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I am a pastor and a clinical psychotherapist. My life's passion is defining healthiness from a human perspective and paralleling it to the holiness of God, divine perspective. Shifting perspectives creates a paradigm that is alongside of rather than over and against. The parakalein of God and the paradoxes of humanity are redefined. Humanity is all about winning and yet we are losing ground everywhere. Divinity is all about letting go of the desire to win and the fear of loss. The Divine embraces the world with loving care regardless of anything.

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A Balancing Note

Posted by Don Paine

I was out walking early this morning, a long time before dawn.  As I was walking in the dark along Bayshore Drive (the longest continual side work in the world) in Tampa, FL I inadvertently and obviously unintentionally stepped of the side walk and lost my balance.  I began to fall to the left was Tampa Bay to the right was a grassy field.  I chose right then was able to catch myself and not actually fall.

I had a thankful moment.  Then I had two reflective thoughts.  First, I recalled the scripture Psalm 37:24 "The Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm, though he stumble he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand".  I thanked God for his presence.  I though what about the times I have fallen.  God was there in the fall and in the getting up, the fall was temporary. Another translation says: he may fall bu twill not be utterly cast down".  The second was how God made humanity with an internal balance system that swings into action as we are falling.  I had these strung together thoughts:  The body is a balanced system.  Things happen to us that through us off balance.  We then can right our balance system by simply acknowledging the balance system of our body.  The yoga in you, if you know yoga, may already know or clarify some of what dawned on me, namely:
I felt a sensation of truth of balance in the system as I pictured my body and felt the inner truth of the passing of strength of balance in the system form the top downward. First the head,
the mind is the center of peacefulness and calm thoughts, then into the chest where the breath is protected by the ribs of protection and so is the center of courage.  Then I traveled to the heart as the core of compassion, then to the reproductive organs the core of creativity.

These are the four elements that help us all to stay balanced internally and eternally:  Calm, courage, compassionate, and creative.  These are the core of humanity and they are in all of us.

As I righted my fall I was aware that God is there to help us to right ourselves as long as we release our fear and embrace our core values of calmness/peace, compassion/love, courage and creativity.  They are all in the center of the body.  Other parts of equal importance can pull, push, and prod while the core simply welcomes all parts regardless of anything.

Balance is the key to the system right itself from within where the wisdom of the Kingdom resides, inside.

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