Spirit of Love: Celebrating the Sacred

By Kathy Keary

“The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.” Zephaniah 3:17, 18a

It was a gorgeous morning, not a cloud in the sky. The day begged to be captured, to be enjoyed to its fullest. The radiance of the sun was intense as it illuminated the vastness of the ocean.

As I strolled along the beach, I welcomed the waves that splashed cool water on my feet thankful for nature’s refreshment. Seagulls beautified the scenery as they gracefully swooped to explore treasures on the beach.

Vibrant umbrellas added splashes of color to the landscape as families set up for a day of play. My reflective silence was enhanced by the laughter of children in the background.

The backdrop of the day screamed of the magnificence of its source and drew me into a spiritual reawakening of the majesty of our Creator.

As I wandered along at the water’s edge awed by the splendor overwhelming my senses, I became aware of how quickly the water washed away my footprints; nonetheless, I marked the sand with each new step. The creative castles from the day before had vanished. Moms and dads were overseeing their offspring as they sculpted novel palaces.

I recalled that just hours earlier I was marveling at the brilliance of the stars that dotted the night sky that now bowed to the glorious rising of the sun.

As I absorbed the splendor of the moment, God’s perpetual invitation was revealed — an invitation that called me to always move forward, to leave the old behind, to grow in him, and to make all things new. An invitation that demands a burial of all that is not of him was clear. A summons to put to rest past failings and shames that have been hashed over and over screamed out. “Allow me to introduce you to a lifestyle filled with flowing water,” resonated within.

Most definitely my Heavenly Father was playing his love song to me that refreshing morning.

Most definitely my Heavenly Father was playing his love song to me that refreshing morning. The melody was light and airy attracting me into a vastness filled with endless possibilities. The lyrics brought to mind the dance I have been enjoying with my Maker. The movements have shaped me, sometimes gently and other times not so gently, but the wealth of experience has filled me with so much of God.

My “yes” has made room for a crescendo that surprises me with the forever mounting nature of the Spirit’s movement within.

That day I reconfirmed my acceptance of God’s invitation written in the changing landscape of the beach. I once again consented to be filled with the excitement of the Holy Spirit, a force that continually encourages my life in the divine to blossom.

My covenant to the One who makes all things new could not be more welcomed as it fills me with a peace and joy that can not be found outside the love song that soars like a dove allowing a glimpse of the heavenly realm.

I am delighted to witness the washing away of my footprints having experienced the new life poured out when one seeks communion with the Spirit of Love.

Note: New articles in this series are posted to the website every Monday. The full series can be found here: An Invitation to Something New: The Contemplative Life. On Thursday’s we’ll send an email to remind you of the articles.

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[Kathy Keary, a Precious Blood Companion and spiritual director, holds a master’s degree in theological studies and is a graduate of the Atchison Benedictine’s Sophia Center’s Souljourners Program, an intense study of spirituality and spiritual direction. Kathy believes that the divine is present and active in all of life and encourages others to be awakened to the God in all including the divine within. She enjoys accompanying others on their journey to wholeness discovering the person they were created to be.]

Image above by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay