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“And after Jesus dismissed the crowds, he went up to the mountain by himself to pray.” (Matthew 14:23)

I set today aside as a dedicated “me” day. I don’t mean for that to sound selfish or ego driven, but today I decided to concentrate on those things that would bring me inner peace, joy, energy and inspiration.

I started out earlier than usual today and began with some meditation. Turning within, communicating with the always present Perfect Spirit of God, and setting forth my intention for the day. A day to feed myself both physically and spiritually for my journey onward. After meditation and a protein shake it was off to the gym. A brisk half hour on the treadmill and then a tour of the machines for some muscle exercise. It felt good, I had fed my body the physical life support that we should all do to stay healthy, strong and fit.

That was step one. Returning home (and vowing that there would be no TV news today to throw off my communion with my spiritual source) I put on some sacred chanting music and read for several hours from a couple of inspirational books. More mediation has followed. I did meet a friend of an iced tea at a neighborhood spot knowing that our conversations are always life affirming and positive affirmations of a deep friendship walking with, and supporting, one another through the ups and downs of life. This was good. It was unexpected, but a pleasant addition to my “me” day. (I think it is important when we have these Sabbath days that we remain open to what may come our way that can add to our experience of peace, knowing that we can always decline any invitations that might throw us into a negative space).

The rest of my afternoon, after a lovely lunch on the back deck of the house, will consist of more reading and deep reflection. It is a lovely cool day today and perfect for being with nature. Tonight I will cap off my day attending a beautiful Taize meditation service that is led by a friend of mine and is always followed with a potluck for fellowship with those in attendance.

Why do I write all of this? From someone who is good about going to the gym and trying to eat right (as I know many of you also do) it also occurs to me that though we can be good about feeding our bodies we all too often starve our spirits. Our spirits also need nourishment and a chance to in turn nourish us. Taking time for meditation, prayer, reflection and affirming the presence of God all around, through, and as us, is an important part of helping us to lead abundant productive loving lives. We can get, and do, become so distracted with the events of life that tending to our spiritual self most often gets pushed aside until we suddenly face some crisis. Then we stop and wonder what happened. Well, what happened is that we were running on empty. Our spiritual self was being neglected and our conscious human minds were thrown into a state of “I have to do everything myself.” (Or worse). What happened in that moment probably would have happened anyway, but when we run on empty we are much more likely to react negatively before we think, make the wrong choices and make a bigger mess out of things. Running on empty we are less likely to handle life’s occurrences in the ways we would much rather be engaged.

Maybe there is not a whole day we can always set aside, but that should never stop us. Never forget to feed your spirit. A few moments of meditation, a positive affirmative prayer of thanksgiving, even a “thank you Spirit/God for always being with me,” will feed you in so many beautiful ways. A nourished spirit and deep personal spiritual practice will always be a life changer.

Okay, writing this mediation has been a great part of my “me” day. Thanks for sharing a bit of it with me.

Affirmation: “I stop and say thank you for the presence of Spirit/God that is always the source and engine of my life. Wow, that felt great!”

Rev. Jefferson Beeker

http://jefferson340.wix.com/index

We live our lives one thought at a time. Let each of those thoughts really count for something wonderful.

Be prepared to change your thinking and change your life.

Follow me on Twitter @jeffersonbeeker for daily affirmations of uplifting and positive faith.