May 6, 1996

• Spiritual joy is peace

• Welcome the storms of life

You are each elevated by the buoyancy of God’s presence in your lives.

This evening you have expressed concerns for others, concerns for yourselves, and a desire to find ways to bring lightness and peace into your lives. The lightness and peace that come from God are not frivolous but faithful. When you are at a point in your journey that is especially close to God, you sense God’s presence, you sense that warmth, you sense the confidence that comes with knowing that you are not alone and that you are being supported. This is the lightness, this is the real joy of the spirit.

Spiritual joy is not always laughter. Spiritual joy is perhaps more accurately described as peace, as an absence of anxiety, and as a faith that, in its own way, life is proceeding with the companionship of God at your side. You pray for that joy, you pray for that peace, and it is actually there for you to grab hold of and make your own. How many times is it so that one prays for God’s peace from the belief that somehow one is not in God’s presence? One prays for this kind of joy because one feels its absence.

Your spiritual lives are never removed from that spiritual strength-giving that comes from God. There is no time when you are totally alone and in darkness, for the light is continuous and God’s love is always present. The difficulties in life are not because you are somehow removed from that presence. Difficulties are caused and experienced by your own inabilities from time to time to recognize that presence. Each of you has known of others who have endured great stress and trial but nevertheless have a way of proceeding with a lightness of heart in spite of those difficulties. That lightness does not come from a lack of awareness of difficulties, but rather it comes from the sense of peace being in the proximity of God, realizing that regardless of external influences, one continues on the right path. By maintaining a sense of spiritual vision that incorporates God’s presence, they are never defeated by frustrations and uncertainty. Their strength becomes the strength of others.

In our last message to you we spoke of the importance of your focus on God. That focus colors everything in your lives. It determines the spirituality of life. It interprets and controls the sense of love as it is experienced and as it is expressed. Your eyes should always be on God. Whatever else occurs in life, it is God who provides the stability and the strength. This you know already, but it is so seldom applied.

You may liken the experiences in life to the storm which rages outside. Your sense of God is like the presence of this house. You are aware of the storm, but you are kept dry and safe. Such is God within a life that experiences turmoil, uncertainty, and sadness. You are not necessarily unaware of what life offers, but you go through that experience with confidence and a sense of stability and safety.

The storms of life will come and go, for that is what life is. Imagine nature without water. There would be no beauty, indeed there would be no life. Water is essential for nature to flourish. The challenges and difficulties of life are essential for your soul to flourish. Welcome those storms of life as opportunities for growth, as the sources of important nourishment. They are not to be feared. They are not to be ignored. They are not to be wished away.

We are here in your lives for the purpose of strengthening your resolve to keep the focus, to keep your vision on the path, to keep your eyes open to the light. Without us, your lives would seem pointless and you could feel victim of circumstance. But you are not victims. You are very much a part of the continuity that God has ordained for all of creation. You are a part of the grand flow, and you must as a result experience all that flows with you.

Our love for you is endless and boundless. We were actually with you before you began your earthly life, so long has been this relationship, and we will continue to be with you at the conclusion of your earthly life. This bond is permanent, just as the bond that connects you to God. You have been with God before human life; you will be with God after human life. That is the nature of God’s creation.

Welcome the times to reach out to one another. Be willing to offer the hand of love and the ear of compassion. You will then be instruments of God. You will be God’s hands in the world, and life around you will be enriched and given greater significance.

We bless you with God’s love and constant presence.

Amen.