Our Retirement Days

Tuesday, 1 April 2014

Knitting the Sky 2014

March 2014

Being mindful of the sky, throughout the day has become a habit as I knit the daily sky in 2014. As has sitting in my arm chair as evening falls with a good cup of tea in my favourite tea cup knitting what I have observed.

The March sky reflects the sky over Myrtle Beach South Carolina and specifically over Pirateland Family Camping Resort where we spent the month of March.

The yarn used in this project comes from

Docknits

651 Goderich Street, Box 2140

Port Elgin, N0H 2C0

While Knitting the Sky is a Leafcutter design

Grandma Snyder

Monday, 31 March 2014

Your Spiritual Reflection

What Does your Spiritual Reflection Look Like?

John 15:1-8

Common English Bible

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper.

He removes any of my branches that don’t produce fruit, and he trims any branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit.

You are already trimmed because of the word I have spoken to you.

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can’t produce fruit unless you remain in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything.

If you don’t remain in me, you will be like a branch that is thrown out and dries up. Those branches are gathered up, thrown into a fire, and burned.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.

My Father is glorified when you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my disciples.

These verses challenge us to think about what we reflect into the world. Not our reflection in the mirror, our spiritual reflection – the fruit that we produce in our community, with our family, friends and in our places of work.

I had always thought these verses meant my relationship with God, on a personal level – the fruit that God knows me by. I pray daily, spend daily time in private devotions, I attend church and participate in the life of my church community – are these the fruits being discussed, is this my spiritual reflection?

No, because in the presence of God I have no reflection - all is God.

So where do I find my spiritual reflection? To answer this I need to look outside of my church community and my personal relationship with God.

What would my next door neigbhours say about my spiritual reflection?
How would my boss describe it?
Where is my spiritual reflection when I am paying for my groceries?

In my secular activities what is visible of my spiritual life? This a troubling question when so many of us work in environments and live in societies where the outward, in your face, expression of any faith is at best frond upon or at worst forbidden.

I do not have a brilliant answer to offer. I believe it is in being mindful of the question and struggling with the answer, that we will spiritually grow in our secular lives. That Christ’s love will be reflected through us and our spiritual reflections will glorify God.

If you choose to explore how to create your spiritual reflection within your secular activities I would suggest that you seek out other Christians:

At your work
Within groups that you belong to
At the Committees that you are on etc.

For the purpose of assisting each other in nurturing, supporting – in finding ways to shine Christ’s love in these areas so your spiritual reflection can be seen.