"There is a stream of Life running into every organ and function of your being. This stream is always there. It never stops for a second. If it did, the universe would cease to exist. Inexhaustible energy exists at the center of your being. Therefore, learn to live without effort. Activity is the joy of Life flowing through you." -- Ernest Holmes, "This Thing Called Life"
It has been said that in a contest between a stream and a rock the stream will always win because it will flow around, under and over (and eventually through) the rock with effortless grace and ease as it follows its natural path, simply being what it is. As long as the stream stays connected to its source river or lake, the stream will flow until it reaches and merges with its ultimate destination, the ocean.
Metaphorically speaking we could say that the energy that flows through and sustains us and all living things is the stream of life -- it never ceases and if it did, we too would cease to be. The word "life" is capitalized because it is another name for Universal Intelligence, Spirit, God, Infinite Presence or any other word we might choose to use to describe the ultimate source from which all good flows. The stream of Life that flows through us is the source from which we draw all that sustains us -- it permeates every cell, bone, muscle, organ and tissue of our physical being -- it spills over into the body of every relationship we have as well. Just as a mountain stream flows with effortless grace and ease when it stays connected to its source river or lake, when we can consciously stay connected to our source, daily life flows with more joy and less effort. Why? Because we are "going with the flow." Knowing and trusting there is an infinite power greater than us that sustains us is what puts us in the flow of the stream of Life.
The challenge, it seems, is that our daily affairs in the world of people, places and things tend to distract our attention from the simple fact that we are one with the stream of Life. The practice is to remember that our lives are easier and more joy filled when we are consciously connected to source. Living mindfully, being one with the stream of Life may not instantly change the obstacles that lie before us in any given moment, but it will lift us to a new perspective wherein we are able to see the obstacle through new eyes. This is the first step to transcending the "rocks" in our life. Often times when we cease seeing the obstacles that lie before us as problems the stream of Life transforms them into non-problems as it carries us past them.
Perhaps you might consider this message as an invitation to stop and do a bit of self-inquiry. Do you, in this moment, feel the stream of Life coursing through your veins? It is there -- always has been and always shall be. Too often we go through our days unaware that this is so. The simple act of awakening to that awareness will introduce a new sense of ease and peace within. Surrendering to the flow of Life is as simple as remembering that you are here on purpose and that purpose is not to live separate and apart from your source -- that purpose is to be the conscious living vessel though which (and as which) the stream of Life flows in ever new, creative and joyful ways. Staying consciously connected to your source will set you free. Try it for just one day and observe how the universe conspires for your good when you allow it to do so. Life operates in and through you perfectly when you do your part and it starts with your next breath.
May you take time today to pause long enough to consciously breathe and witness firsthand the awesome stream of Life which flows through your body, the body of your affairs and your world. May you consciously merge with the flow of this Life Force and allow it to lift and sustain you with effortless grace and ease in all you say, think and do. May you feel the blessing in the gift of being alive in this sacred second, never taking the gift for granted, yet always knowing the universe is consistent in the endless giving of the gift itself. In spite of its many challenges Life itself is fundamentally good when we "remember to remember" it is so... and so it is.