A Welcoming Meditation on Our Place and Purpose Beyond the Material Realm
To dwell in the world and yet not be of the world is to awaken to a gentle, luminous truth—one that invites us to rest, to breathe, and to belong in ways both profound and comforting. Each day, as we step into the gentle flow of life’s rhythms—work, relationships, joys, sorrows—we are woven into the tapestry of human experience, embraced by its richness and complexity. Yet, just beneath this surface, a kinder awareness stirs, assuring us that our existence is not hemmed in by time, nor by the limits of what we see.
Let us welcome the sense of dual belonging, where our roots reach deep into the present moment, yet the branches of our being stretch far beyond. This knowing, soft as sunrise, is the gift of those who have discovered their own eternal nature. We are more than our circumstances, more than the stories told about us. Our journey did not begin with our first breath, nor will it end with our last; woven within us is a golden thread of being—one that links us to those who came before and those yet to come, and even to the birth of stars and the unfolding of history itself.
To be in the world is to celebrate our journey—to engage with life’s lessons, its beauty, and its challenges with gladness and gratitude. It is to walk with both open eyes and an open heart, greeting each moment as a friend, responding with compassion, courage, and curiosity. And yet, to be not of the world is to remember our true home—a realm untouched by circumstance, where our spirits are held in unity with something vast, loving, and timeless.
Some may call this the realm of spirit, others the eternal, the infinite, or the source. Whatever name brings comfort, know that it is a dimension where we are cherished not for fleeting achievements, but for the simple miracle of our existence. Our essence predates the stars and the earth, transcending even the memories that shape our sense of self.
To live with this gentle awareness is to move lightly, with kindness toward ourselves and others, participating fully in the world’s drama without becoming tangled by its illusions. Our worth is found not in status nor accomplishment, but in the quiet flame that glows within—a flame that cannot be dimmed by sorrow or disappointment, nor extinguished by time. It is the light that welcomes us, always.
And when the world grows noisy, let us seek the silence in which our eternal self whispers. In those moments, we may feel the presence of stillness beneath our thoughts, a peace that endures beyond all passing things. It is the soft voice that calls us home—to belonging, to love that is as ancient as creation itself.
As we journey through this world, we need not be lost. We are welcome here, and we are welcome beyond. Let us remember our true nature as eternal beings—children of light and possibility—whose existence expands ever outward, into mystery, into joy, into the boundless embrace that awaits each soul. In this way, we come home to ourselves and to one another, awakening to a life both worldly and wondrously free.
Discoveringpeaceintodaysworld.blog
Norman R Van Etten
Discoveringpeaceintodaysworld.blog 