Welcome to A Dose of God,
A short-form,
Self-reflective podcast series based on the book,
A Good Dose of God,
Everybody's Best Friend.
The purpose of this series is two-fold.
First,
To enhance and sustain my own resonance with the eternal divine presence in my life.
And second,
To demonstrate how the book's poem,
The ABCs of A Dose of God,
May serve as a framework for others to regularly identify,
Connect with,
And express gratitude for what's good among common occurrences in their lives.
This episode is informed by the verse of the poem representing the letter T.
It's the refreshing taste of lemonade to cool you off when you get hotter.
It includes a brief description of the verse,
A personal reflection demonstrating how the verse has facilitated my own resonance with doses of God in my life,
A statement of gratitude,
And a few guiding questions that may be considered for your own reflection.
Here's a description of the verse.
It's the refreshing taste of lemonade to cool you off when you get hotter.
When you are hot and take a sip,
Or maybe even a gulp of lemonade,
You are instantly refreshed.
Your thirst is quenched,
Your body is hydrated,
And your soul is revived.
Witness God's presence as He graces you that moment.
He has provided you with this great-tasting,
Refreshing beverage to relieve some of the stresses that the heat can inflict upon you.
Perhaps lemonade is not your beverage of choice on a warm afternoon.
Simply substitute your favorite beverage for lemonade and pay attention to the presence of God as you take a refreshing sip.
Refreshment can be realized in many ways beyond a cool drink on a hot day.
You might be refreshed when a colleague offers a different perspective that helps you through an issue at work.
You might be refreshed when a loved one gives you an unexpected compliment.
You might be refreshed when you're running late and find a parking spot close to the door.
Simply put,
When things heat up in life,
God gives you refreshments to cool off.
Here is my personal reflection on the verse.
To me,
This verse is about finding a source of relief or refreshment when I am feeling under pressure or otherwise burdened.
In a literal sense of the verse,
A cool drink can be a source of relief or refreshment when I feel dehydrated after exercising or being outside on a hot day.
I also see a variety of other ways that the meaning of this verse applies to my life.
For example,
Drinking a cup of coffee can be a source of refreshment when I feel the burden of being tired in the morning or middle of the day.
Performing physical stretches can be a source of relief for painful pressure in my neck,
Back,
Or other parts of my body.
Engaging in strength or endurance exercises can rejuvenate my body when my physical vitality is burdened by complacency.
Watching a movie or TV show can be a source of relief by distracting my mind toward a storyline beyond the burden of unreasonable worries.
Getting together with close friends in casual settings on the weekends can be a source of relief from pressures caused by constricting schedules and responsibilities throughout the week.
Documenting my disjointed thoughts in a journal can be a way to declutter my mind and improve my understanding of what I am thinking.
Listening to invigorating music can rejuvenate my vigor if I am feeling burdened by stagnant energy.
Shifting my focus toward my breath and putting my mind on pause for a few moments,
Or simply positioning myself as an observer of my thinking,
Can be a source of relief and refreshment when I am feeling under pressure by tasks at work,
Personal to-do lists,
Or incessant thoughts that consume my consciousness.
Setting aside additional periods of 15 or 20 minutes for meditation or centering prayer can yield further intensified and sustained senses of relief and refreshment.
Silently saying prayers throughout the day and before I go to sleep at night can refresh my focus on the things that matter most in my life by relieving my mind from trivial meanderings.
Listening to guided meditations can help relieve the pressures of cognitive tensions when I am unable to ease them on my own.
Reading positive or enlightening quotes can refresh my inspiration when I am burdened by apathy.
In addition to feeling refreshed by uplifting quotes,
Thinking about people who have inspired me over the years has also been a consistent source of rejuvenation when I am under the pressure of sluggish ambition.
There seem to be countless people who have inspired me.
However,
I tend to feel greater degrees of rejuvenation when I think about people who consciously put their heart and soul into what they are doing,
Do it well,
And have a positive impact while doing it.
In other words,
These are people who have the capacity or potential to do something well,
Enjoy the time and effort they put into doing it,
And do it in a present state of being with an intention to add value to the world.
Although it is often the case that I am uplifted by people who represent these criteria,
There are plenty of instances in which I feel reinvigorated by people who don't do things well,
Don't put their heart and soul into what they are doing,
And don't necessarily do it with an intention to add value to the world.
For example,
I feel encouraged when I see people sing karaoke even though they are not good singers,
Or people who get up on stage to perform stand-up comedy even though they are not experienced comedians.
I am inspired by a person who goes skydiving even though it is not a passion and is not done with an intention to add value to the world.
I am inspired by people who convey their ideas about important issues at meetings even though they may not be competent at it or passionate about public speaking.
Furthermore,
If my motivation needs a boost,
I tend to feel refreshed when I think about people who put their inspirations into action,
Whether or not there is a vision for the result of their action.
I am drawn to people who have a vision and put time and effort into making their vision a reality.
However,
I am also drawn to people who do not have a vision but act on their inspirations anyway.
In terms of someone who had an inspiration with a vision,
I felt motivated by my friend who had an inspiration to write a novel and then put forth the time and efforts required to write and publish his book.
Prior to becoming aware of his novel,
I had a bit of a pipe dream to be a writer someday.
Becoming aware of his book,
As well as learning about how his vision,
Process,
And initiative contributed to its manifestation,
Was a catalyst that compelled me to become a more active writer.
In terms of someone who had an inspiration without a vision,
I felt motivated by a former colleague who had an inspiration to quit teaching and acted on her instinct to quit even though she did not know what she would do next.
Here are a few examples of how some of my lifelong friends from my middle and high school days have been sources of refreshing inspiration for me over the years.
I have felt rejuvenated when thinking about my friend who puts his love for crafting buildings that are more than simply shelters into action by building a business focused on designing and constructing high-quality residential and commercial structures that represent the unique characteristics of the organizations and people who inhabit the spaces.
My friend who put his desire for a first-person understanding of the world into action by spending several years fearlessly traveling to various locations around the globe and developing enriching relationships with residents and other travelers along the way.
My friend who had a vision to be a pilot,
Graduated from flight school at a time when not many pilots were being hired,
And consequently adapted to the unforeseen circumstances by becoming a financial advisor who nurtured and acted on a love for helping people create and maintain financial stability.
My friend who put his love for acting,
Making movies,
And entertaining others into action by moving to the West Coast,
Acquiring skills,
Generating revenue,
And establishing networks with the right people to create a feature-length film that played in multiple theaters across the country.
My friend who put his love for craft brewing,
Graphic design,
And entrepreneurship into action by opening a brewery with a few friends through successful navigation of typical barriers a business startup may face,
As well as unexpected challenges encountered when opening a business during a pandemic and at a time in a neighborhood that suddenly became the heart of a volatile nationwide conflict.
I am immeasurably grateful for sources of refreshment when I am feeling burdened or under pressure and will attempt to remain aware of the vast array of opportunities for alleviating stressors that interfere with my well-being.
Here are a few guiding questions to consider that might facilitate your own personal reflection upon the verse.
It's the refreshing taste of lemonade to cool you off when you get hotter.
Take a moment to reflect on times when you have experienced a sense of relief or refreshment after being under pressure or burdened.
For example,
What are examples of times when you have found a source of relief or refreshment to alleviate a pressure or burden that you are experiencing?
How do you feel when you find these types of sources?
In what ways do you express gratitude for being able to find sources of relief or refreshment during times of stress?
What strategies could you implement to maintain awareness of opportunities to find refreshments when they would help alleviate your pressures or burdens?
In closing,
When you refresh yourself with lemonade during a hot day or accept God's refreshments to cool off during the other heated moments in your life,
You receive a dose of God.
The next episode in this series will focus on the verse representing the letter U.
A dose of God is under the blankets as you snuggle by the flame.
Thank you so much for listening.
May you consistently position yourself to accept and resonate with the doses of God that are ever presently here for you.
The reflections in this series represent my interpretations of the time they were transcribed and may have been different if they were written at other points in the past or future.
Each episode is intended to be unique,
However multiple iterations of common themes and examples are likely to surface throughout the series.
