STEP ONE: BREATHE

Take a deep, cleansing breath. Allow the air to fill your lungs and expand your body. Exhale and empty yourself into the room. Repeat three times - once for the one who Created you, once for the Incarnate One who walks beside you, and once for the Spirit whose life fills your being.

STEP TWO: DWELL IN WORD

The Parable of the Volunteer Watermelon :

The Kingdom of God is like a gardener who went into the backyard to plant vegetables. With care, she turned over the dirt in a six-foot square garden plot. It wasn't the first time that she planted.

As the experienced gardener incorporated compost and manure into the soil, she smiled with anticipation. Soon the rows of beans, lettuce, and tomatoes would produce a harvest. Everything was in neat and organized furrows. With any luck, the small garden plot would yield enough veggies for herself and her friends. Based on past success, it was a reasonable expectation.

Each morning, the woman went to look at her garden. Gradually, she watched the land come to life. Small leaves sprouted. Careful not to damage the seedlings, she weeded and watered the leaves. Before long, the plants established themselves. In every row that she planted, there were signs of new life.

One morning, during her routine inspection, she noticed an odd plant in the corner of the garden. It didn't fit in any of the rows and wasn't of any variety that she planted. Still, it didn't seem to be a weed. With wonder and a sense of curiosity, the gardener decided to let it grow.

With the same love and care that she gave to all her plants, the gardener tended to the mystery plant.

Before long, the plant revealed itself to be a vine. With fat leaves, it snaked along the edge of the garden and onto the lawn. One morning, the gardener noticed a blossom on the vine. The orange-yellow flower bloomed alongside the crop of beans and with the yellow tomato blossoms. There was an unplanned beauty to it all.

As the yellow flowers on the tomatoes turned into tiny green orbs of fruit, so did the unknown plant's blossom transform. It was bigger and heavier than the other vegetables. Imagine the gardener's surprise when she discovered that a watermelon “volunteered” to show up in her garden!

A Question to Ponder:

Can you think of a time in your life when you were surprised by an unexpected blessing?

STEP THREE: PRAY

Gracious God,

I rush through most days like a chicken without a head! Life is busy. There is so much to do; so much that I must do. This confusion and kerfuffle have allowed me to buy into the lie that I alone am responsible for what I have. I have earned the blessings of my life, and it is my every right to keep every blessing close at hand. Give me the wisdom today to see the foolishness in such thinking. Help me to stop, breathe, and be grateful. Increase humility within me so that I might let go of misdirected entitlement and privilege. Forgive my blasphemy of control and stinginess. Create within me a generosity that imitates the love that Jesus has for all people. Redirect my doing so that it is less frenzied and more focused. Teach me to be your child.

Through Jesus Christ, amen.