Pentecost and listening to the quiet within

Let’s take a good look at our disciples. Different personalities, different styles of learning. Some extroverts, others introverts. Some calm and peaceful, others filled with anxiety and fear. Some happy, some simply existing. Some self-assured, others doubtful of who they are.

Now, wasn’t that a mixed group of individuals? Doesn’t that sound like us, like you and me? The neat thing about this image is that Christ loves us. With our faults. With our laughter. With our compassion. With our fears. With our knowledge and with our wisdom.

The Holy One comes in search of each one of us! Can we hear and feel the words of love, of encouragement, and of congratulations? Can we feel the positive energy that is swirling around us or do we only hear and feel the negative words and energy?

The readings during this Easter Season are so profound. They are written so beautifully. The humanness of Christ. The encouragement that Christ is giving his apostles, and the challenges that they face. The trust that they need to believe that Christ will always be with them. The fear they felt in their hearts. But Christ kept telling them I will always be with you.

We live in a world that is so busy all of the time. The constant movement within ourselves – doing all of our “to do’s,” jumping in our cars, turning on the radio and listening to the empty babble of talk shows, hearing how many were killed the night before, watching the TV news, hearing the politicians speaking out on issues they don’t even understand themselves, hearing about the greed of individuals, finding the negative in all people, nothing ever positive is heard. This is our world. Or is it?

We can get caught up in this chaos. But we do have a choice. A choice to simply stop for a moment and realize that the Holy One is so very much within each of us. All we have to do is simply be still and allow the flow of the Spirit to stir through our veins, massage our hearts and fuel our souls. The Holy One, our God, the Christ is truly within us.

Take some time today and all days to simply be still, be quiet and just feel the presence of our Christ.

Yes, this is Pentecost. The season to celebrate the Spirit that is truly within each of us. Trust that Spirit of holiness. Trust that Spirit of love. Trust that Spirit to show you just how beautiful you are.

All you have to do is listen to the quiet within yourself, and “know that I am with you.”