Minor Miracles, Continued

June 27, 2010

Dear Friends,

Two weeks ago I wrote about the minor miracles that occur quite frequently in life—the kind of synchronistic events and happy coincidences that may seem relatively insignificant, but lead to the fulfillment of a heart’s desire, nonetheless.

I feel that I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t remind you of the following point: Although miracles are usually associated with circumstances that are obviously to your benefit, an undesirable encounter or a challenging situation can also be a divine gift in your life.

I can’t tell you the number of times that an unexpected “problem” has popped up in my life, which led me to a very valuable learning lesson—a lesson that helped me deal with a similar, but more serious problem just a short time later.

One time, for example, I experienced an issue with my computer that was fairly minor, but still extremely frustrating. It took me quite a while to figure out what was going wrong, and why. But I finally did, and I was able to successfully fix the problem.

I thought that was the end of my computer troubles. But the very next week I ran into another problem . . . only this time the problem was much more complicated, and it was much more important for me to correct the issue immediately.

Well, thanks to what I learned the week before, guess what? I was able to fix the problem both quickly and easily. It felt as though the divine flow had purposely prepared me for what was to come, and had equipped me to handle the upcoming issue much more effectively.

Like so many other times in my life, what I had initially judged to be “bad,” quickly transformed itself into a blessing—a blessing that I could never have foreseen based on my original assessment of the situation.

What I have learned from countless experiences like these, is that unwanted circumstances are often “miracles in the making,” and it is my job to allow the miracle to unfold by cooperating with what is happening, rather than resisting it—by seeking only my next right step, and the one after that, and the one after that.

One of the keys to living life in the divine flow and experiencing its miracles more freely and more frequently, is to embrace every challenge that occurs in life as if it were a blessing about to bloom—a divine opportunity for you to benefit in some way. You will find that when you actively look for the gift in every situation, the divine flow has an uncanny way of making certain that you find it.

So, the next time a situation arises in your life that elicits some kind of discomfort or displeasure, make sure that you remain genuinely open to the possibility of experiencing something miraculous . . . even if the miracle is just a timely lesson learned.

Remember to always be grateful for all of life’s miracles—both major and minor . . . including the ones that show up in your life as blessings in disguise.

Steven

© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com

Fatherhood and The Divine Flow

June 20, 1010

Dear Friends,

Many of the churches where I present my talks and workshops refer to the divine power at work in this world as “Father-Mother-God.” The reason is apparent. It is a simple reminder that this higher power that many of us call God, not only has a nature that we associate with fatherhood, but it also has characteristics that we associate with motherhood . . . such as nurturing.

I’ve never had an issue with the notion of God as Mother. But I’ll be perfectly honest with you. For much of my life I was very uncomfortable with the concept of God as Father.

You see, I used to harbor a lot of resentments towards my own father, and whenever I heard the word “Father” used in reference to God, I would cringe a little.

Then one day I had a revelation—one so simple, I was astounded that it didn’t occur to me sooner. I remembered that I was a father. And what, as a father, did I feel towards my children? Nothing but unconditional love. And what, as a father, did I want for my children? Nothing but for them to be happy and fulfilled . . . and I would gladly do anything in my power to help them live abundant and joyful lives.

For the very first time, I could finally relate to the idea of God as Father . . . as a loving, generous, powerful presence in my life that was continually providing for my needs, and continually guiding me towards the fulfillment of my heart’s desires.

At that moment, I not only changed the way I felt about God as Father, but I began to feel differently about my own father, as well. I began to look beyond his human shortcomings to see the divinely loving spirit within him. And I am happy to say that today I can truly appreciate many things about my father that I ignored or took for granted in the past. In fact, at this point I feel I have moved beyond appreciation . . . to love.

Here’s to all the men who have been “fathers” in our lives—who have provided for our well-being, and guided us in effective ways of providing for ourselves . . . just like the divine flow guides and provides.

Here’s to our earthly fathers . . . and here’s to our heavenly one, as well.

Happy Father’s Day!

© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com

Minor Miracles and The Divine Flow

June 13, 2010

Dear Friends,

If my work is somewhat new to you (and to a number of you, it is), you may not be familiar with my definition for the divine flow, which is:

“The divine flow is an underlying current that is continually guiding you toward the effortless fulfillment of your heart’s desires.”

You might assume from the phrase, “your heart’s desires,” that I am talking about major goals that you want to accomplish in life, or desires that are exceptionally grand and glorious. And you would be right about that. But you would only be partially right. Because the desires of your heart can also be desires that appear to be relatively insignificant—desires that seem to be fairly minor in the overall scheme of things.

What you have to remember is that your “heart” is your “spirit,” and your spirit has desires both big and small—all of which, when fulfilled, serve to help you live a life that is more joyful and rewarding. And the divine flow works just as diligently to guide you to the effortless fulfillment of those seemingly small desires, as it does to help you fulfill the ones that seem large by comparison.

Here’s an example:

Here in Sedona, Carol and I subscribe to the local paper, the Red Rock News. Although we always read the headlines on the front page, we rarely do anything more than check out the entertainment section, or look through the classifieds for an interesting estate sale.

Last week, though, I felt an unusual urge to grab a cold drink, go out on the patio, and sit down to read the entire paper—something I had never, ever, done before.

Well, I didn’t have to read very far to discover why I had been mysteriously compelled to open the paper. Because there on Page 2 was an obituary for a dear friend of ours—a woman that Carol and I had not seen in quite some time.

Her name was Nanette, and for many years she was the head innkeeper at our favorite Bed & Breakfast Inn, The Briar Patch. Before we moved to Sedona, Carol and I stayed at The Briar Patch so often, we formed a lasting friendship with Nanette. She was, in fact, one of the very first guests we invited to our home when we became Sedona residents.

Had I not followed my divine intuition to read the paper that day, I would have missed the obituary, and Carol and I would probably have missed the opportunity to attend Nanette’s memorial service. As it turned out, though, Carol and I were able to attend the service, and pay fitting tribute to a woman who meant quite a lot to us.

So, was that an example of being divinely guided toward the accomplishment of a major goal in life, or toward the realization of a lifelong dream? Of course not. But it was the fulfillment of a heart’s desire, nonetheless. In fact, Carol and I would have been heartbroken to have missed the opportunity to join Nanette’s other friends and family in a celebration of her life.

Here’s to living life in the divine flow, my friends . . . and here’s to recognizing, appreciating, and celebrating all the flow’s minor miracles that make such a major difference in our daily lives.

Steven

© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com

A Journey to the Center of the Earth

June 6, 2010

Dear Friends,

This week I have a question for you: What’s at the center of the Earth? If you give that question a little thought, you will realize that there is more than one answer.

From a strictly physical standpoint, the answer could be that there is a core of solid iron at the center of the Earth, which is surrounded by an outer core of iron that’s molten.

From a purely spiritual viewpoint, the answer could be “God”—especially if God is understood to be an all-pervading intelligent energy that exists within and throughout everything in the universe.

But neither of those answers is the one that I was looking for. I was actually talking about the word, “Earth,” and what is found at the center of that particular word.

Have you ever noticed that right smack dab in the middle of EARTH is ART? For me, that’s significant, because it helps remind me that our journey here on Earth is meant to be a creative experience.

Like I mentioned recently, we are innately creative beings. As individual expressions of what many call “The Great Creator,” we are, in fact, nothing less than Divine Creators in our own right. And Earth is the canvas upon which we express ourselves.

Earth is where we—as spiritual beings—have the opportunity to take ideas that originate in spirit, and go about the process of giving those ideas physical form. And when we go about that creative process thoughtfully—with the conscious intention to bring more beauty, harmony, love, joy, and understanding into the world—we are doing more than just manifesting something materially, we are producing works of art . . . sacred art, no less.

Whether we are writing books or building homes, painting landscapes or engineering bridges, composing songs or inventing businesses, carving sculptures or raising families, nothing satisfies our souls more than bringing something new and beautiful into the world that wasn’t there before.

To quote a short poem I wrote way back in 1977:

Art for art’s sake.
Art for the heart’s sake.
For God’s sake, art.

Here’s to the divine artist within you, me, and all of us.

Steven

© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com