“Living Unloved… Not Something I Want For You..”

I’m reading this book The Shack, by William P. Young. The following section of quotes has spoken to me deeply recently as I think about the handful of people in my life that choose to live without love: Either because they don’t know how to receive it, or they are still struggling to understand it more fully. It makes me sad and makes me want to love each one more unconditionally. I want everyone to be able to fly.

My friend, Alex, just took his own life yesterday. His memory will not quickly fade from my heart. His life will challenge me to love more unconditionally and sit with others unconditionally for the rest of my life. I am so sorry he’s gone. I am sorry that he felt that this was his only choice. I miss him.

Here are some quotes from the book… A conversation between the main character and God…

Mack: “I feel totally lost”…

God: “Then let’s see if we can find you in this mess.”… “Most birds were created to fly. Being grounded for them is a limitation within their ability to fly, not the other way around… You, on the other hand, were created to be loved. So for you to live as if you were unloved is a limitation, not the other way around.”

God: “Living unloved is like clipping a bird’s wings and removing its ability to fly. Not something I want for you.”

God: “Mack, pain has a way of clipping our wings and keeping us from being able to fly… And if left unresolved for very long, you can almost forget that you were ever created to fly in the first place.”

_____________________________

Me:   I pray that my life can be the kind of sacrifice needed for others to know, to see and to receive the fact that they were created to be loved… and to fly… God, let it be.

To Be Told

I’ve been reading this book and it has come at just the right time. Does this happen to you? I can pick up a book countless times, but only am I able to read it when it’s just the right time. Perfect timing on this one!  Here are some quotes from the book that resonate with me at the moment:

“Often when our world rips apart, we are able to see more easily what our story is and to hear more clearly what our name is.” p.31

“What will win — the abundant indications of randomness or our desire for more than we can see?” p. 45

“Our story will gain momentum and depth only to the degree that we honestly embrace both loss and fear.” p.46

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse, “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”  p. 67 from The Velveteen Rabbit

“The word passion comes from a Latin root that means “suffering.” It implies intense emotion that energizes a person to move. We are moved to act when we are in pain.” p.74

“As we are unnamed by the absence of our father, we find faith demanding us to begin our journey to touch the face of God. And it is on that journey that we begin to see that we have turned to others for self-definition, safety, and companionship in order to banish the loneliness of life.” p.81

Good stuff! If you have any confusion about where you are in life, and what your next season may be… this is a definite read.

My Grandpa is a Centenarian… here’s the article

My Grandpa turned 100 on September 9th…. His local paper wrote an article on him if you’d like to read it!

Akeelah and the Bee

Okay, enough of the pirate!

I meant to post the following, long ago and am just getting to it now. I saw the movie, Akeelah and the Bee, a few months back and I thought it was great! There was a quote used in the movie that you may have heard or read before, but it was the first time it has come to my attention and I have thought about it many times since. I paused the movie to write down the quote and then did a google search on it!! Here it is… Let me know what you think about what she says…

by Marianne Williamson

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Akeelah and the Bee

Our Deepest Fear
By Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us;
It’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we’re liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

Note: This inspiring quote is taken from Marianne Williamson’s book A Return to Love. Though often quoted as part of Nelson Mandela’s moving inaugural speech, “Our Deepest Fear” does not appear in the speech.