Accepting Paradox in the Silence
December began with a beautifully bright snowfall, bringing forth gratitude that this year’s Christmas tree was already decorated and illuminated.
The message sent forth from devotionals during this time of year focus on patiently awaiting with expectant hope the wonder of the birth of our Savior. Jesus Christ comes to the world as an infant.
Peace and joy fill the air when we can find enough time to escape the distracted business of our daily routine. Reflecting on scripture helps us stay close to the reason for the season.
Isaiah 11:1-10 is often in the gospel readings during the holy time. “Wolves and sheep will live together in peace, and leopards will lie down with young goats.
Calves and lion cubs will feed together, and little children will take care of them.
Cows and bears will eat together, and their calves and cubs will lie down in peace.
Lions will eat straw as cattle do.
Even a baby will not be harmed if it plays near a poisonous snake.” Isaiah 11-6-8, specifically brings to mind my favorite videos on TikTok.
Don’t judge me! it’s not easy to separate my thoughts from the influences that steal some of my time. I’m human!
I simply can’t get enough of the videos where animals of different species are interacting like friends.
The babies who are being cared for and entertained by dogs,
the horses who are so gentle with a small human,
the deer who befriend and visit people in their homes
and perhaps my favorite one at this time, a gentleman who takes a pink guitar, sits down on a small stool and sings and strums to see how normally wild animals respond. Elephants, giraffes and all kinds of interesting creatures come very close to the pleasant delivery of peaceful music. Even when a horse tries to strum the instrument, or a pig nibbles on his elbow, the animal nor the entertainer are phased. They continue connecting in a unique way.
The moment feels as if something special has happened that isn’t normal, a breakthrough of the chaos.
More video evidence is…
cats lying with dogs,
horses allowing dogs to ride on their backs,
a gorilla running out of the jungle to greet the man who raised him, but he hadn’t seen in years,
a woman teaching Coco, the gorilla, sign language,
a lion lovingly jumping upon its owner to show affection, not aggression.
In Isaiah, it is written that all of this is possible and actually will happen to even greater degrees through the power of the Spirit!
Because the Holy Spirit came down and is with us in this world, this powerful display of unity is and will continue to manifest.
That’s exciting!
As we all move through this time when so much anger and suffering is abounded, how do we move away from the messiness and violence and draw near toward peace and tranquility?
Do we take time to notice nature?
Do we find ways to honor and respect animals instead of being afraid of them?
Do we give grace when a reaction comes from fear?
How do we mend fractured relationships?
How do we find ways to accept the struggle, quit fighting the reality of this life, and fall back into the arms of the One who loves us the most?
The answer lies in the silence. By returning to a simple quiet, peace can settle into our restless souls.
Listening becomes more valuable than speaking.
By eliminating the poison of the noise, our bodies, minds, and souls can find truth.
We return to our first love, our ABBA Father
who gave us life
and then sent a Savior to assure us of our holy inheritance
and gave us the resurrection Spirit to carry on!
When our souls accept this incredible gift, it is then that the spirit can move through us. We can then take our gifts…teaching sign language, performing musical expression, reciting poetry, writing prayers etc and use our given talents to bring unity and love to contradictory places, settings that feel impossible, yet we know nothing is impossible with God.
Brene Brown tells us that humans are not naturally hardwired for paradox.
Could this information be the key that opens the door to locate our true humanity?
Accepting the paradox?
Holding onto the truth that there is much we do not know or understand, could open our hearts and minds to the fact that we could be right, but we could also be wrong.
Letting go of the need to win, breaks the chains of bondage that occur within the ego when its desire to conquer all at all costs, dominates one’s thinking.
If the ego never accepts paradox, the human dies a lonely death.
When we disrupt the power of the ego, our hearts can return to the greatest love of all. One that a human cannot locate if they remain in the destructive trap of only loving oneself.
May peace find our homes!
May joy settle in our moments!
May Love fill our hearts!
Happy Advent ya’all!