Sitting and Sweeping

In Zen teachings, it is said that there is a time to sit quietly and a time to sweep the garden. This relates to the principles of staying in the flow of life.

Personally, I like to start each day or each activity in stillness. This allows me to stop my mind from running in an undisciplined manner. Instead, it opens me up to listen to God's grand plan. This is what is meant by "sitting quietly."

When the next step of the plan is revealed in the form of an idea that is downloaded, that is the time to take inspired action. This action is the "sweeping of the garden." Not every thought that comes our way will inspire us. Follow the excitement or bliss. Once headed down the path of inspired action, momentum may eventually wane or obstacles will inevitably occur. This is the time to once again pause.

Whenever it feels that I am having to effort my way through something, or if the progress comes grudgingly or frustratingly, I know that I need to pause. Solutions will always come with perfect timing. In writing Clear Vessels, I encountered many delays with regards to naming the book, creating a cover, and finally marketing the book. At one point, I stopped the entire project for four months just waiting for the solution to come.

Riding the wave of divine timing will result in much grander results than pushing through with remedies from our limited mind. This is staying in the flow of life.

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