!) Let go of thinking in terms of being "better" than who we are, and fully live into being the amazing people we already are.
I'm not always great at this myself...but I keep trying!
Let me add that I DO still believe we need to grow and change in order to thrive as we move through this journey of life. It's just that I think we expand and become our true amazing selves through positive reinforcement and affirmation, rather than through seeing ourselves as "not quite there yet", always feeling slightly short of the mark. Our creativity explodes exponentially when we feel loved and accepted for who we are. When we celebrate our gifts, when we share them for the sheer joy of being in relationship, and bring all that we are to the circle...that's where the growth and transformation is possible. Be free from the burden getting it "right" and from thinking that we must be ALL things for ALL people ALL the time (which, of course, isn't even within the realm of possibility for anyone!) Let go of thinking in terms of being "better" than who we are, and fully live into being the amazing people we already are.
I'm not always great at this myself...but I keep trying!
