The Other Side of You

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Reflections

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Posted On August 9, 2019

A blaze of heat rose from the red-hot rocks sizzling in the pit of the sweat lodge. My throat choked on the thick, fiery air that licked the tepee walls. My nostrils burned. My blood thickened.

“Seek the other side of you,” Lakota Tom told us.

Steamy drops of sweat streamed down my bare chest and back. What does he mean, I wondered. Seek the other side of me?

My mind—and my heart—raced as the heat intensified. Am I going to have a heart attack?
I took a deep, cleansing breath. “Stop it. Pray,” I muttered under my breath, trying to calm myself. “God be with me,” I repeated, closing my damp-soaked eyes. “God be with me.”

The words from Michael W. Smith’s song The Other Side of Me, softly vibrated in my heart:

If I were the ocean
You would be the shore
And one without the other one
Would be needing something more
We are the shadow and the light
Always love me
never leave me now
now you are the other side of me.

The song soothed my soul. Sitting in the darkness of the sweat lodge, I connected with something far beyond me. Yet, it was also within me and around me. The velvet skin of the tepee walls cradled me. I rested in the soft womb of God, comforted by the other side of me.

Seek the other side of you, Lakota Tom and Michael W. Smith remind us, because when we do, we touch the Divine—the One who is the other side of ourselves. When we pray, our human hearts seek the Divine Heart. We connect with that part of us that trusts, loves, and knows deeply. We remember we are whole—our human and Divine Self are One.

When life gets challenging, when anxiety, confusion, or fear chokes us with thick, fiery air, remember Lakota Tom words and Michael W. Smith’s song: “Seek the other side of you.”

—brian j plachta
brianplachta.net

Practice: Take a few moments for yourself. Breathe in and out several slow cleansing breaths. Then click on this link and listen to the song, The Other Side of Me. Close your eyes. Let the words speak softly to your heart, as you rest in them. What words or images rise up in you? Savor them like a rich cup of tea.

Written by Brian J. Plachta

Following the Breadcrumbs God Leaves Along Our Path

What if God is speaking through ordinary moments more often than we realize?

A conversation that stays with us. A door that closes. A quiet nudge we can’t quite explain. An unexpected invitation that seems to come at just the right time.

The challenge is learning to notice these moments before we have any idea where they’re leading, and trusting the next step.

Over time, we may begin to see that God’s guidance doesn’t always come as an answer. Sometimes, it comes as a trail.

What to Do When God Seems Silent

Has silence ever made you feel like God is far away? When we feel this way, it’s easy to start looking for answers or waiting for a clear sign. But prayer can also be as simple as slowing down and noticing what’s already here. The breeze. The waves. Your breath. The quiet. God’s presence doesn’t always come through words. Sometimes we just need to be still enough to notice.

Let God Alone Define You

Ever have someone’s words get stuck in your head?
Maybe they criticized you, misunderstood you, or told a story about you that doesn’t feel true. And before long, you’re holding a courtroom in your mind—defending yourself, replaying the conversation, wondering if maybe they’re right.

There’s another way.

Bring it into the quiet with God.

Ask: Is there something here I need to learn? Is there something I need to own? And what was never mine to carry in the first place?

We can stay humble enough to receive the truth without letting someone else’s opinion become our identity.

Because in the end, God alone defines you.

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