Sharon Schultz's portfolio

You know, it really is true that time seems to pass much more quickly as we age.  Perhaps the hours drag sometimes on individual days, but seasons have a way of slipping away at an amazing speed.   One of my life goals has been to stay in the present moment, but doing so is very hard and takes almost constant vigilance.  My tendency is to forget to be vigilant. It seems to me that it was only yesterday that spring came and, where I live in Illinois in the US, buds began appearing on trees and grass began to grow.  I had the whole summer to look forward to, and I was completely involved in the things that would go into my garden this year.  I suppose that I like spring and fall best of all the seasons.  However, in spring, I have summer...

September 23 Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him, speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you— who are you to judge your neighbor? (James 4:11-12) How different would your life be if you were able to suspend judgments? If you find yourself anxious, angry, discontented, fearful, or upset, it’s usually because you’ve begun to think about and judge the experiences you’ve been having, which means you have stopped simply experiencing them. I tend to either like or dislike whatever is happening to me, and it’s those ju...

September 22 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Tim. 3:16) Sit quietly and allow your thoughts to grow quiet. As you breathe in, consider the fact that the word inspiration has several meanings, among them meaning to breathe in. In this time spent with God, keep an image of breathing in the out breath of our Creator. All of us have sources of inspiration—places or things or sounds or words that inspire us. It may well be that our greatest accomplishments come when we feel inspired. We need to make certain that we seek out those sources of inspiration on a regular basis. When we meditate with some regularity, we usu...

September 21 Even inanimate things—flutes or harps, for instance—when yielding a sound, if they make no distinction in the notes, how shall the tune which is played on the flute or the harp be known? (1 Cor. 14:7) Ask yourself as you reflect today if you feel you are in harmony with your fellow man. Are there tensions in any of your relationships? Are the notes you give off in tune with the notes of others in your life? We are all involved in making music every day. We do not have to be musicians in order to do this; we simply need to add our voices to those around us. Most of the time, we will blend in fairly well. From time to time, however, some discordance will occur. Some of us may like the dissonance we hear, but for...