Reflections of a Ragamuffin

Thanks, Lindsey, for recommending The Ragamuffin Gospel. I am having a much different perspective this week thanks to reading that book!


ACCEPT


THAT YOU ARE ACCEPTED

Every morning I pull into the parking lot at Body Perfections. I arrive at the last minute, jump out of my car, and run for the door so I can be on time for my first appointment of the day. Not very organized in the mornings,  I'm afraid! I have a sense of urgency. Rush, rush, rush! There is a large, open field that faces our parking area. Once in awhile I allow myself the luxury of sitting there for a moment to admire the flowers~even though most of them are just weeds. There is beauty all around us if we will just open our eyes to it...if we will just take the time to become aware. The field looks different with each season, of course, but it has a rough beauty no matter what time of the year it is. Soon, there will be heavy frost on all the plants. It will be all sparkling and shimmery in the morning light. Then another month or two will go by and the field will be a blanket of snow. Still beautiful but differently so. Eventually the spring thaw brings new life all green and fresh. The vitality of rebirth. Followed of course by the sultry dog days of summer. A cycle that reminds us that we are beloved children of a source way bigger than ourselves.

A few more thoughts from Brennan Manning and The Ragamuffin Gospel:

*Quote from Maurice Blondel: If you really want to understand a man, don't just listen to what he says, but watch what he does.

*Whatever we have done in the past, be it good or evil, great or small, is irrelevant to our stance before God today. It is only now that we are in the presence of God.

*The trouble with our ideals is that if we live up to all of them, we become impossible to live with.

Trust me, you gotta get this book...