Last week, I was telling my husband about a red cardinal that flew into my car window while stopped in a parking lot. I've seen birds fly into our home windows before, but I've
never had that happen in my car.
You may know this, but some people believe seeing a cardinal is symbolic. Perhaps it means a gentle hello from a loved one who has passed on. It can also be interpreted as a sign
that good things are coming.
I don't see either of these beliefs as superstitions. Supernatural things happen all the time. God delights me with all sorts of signs and wonders from small to large. When I see a cardinal
(or a butterfly) that crosses my path in such a way that really gets my attention, I feel smiled upon. I feel God saying, Hello my darling! and that makes me feel loved.
A few days later, I was walking the
neighborhood when another bright red cardinal caught my eye. He was sitting at the edge of a neighbor’s driveway. I was so taken with his bright red against the vivid green grass and felt he was there for me. My body instantly relaxed and my spirit felt nurtured. I had had a particularly tough morning and seeing him felt like the hug I needed.
I kept staring at the cardinal, but something seemed off. Occasionally it fluttered its wings a bit, but didn't go anywhere. When I got closer, I realized it was a small red yard flag that would occasionally ripple with the wind, simulating a bird making small movements. Look at the picture above again. But it looks real, right?
At first I felt silly. And then I was struck by the power of belief. By believing a cardinal was there to bolster my well-being and give me a God-wink, my emotions changed. My spirits lifted. My physical countenance and posture relaxed.
That is the power our minds can have on the rest of our being. That is the power of a thought!
I needed this reminder today. Thoughts can work for me or against me. I can nurse anger and resentment, or I can re-direct my energy to something more useful. I can choose to believe good things are coming and I don’t need a cardinal to tell me that.
Good things ARE coming. None of us live a life void of gifts, even in the worst of times. And the worst of times never last.
We have to be willing to believe that is true, that any hard thing we’re going through is temporary. When we do, we will experience a measurable change in how we feel. We will notice a difference in our posture, our hearts will lighten, we will have increased hope and faith in the future. Harnessing hope is part of what brings more gifts for us to notice. We have the power to feel better anytime we
want.
A willingness to feel better is critical to feeling better.
Moving my body really helps me move negative energy out. Not only is a walk great exercise, but it literally relieves stuck thinking and emotions, elevates my perspective, treats me to beauty and delight, makes my troubles right-sized, and gets my blood pumping and energy circulating. I end the walk different than I started, but only if I allow
myself to be changed in the process.
I just said something there. Read it again. I end the walk different than I started, but only if I allow myself to be changed in the process.
This truth can apply to a walk, but it can also apply to a walk through a really hard circumstance. I will be changed for the good by tough situations if I allow myself to be changed, no matter the outcome.
The outcome doesn't have to be everything I want in order for me to experience the change I want to feel. More peace, more gratitude? Sure, have some more! How wonderful that we get to co-create our life experience?
Our son is going through some challenges and I reminded him that sometimes it's helpful to see life as a board game. In Monopoly, we don't always get to pass GO and collect $200. Sometimes we are sent to jail and have to stay there for several turns. But I don't know
anybody who has been in Monopoly jail the entire game, just like I don't know anyone who has been in a prison of hard times and bad luck their entire life either.
Maybe like me, there are things that you've hoped would
change, but it hasn't happened yet? We can't give up hope. We have to keep believing that good things are coming our way. And until they do, we can improve our situation today, by choosing beliefs that nurture our well-being.
What you believe is up to you.
