This exercise was helpful to me in focusing on Christ, my Mother and Father, as well as my sister. During different exercises, I chose to focus on different entities, because they all deserve my respect, thankfulness and love. They also possess qualities that I admire and desire to strengthen and emulate myself. As I Christian, I am called to pursue the qualities of Christ...to love others as myself, to develop and strengthen the eight fruits of the spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galations 5:22-23) My mother's ability to endure astounds me and I long to have that kind of strength. I thought of my Father during an exercise this week because of his great love for his family. He commands respect, without demanding it. His sacrifice for his loved ones over the years deeply moves me and I hope to be so dedicated to my children throughout their lives. When I thought of my sister, I was concentrated on her diligence and patience to work for the goals in her life in order to acquire the things she wants in life. Her ability to stay the course, saving for a house with her husband, has been a great example that dreams can come true when you work towards the goal without getting distracted. They were able to design and build their log cabin and are now enjoying the fruits of many years of labor.
All of these people in my life, including my Creator, have inspired me in some way. I long to be better than myself, while still appreciating who God made me to be. I have a purpose and hope to do everything I can to pursue that purpose and live abundantly. This practice helped me to focus on those who have set the examples I long to follow. I truly enjoyed the practice, excluding the uncomfortable feeling when "the healing god, Aesclepius" was mentioned toward the end of the practice. :)
I look forward to reading about others' experiences during this week's exercise.
Melissa Rasberry
