Living in the Flow of Life

Dear Friend,

Another new year is here, a blank slate for you to write your hopes, dreams, and aspirations. It’s likely that you’ve been surrounded lately by messages about resolutions, plans, goals, and all kinds of things you can do to shed unwanted habits and adopt new ones designed to lead to a happier and healthier life. You may have recently participated in burning bowl and white stone ceremonies to clarify your spiritual goals and align them with your worldly ones.

These are valuable practices for those on a spiritual path. You learn about the importance of changing your thinking to bring about the changes you want to see in your life. But those practices can be a bit of a trap if you think that you must always be doing something to move in the direction of your dreams; that if you’re not in a flurry of activity, pushing and working to make something happen, then nothing will.

If manifestation feels slow, you may feel the need to double down and try even harder. But this year, I invite you to try the opposite approach. Relax, step back, and practice patience.

The Importance of Divine Order and Timing

Recently, my husband I were talking about the role divine order and timing has played in our lives. You may have similar recollections. You may remember those times when it seemed like nothing was happening or a desired result was taking much too long. You may look back on times when a missed opportunity seemed like the worst possible outcome, only to realize in hindsight it was the best thing that could have happened.

Anchoring myself in those memories keeps me in a steady state of acceptance and positive expectation. This year I am going to temper working toward my goals with being in the flow of divine order, timing, and grace. Rather than becoming impatient or frustrated by what seems like lack of progress, I will instead slow down, be intentional, and listen for spiritual guidance. More than that, I’m going to reframe disappointments as opportunities to live in faith that something even better is about to unfold.

As this year gets underway, I invite you to keep your resolutions as best you can. Pursue your dreams and work to realize your goals. But don’t discount the importance of divine order, divine timing, and grace. Give yourself a new perspective on delays and disappointments, seeing them not as the end of a road but as a detour—one that may lead to an opportunity even better than the one you had envisioned for yourself.