It is a slow creep –
the way the stress of life builds.
We live bombarded
by the need to rush,
bending over backwards
to meet the demands.
The expectations given
feed our perfectionistic patterns
and we get lost
by the constant doing.
That is what living from the outside
is like.
It exhausts and
makes us into fools
who think we are being productive.
To live from within,
one must commit to
slowing the pace, and
nix the needy drive
that cares too much
what others think and believe –
that invests in having
and holding
all the things
that make us look good.
True peace resides
where inner knowing lives –
blanketed by what is true,
and by the power
of the unseen.
Living from the inside
means listening to
the whispers underneath –
the voice that beckons
and seeks to heal us –
Take a walk on the beach.
Let your feet crunch a wooden path.
Allow a cat to rest in your lap.
Bow your head and offer a prayer.
Observe and honor a compassionate moment.
These are places where the whispers await…
To live from the outside
is to get lost
in the whirlwind of
the superficial.
But to live from the inside
is to be fueled by
purpose and
to be connected to
a larger dimension –
a place that
too few find.
Love is the main thing, of course.
It is the thread that connects us
at the soul
to God’s heart.
The only way to find peace
on this weary planet of ours
is to realize
that each one of us
is born to be free.
Our job and journey
is to discover that.
When we do,
the peace within
which passes all understanding
will bless us
and enable us to be a blessing
for others.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2018
Becoming and Beholding 