Epiphany of Sorts

This is the season of Epiphany, when the renewal of light and revelation are celebrated in the liturgy of the Catholic, Episcopal, and Eastern Orthodox churches.  Sarah Ban Breathnach

The title of the daily essay of her book, Simple Abundance, for September 23, is For Thine Is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory.  I have been contemplating the concept of the "kingdom" for years.  What would it be like to "live in the kingdom?"  What does that mean to me?  What would life look like to me and how would I show up in the kingdom?

For those of you who don't have the book, here is the opening paragraph of September 23:  Several years ago I read a profile of Oprah Winfrey in The New York Times magazine.  In it she expressed her belief that the concept of God never giving us more than we can handle refers to much more than the stoic bearing of pain and suffering.  God's giving also includes the goodies - wealth, worldly success, power.  If you think you're not strong enough to bear the Glory, rest assured, it will be withheld until you believe you can and ask for it.

This was an epiphany for me!  It was a OMG (Oh My God) moment.  An epiphany is defined as a moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new and clear way.  Please realize that I am still in the stunned and contemplation of the above paragraph.  

To paraphrase Ms. Breathnach into my language, here is what I came up with in order to remind me what it is that I need to think about, explore, and discover new ways of Glory.  She lists her own ways of what this is all about in the essay.

1.   Get strong enough to bear the Glory.  
2.   Turn on the spiritual switch of Power.
3.   Prepare and grow into new talents and skills.
4.   Acknowledge and celebrate each accomplishment.
5.   Trust self and all abilities.
6.  Live the bliss (kingdom) - ecstatic states of joy, satisfying hunger, fulfilling all yearning, igniting the passion, reaching out to others, and feeling the peace.  
7.  Experience the wonder of it all.

Here is the kicker!  The real OMG!  In September 24, she goes on to say, "...the rate of exchange in Heaven is wonder.  Doing what you love is not about money, it's about wonder.  As soon as you understand you're suppose to be asking for wonder instead of money, you'll start experiencing abundance."

This last paragraph is giving me a whole pile of stuff to think about.  I have had it backwards for years.  Somehow through the Grace of God, I have managed to accumulate some real wealth, but now I know how Oprah was managed it.  She jumped from the "kingdom" to the "glory" by using the "power."  I can do that too.  How about you?

Based on this, I can see us having a tremendous new year set up for our exploration and I am looking forward to discovering my glory.  Join me.