What do you consider of profound importance in your life and each day? This question startled me awake one night. And in the darkness, I stumbled for my journal to write it down to remember.

Who was doing the asking? Was I speaking to myself, was it something I had heard, or was it a higher calling, from a space beyond where I lay in that moment?

As some of you may know, I have written about hope in the past, inciting deep reflection on what personally defines and incites hope in me with the “hope” of generating it in others who may have temporarily lost it or allowed it to fade in their lives.

But now, I strive to move those roots deeper into the soil of my soul. From hope to meaning. We may never truly discover the full meaning of each day’s events. And, quite likely, an attempt to interpret such would prove exhausting and potentially drive us to insanity. However, the titillating invitation arouses interest, as I strive to connect the heart of my meaning with the hope of tomorrow.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:

“Can such things be,
And overcome us like a summer’s cloud,
Without our special wonder?”

And so I wonder…

I wonder what my true nature is, how I align with nature, and what I consider of profound importance in my life that may impact the world as a whole around me. But mostly, I am intrigued by the consideration of how and what I choose today matters beyond myself.

Self Care Vs. Faith –

How much do I care about self? Do I leave room to believe that the plan is bigger than me? By this, I am not negating the importance of self-care. I am simply re-formulating the concept so I care less about ME and more about the PLAN for me.

We have all heard the scripture “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” as it dons mugs, posters, and tee shirts around us. Have you ever stopped to think what those words mean to you? What does being wonderfully made really mean?

The reverence does not belong to ourselves as an appraisal of ourselves. No, the credit is given to something outside of ourselves. Do we allow ourselves to be fearfully motivated by that larger outside piece? In addition, do we find where we fit within that profound purpose.

Driving a purpose has taken so much of my time. My purpose, my plan, my dream. And I wake in the middle of the night to realize that there is a greater purpose, something of profound importance, that is much greater than me.

I write because my heart explodes with feeling, I cannot deny my connection to beauty in nature reflecting on second/third/fourth chances as the sun rises and sets with its spectacular hues. I photograph flowers, as they bloom, reminding me of the importance of sharing our unique and colorful personalities and gifts on a daily basis. And I often reflect on the metaphorical characteristics of intense emotions as displayed in powerful storms that throw everyone’s comfort out of equilibrium as I share my true life experiences, the ultimate connection to a plan beyond my control, but for my own good.

Creating our own worlds creates an illusion of power. We make goals, we drive them through, and we create our dreams come true. How bad do you want it? The Olympics showcase the victories achieved by incredible hard and focused effort. Those victories leave a legacy of achievement. However, the drive remains. The satisfaction of victory is short-lived. For there is always more to achieve and better to become.

Where does it end when we continually push for self-achievement? Self-glory shines until the sun sets and has to rise the next day to shine as bright or brighter than the day before.

You are the master of your destiny. But consider, if it is your destiny you want to manifest, who are you the master of? Yourself. At the end of the day, you have you.

And truth is…by yourself, you sit alone as an individual human piece with incongruent edges waiting and, at times, searching for deeper meaning.

Until you have connected to the larger picture, and you breathe the life of the one who wonderfully made you, as you are beckoned to share the best of yourself, while considering how the best of your nature serves the best of others.

And so, I have answered a small part of the question being asked of me. What I consider of profound importance is of little consequence if the impact is not felt beyond myself and for the greater good of all.

Yours, in hope and wonder.

©Erika K Rothwell