I came across this short journal entry from a few years ago this morning:
God speaks to us in many ways. Lately, He's speaking to my heart through a little cucumber plant in our flower beds. This humble plant knows it's purpose. Without wasting energy getting lots of flashy leaves, it right away birthed a cucumber.’
Every time I walk by this plant and fledgling cuke, I am reminded to allow God to direct my path, to give me His heart and focus, and to set aside distractions and things that just don't matter.
Lord, may our lives bear fruit as we abide in You and live for Your glory, honor and praise.
a cucumber plant and a cucumber (this is just an AI generated picture)
When have you felt most alive with a sense of purpose?
How do you live out your purpose?
In what ways are you like this cucumber plant in the sense that you pour your focus and energies into something that matters deeply to you?
In what ways do you squander your energy and fail to bear the fruit you’d like to produce in your life?
Do you feel like you have a clear sense of purpose?
How does this sense of purpose motivate you and guide you?
That cucumber is precious and unpretentious. Perfect really. I believe I have a clear sense of purpose. My energy seems squandered looking back, so I try not to do that. God is speaking to me clearly of late and I admit. Shifting gears has become harder and I need more "adjustment" time. Every day He wakes me up and gives me another merciful chance is truly amazing. 🌻🥒🥒🥒
I love your attitude. Yes, God sure used the cucumber to speak to my heart. I also know that at times I have squandered my energy, and I'm asking God to help me establish a really good rhythm of life following our vacation. Sometimes an emotional reset helps me to recalibrate. I agree....He wakens us morning after morning and we have another day to sit at His feet in wonder ;).
I find inspiration and also purpose in the eastern concept of "dharma" or "right action leading to inner freedom," which for me often ends up in various forms of writing (hence my newsletter on Substack). When I choose and act in attunement with what "right action" is for my particular soul, which is another way of saying "listening to God's whispers," there is a calm joy; when I'm acting out of harmony with it, there is a kind of discomfort, nervousness, or restlessness. It's not always easy, and it can take courage to act dharmically, which includes letting go of expectations. It also means cultivating enough inner awareness and devotion to God to feel it, and when I get neglectful of that cultivation, then I can drift and flounder about for sometimes day or even weeks. An attraction to passive entertainment usually asserts itself during those times!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, Kiran. I like that you have an awareness of this attunement and that you care about your spiritual life in relation to your writing.
There’s a form of journaling called Immanuel Journaling (from a Christian perspective) that I really love and it promotes attunement and secure attachment with God. The brain scientists who laid out this journaling process were also consistent with God’s Word in the way they laid out the process. I really enjoy it, and also a book called The Life Model: Living From the Heart Jesus Gave You.
I could really relate to your comment about being drawn to passive entertainment when you’re off balance. I am writing one chapter on internet addiction as one of the things that can throw people off balance. I liked the book by Cal Newport called Deep Work, and I am making concerted efforts to reduce distractions so that I have the time needed each day for reflection, prayer, and deep focus. This summer I’m doing a project called Writing As Breathing: How Writing Changes Me. You might enjoy participating in the Threads on this theme or being involved in some way. Here’s a link to a summary of the initial reflection questions: https://susankuenzi.substack.com/p/reflection-questions-for-the-collaborative/comments
Yes, I'll take a look at that thread in a couple of days. We're leaving tomorrow to drive up to the WA coast where we escape the heat in the Sierra Nevada Foothills for a few weeks every summer.
With reducing distractions, that's something I'm enjoying about Substack, having been working with it now for six months. I get to read thoughtful essays (like yours) and engage in meaningful conversation (like we are), which doesn't seem possible on other social media platforms where it's all about reacting to meme graphics and sorting through the endless stream of miscellaneous ads.
Enjoy your trip up the WA Coast! We just returned from Alaska and spent a night in Seattle on either end of the trip. Watching sailboats on the Puget Sound and being away from internet for the most part was a wonderful reset. I share that feeling about Substack. I have very little interest in other social media...I just do what's necessary and am glad to create distance from that mindless vortex. I started writing on Substack at the very end of March, and have thoroughly enjoyed this community and the connections I've made. Happy to hear from you and I read one or two of your articles today. It's enriching to hear the perspectives of others. Your lifestyle sounds conducive to writing and reflection, Kiran. Although I know that takes intentionality for all of us these days. I am a fan of C S Lewis so enjoyed your quotes, too. Enjoy your escape. Last fall I attended a writing retreat hosted by my friend in Loyalton, so I loved the Sierra Valley. She showed me pictures this morning of the flames and smoke. Praying for that valley.
I was born and raised in the Seattle area and lived my first 36 years there; my wife as well (our 36th anniversary is today, in fact), and all our families are still there. (Oh, if you want to sound like a local, just say "Puget Sound" without the 'the.' :))
Thanks for reading some of my posts. I'm happy to comp you in if you'd like full access to the paywalled posts. I do that just to keep the trolls out.
Fun that you and your wife are both from that area. Thank you. That would be great to be comped in. I only use the paywall to protect things closely related to my WIP.
I do have a clear sense of purpose, but am feeling the tug by others who want to change my purpose!
There's a verse that says, Happy is the one whose conviction is his or her own.
That cucumber is precious and unpretentious. Perfect really. I believe I have a clear sense of purpose. My energy seems squandered looking back, so I try not to do that. God is speaking to me clearly of late and I admit. Shifting gears has become harder and I need more "adjustment" time. Every day He wakes me up and gives me another merciful chance is truly amazing. 🌻🥒🥒🥒
I love your attitude. Yes, God sure used the cucumber to speak to my heart. I also know that at times I have squandered my energy, and I'm asking God to help me establish a really good rhythm of life following our vacation. Sometimes an emotional reset helps me to recalibrate. I agree....He wakens us morning after morning and we have another day to sit at His feet in wonder ;).
I find inspiration and also purpose in the eastern concept of "dharma" or "right action leading to inner freedom," which for me often ends up in various forms of writing (hence my newsletter on Substack). When I choose and act in attunement with what "right action" is for my particular soul, which is another way of saying "listening to God's whispers," there is a calm joy; when I'm acting out of harmony with it, there is a kind of discomfort, nervousness, or restlessness. It's not always easy, and it can take courage to act dharmically, which includes letting go of expectations. It also means cultivating enough inner awareness and devotion to God to feel it, and when I get neglectful of that cultivation, then I can drift and flounder about for sometimes day or even weeks. An attraction to passive entertainment usually asserts itself during those times!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, Kiran. I like that you have an awareness of this attunement and that you care about your spiritual life in relation to your writing.
There’s a form of journaling called Immanuel Journaling (from a Christian perspective) that I really love and it promotes attunement and secure attachment with God. The brain scientists who laid out this journaling process were also consistent with God’s Word in the way they laid out the process. I really enjoy it, and also a book called The Life Model: Living From the Heart Jesus Gave You.
I could really relate to your comment about being drawn to passive entertainment when you’re off balance. I am writing one chapter on internet addiction as one of the things that can throw people off balance. I liked the book by Cal Newport called Deep Work, and I am making concerted efforts to reduce distractions so that I have the time needed each day for reflection, prayer, and deep focus. This summer I’m doing a project called Writing As Breathing: How Writing Changes Me. You might enjoy participating in the Threads on this theme or being involved in some way. Here’s a link to a summary of the initial reflection questions: https://susankuenzi.substack.com/p/reflection-questions-for-the-collaborative/comments
Yes, I'll take a look at that thread in a couple of days. We're leaving tomorrow to drive up to the WA coast where we escape the heat in the Sierra Nevada Foothills for a few weeks every summer.
With reducing distractions, that's something I'm enjoying about Substack, having been working with it now for six months. I get to read thoughtful essays (like yours) and engage in meaningful conversation (like we are), which doesn't seem possible on other social media platforms where it's all about reacting to meme graphics and sorting through the endless stream of miscellaneous ads.
Enjoy your trip up the WA Coast! We just returned from Alaska and spent a night in Seattle on either end of the trip. Watching sailboats on the Puget Sound and being away from internet for the most part was a wonderful reset. I share that feeling about Substack. I have very little interest in other social media...I just do what's necessary and am glad to create distance from that mindless vortex. I started writing on Substack at the very end of March, and have thoroughly enjoyed this community and the connections I've made. Happy to hear from you and I read one or two of your articles today. It's enriching to hear the perspectives of others. Your lifestyle sounds conducive to writing and reflection, Kiran. Although I know that takes intentionality for all of us these days. I am a fan of C S Lewis so enjoyed your quotes, too. Enjoy your escape. Last fall I attended a writing retreat hosted by my friend in Loyalton, so I loved the Sierra Valley. She showed me pictures this morning of the flames and smoke. Praying for that valley.
Take care!
I was born and raised in the Seattle area and lived my first 36 years there; my wife as well (our 36th anniversary is today, in fact), and all our families are still there. (Oh, if you want to sound like a local, just say "Puget Sound" without the 'the.' :))
Thanks for reading some of my posts. I'm happy to comp you in if you'd like full access to the paywalled posts. I do that just to keep the trolls out.
Fun that you and your wife are both from that area. Thank you. That would be great to be comped in. I only use the paywall to protect things closely related to my WIP.