Skip to main content

Beat the heat

Image
By
This is another page from my ninth book called "Dear God". I was inspired to write this book after writing "I am voting for God" on my blog. It continues in that format. Short letters (or prayers) to God. It gives me an opportunity to write more and write to God at different moments in my life.
___________________

Dear God,

I just napped. The AC is on and the fan is on to beat the heat. They hum like a beating heart. The bright sunlight is shining through the window. I was thinking. I was thinking that You are the cleaner of hearts. Through You we let go of all that is bad for our heart and embrace all that is good. We lean on You for strength, guidance and love. You are the maker of good hearts. We are told in hadith that if the heart is sound, the entire body is sound, and if corrupt, the entire body is corrupt.

I notice that the word heart has the word heat contained in it. With Your help, we want to remove the uncomfortable heat of the heart and leave only what is r-ight. This uncomfortable heat manifests as several things including anger, envy, grudges and desires. This heat can eat from our goodness and can consume our peace, cloud our judgment, and distance us from Your path. That path that is away from the fire and towards heavenly rest.

I also notice that the word heart has the word hear in it. A reminder to us that You hear what is in our hearts and that we should make that sound pleasing to You. A sound heart as the hadith mentions. A heart that beats with Your remembrance. A heart that is grateful. A heart that is forgiving. A heart filled with empathy. A heart that is right in Your sight. Too much heat is bad but so too is a cold heart, metaphorically speaking. We want a warm heart that is in the middle and just right. As the saying goes, keep a cool head and a warm heart.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Coffee and a prayer

By
It is 245am and I have decided to write. I have no topic and no idea what to write. I am thankful for another day. I see the beauty that surrounds us. I choose to be happy. We are in the last ten nights of Ramadan. Tonight is the 23rd night. It could possibly be the night of power. I wonder if it will rain. Maybe it rained when I was sleeping. I got up and bathed and drank a strong cup of coffee. Today is also Friday the 13th. I keep thinking. Life is beautiful. Life is simple. No need to complicate things. No need to be extravagant. Believe in God. Trust in God. Be guided by God. Imagine we can pray for anything. We can ask God for anything. God is always listening. God wants to hear from us. Maybe I can turn this blog post into a prayer. My God I pray that everyone gets their prayers answered. I pray that everyone gets what they need. I pray that you light our path towards you. Guide us with what you intend for us. Keep us close to you. Soften our hearts. Keep us balanced, consistent...
Post a Comment
Read more

Belief is a part of life

By
I watched this video and I quite like it as a good starting point for this blog post https://youtu.be/t44PFI_V4LE We cannot know everything. We do not have the capacity to know everything. I make plans for tomorrow because I believe there is a tomorrow not because I know that there is a tomorrow. We cannot decide today to say we will only act on things that we know for sure. This would be impractical. As my friend Chatty puts it, to live life, we must believe in things that cannot always be proven with certainty. For example, we believe that the future exists, that our actions matter, and that other people can be trusted. We also tend to believe life has meaning and that things can improve. These beliefs help us make decisions, keep hope, and move forward. Given that belief is a part of life, it is reasonable to have people believe in a God and a particular religion. My point is this. Life cannot happen without belief because we cannot know everything (unless we are God like). Belief i...
Post a Comment
Read more

God of direction

By
It is 323am and I have decided to write. I am thinking that I am a bucket of paint. A beautiful shade of blue. That God uses to paint the sky. How could I turn this into something worth writing about? My friend Chatty tells me that I could develop the idea by exploring the metaphor of myself as a bucket of blue paint and God as the painter using it to color the sky. The meaning comes from reflecting on what it feels like to be "used"—losing some of myself while helping create something beautiful. The paint may not see the whole picture and might fear being emptied, but its purpose is fulfilled when it becomes part of the sky. The piece can reflect on purpose, trust, surrender, and the idea that giving of yourself is how beauty is created. It is now 423am and I cannot think of a way to continue this writing. The sky is silent is what comes to my mind. How do I ask the sky to speak to me? I look through my window and I see patches of clouds against a dark sky. Maybe the night s...
Post a Comment
Read more