Back in May of 2011 I found myself in a place of negativity….negative energy if you will. There had been a lot going on in my life and none of it was making me very happy. I received a call to speak on spirituality and believe me that was the last thing I wanted to do. The topic I was given to speak on was John 14:15-21. Of course God was ten steps ahead of me as the topic for my engagement based on that reading would be “love”. Love is mentioned five times in those seven verses!
As I pondered that word in my mind, I was not happy. I was not feeling love, in fact I was miserable, angry, and I felt anything but love. As I was walking and pondering speaking on “love” I looked down and saw a white rock shaped like a heart. Hmmmm….I thought that is interesting. I picked it up and put it in my pocket. However, it certainly didn’t mean anything to me.
The next day I am walking again and with all the cynicism I could muster I had a short conversation with the Universe. Basically it went something like this: “I am unhappy, I am not in the right frame of mind to talk about love, that heart really didn’t mean anything. I was feeling; black, empty, sad, and depressed. Boldly I said “If I am really supposed to talk on love then I want a “black heart”. . As I took a few more steps I looked down and there was the GOD SHOT……. a black heart stone. I then began to cry. With the tears, the hardness of my heart and bad attitude began to melt. Somehow I intuitively knew that I was loved, I was to speak on the topic of love, and I wouldn’t feel this way forever.
I dimly see today that there is no freedom from a messy inner landscape of disappointments, anger, frustrations, and negative thinking—–until somehow, someway, we are focused on the miraculous fact that we are given the world and all the people in it to love.
As you think about the “heart shaped rocks” can you recall a time when you stumbled across something unique? Do heart shaped rocks have any significant meaning for you?
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Father Neil's Daily Ramblings
I have quite a few rocks in my collection that are all related in some way to either spiritual or emotional feelings. Each one has a word like Gratitude, Courage, Peace, Love, Serenity and many more. And, there are 3 different heart shaped ones (no words) that were either given to me or I found. A very special one is an off pink granite one that my youngest daughter gave me many years ago. It has very significant meanings to me since in the legal/technical sense she’s not my daughter (she was my second wife’s daughter) but I helped raised her from a very young age. As we all do at times I don’t see the good stuff and get focused on the ‘poor me’ stuff like not getting to see them often due to where I live. The heart she gave me reminds me that to this day, I’m “Dad” to her and “Grandpa” to her two young sons. It also reminds me that she really loves me and has gone to great lengths over the years to show it. Another reminds me of the words on the stained glass windows of a Westwood, CA church that simply say “God is Love” and “Love is God”. That in itself is a huge God Shot for me! These hearts really help me remember to be kind and loving in all that I do or say, no matter the circumstance.
I keep them all out on display for everyone, especially me (!) to see and benefit from. They are very uplifting when I take the time to really take in their meaning.
Thanks for a great story about Our Father’s message to you.