Minister's Letter for September, I Am in the Flow

The truth is “being in the flow of life” is something very different.  Imagine that you are on a river that is flowing down from a mountain or even a high hill. Yes, this river flows down the hill within a certain pattern, one it is has carved out through the rocks, trees and the landscape over time.  While the flow of the river follows a certain pattern, the water that is in the river moves back and forth and up and down. If you are riding in the river’s flow in a canoe, you will find yourself going up and down, back and forth, across and down the path the river has created. Seldom does this feel calm and serene. And if you have ever gone white water rafting, you would know that you have to be a guide to the canoe you are riding in. You have to guide the canoe through the rocks and the crevasses that appear within the flow of the river! Streams appear with the flow of the river and if you guide your canoe down the wrong stream, oops you might end up somewhere you don’t want to be.

So, when I affirm, “I am in the flow of life,” it is normally when things don’t appear to have a clear pattern, life is feeling bumpy and isn’t running smoothly.  Like yesterday when I was going down Northwest Expressway. Traffic was a little heavy, I made a left-hand turn onto the expressway, and got into the flow of the traffic, making the first light.  Then out of nowhere, a large pickup truck makes a quick U-turn, in front of the pack of 8 or 9 I was driving in.  Cars are slamming on the brakes, trying to miss him as he swerves back and forth across the lanes of traffic, just so he can make a left-hand turn onto MacArthur Blvd.  Yikes! That’s when I started affirming “I am in the flow of life,” seeking to find the rhythm in the flow of traffic.  I found the rhythm of traffic, but several other drivers were paying no attention to it, and were like those big rocks appearing out of nowhere in those White-Water Streams. 

So, I am affirming, “I am and we are in the flow of Life, as we head into the month of September.  In Unity, September is the month we focus on Divine Order.  Yes, there is a flow within all life which we call Divine Order! Although often it appears like there is no order in life at all, yet there is.  And when we focus on finding the rhythm within life, letting go of the need to know why and our mortal mind’s thought that it's supposed to be this way or that way, we find it much easier to find the flow and the answers reveal themselves in time.

In September, as school starts and many are focused on getting kids off to school, there is lots going on in the state and across the country.  The State Fair runs from the 14^th to the 24^th, while in Unity we have our annual World Day of Prayer on the 13^th and 14^th.  There is also the opportunity to schedule the regular events we have at Unity Spiritual Life Center and in our personal lives.  Oh yeah, then there is Labor Day, which was intended to focus on and give thanks to all those who work in our country to help us all, live happy, healthy, prosperous lives. Does it sound like I am jumping into the flow of life, seeking to explain the concept of Divine Order?  When we let go of the mortal mind’s need to have its way and look for the flow in life, we begin to realize that many things arise in the River of Life as we need them. We are guided to the right people and right places and the right things, that we are to do. Wow, with no worry, no fuss, no anxiety, which empowers us to live fully in awareness of this moment now, in awareness of the wonder and splendor of life.

Seeing YOU immersed in the Flow!  Rev.Doc Patrick