If we pay attention, divine guidance is ever present.

Greetings!

If we pay attention, all of us do hear divine guidance from time to time.  It may not be the roaring voice as described in the bible.  It may not be something so powerful that triggers an immediate transformation.  They can be the simple words on the TV, radio, from a stranger or a friend.  What is significant about those occasions is the words seem to come out of nowhere, and they do not mean much to everybody else except YOU.  When it happens, you are touched in a way beyond you can imagine.

Unfortunately, most of us fail to yield to the guidance.  After the shock of hearing it (the shock can be mild or huge), we tend to look at what happens as purely coincidental, and dismiss the significance of the incident.

Here is a lighthearted example.

One night, I was watching the TV show "The Nature" in the family room.  It was about animals in the wild fighting for dominance.  My son came out of his room and walked into the family room.  On the TV screen, there were two big elephants fighting for power.  The elephant that seemed to be winning was huge.  My son said, "See, Mom, elephants are like people.  Some are born big.  He is much bigger than the other elephant.  He does not need to work out regularly***.  He wins simply because he is big!"  Afterwards, he walked away to the bathroom.

***My son had been into bodybuilding for some years.  Interestingly, as his mother, I had formed some prejudice against bodybuilding since I was young. In the old days, gym painted big pictures of bodybuilders on walls to attract business.  The buses I rode on drove past those walls almost daily.  I liked people who looked natural.  I did not understand why some people would work so hard to have their muscles looked unnaturally big.  My son took power training in his junior or senior year in high school, and his passion in bodybuilding remained after he graduated from college.  Since I was his mother and this was his passion, I decided to make an adjustment in my attitude towards bodybuilding.  When he talked to me about bodybuilding, I listened instead of being indifferent.  Sometimes I watched videos of bodybuilding competition with him.

With a full time job and the fact that he liked to hang out with his friends, he did not work out as hard as he said he was.  From time to time, he asked for my honest opinion if he was comparable to those who had won professional bodybuilding competitions.  He said he wanted to compete against them someday.  I always smiled and said, "You work out for two to three days, and then hang out with your friends late into the night.  Some days you do not exercise at all.  You told me one bodybuilder who won did not go to any party for 2 years.  If you really want to succeed, you need discipline.  You have to practice consistently."

On the average, Chinese were smaller than the Americans were.  In middle school, our son was smaller than many of his classmates.  It could be his reason to take power training in high school.  His comment that the elephant did not need to work out regularly was his way of countering what I said about discipline and consistency.

Now, let me continue with the story.

After a while, my son came out of the bathroom.  He walked back into the family room.  At that very moment, the TV narrator said, "...becoming the biggest and the best takes practice."  Immediately, I looked over to my son who also turned to look at me at the same time.  With his mouth widely opened, he said, "What!"  It was so funny! I let out a big, big smile.

Well, my son is still into bodybuilding.  He has been practicing more consistently than before because he really wants to compete.  However, like most people, he probably recalls what happened the other night as purely coincidental.

Have an open heart and an open mind.  Divine guidance is not just for a selected few, but for all.  Live, love, laugh, and smile.  Your smile and my smile help us feel better in these cold winter days.

Love and blessings,
Q of D