Inspiration, Service, & Peace
FROM CHAPTER ELEVEN: INSPIRATION, SERVICE, & PEACE
INSPIRATION
If you are being moved by inspiration, it might be your path right now. If so, there are some things to think about. The Path of Inspiration is about having enough faith to act on it when it comes. It is about being dedicated enough to spend the time and energy to pursue the ideas and impulses that come from inspiration. It is trusting that your impulses are right, and knowing the difference between acting out of your own little intentions and out of inspiration. It is about the shift between mind and movement, Ernest Holmes tells us that a “Man’s mind should swing from inspiration to action, from contemplation to accomplishment.” The path is also about trust and saying yes and doing things you may not have done before. The path is knowing that God pours it in, but we pour it out, even if we do not know what we are doing.
SERVICE
Like the paths of peace, compassion, and love, the path of service has been walked by many, and love seems to be the driving force behind service as a way of life. Perhaps Mother Teresa clarifies best for us the difference between love and service. She says: “Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service.” Service is taking the love that we feel and doing something about it. However, it is still about the love. She goes on to say, “It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.” Her life is a living example of how we “love our neighbor.”
PEACE
Peace like love was given to us at birth. It was not born from human struggle. It is a part of who we are, and that is the reason why we want it so much. In times of disharmony we feel as though something has been taken away. When we see others without peace, we ache because we know that there is another way.
If you are called to the path of peace, you will see that there are many winding roads, blind alleys and u-turns on your way. You will find that there are many who believe that peace is not attainable or even available in this world of so many differences. You will see that this path is well worn from the shoes of those who have gone before you and those who walk beside you, all seeing the same reasons with the same passion and desire. Along your way you will have to stop many times to pray, meditate, and take time to search your soul for what is real and what is not. You will have many reasons to stop and look in the mirror and ask “Is it all worth it?” And the answer will always be the same, yes.
From the poem: This Sleepless Day
“Your eyes alive in butterflies,
Tulips are the strands of your hair.
Your smile in daffodils and marigolds,
Your footprints found everywhere.”