State of Being

Knowing where you are is not always easy.  No matter if things are easy or in chaos, in times of peace or strife, presenting an accurate picture can be problematic.  Does one really want to know the truth?  Is there any room within the soul for an accurate assessment?  Will one receive the feedback with a willingness to hear and understand?
I am in the middle of an incredible storm.  There is light on the horizon.  Everything between where I am now and the light is filled with darkness, uncertainty, and extraordinary obstacles.  While I am confident of God’s presence, I am under constant challenge as to where I am as well as where I am going.  The course is far from clear.  The challenges appear and disappear with little indication.  Any sense of control is fleeting at best.  I am not alone.
I can see God’s leading.  Yet the steps immediately in my path are far from clear.  I hear the warnings of those who preceded me and I tremble in fear; “You've climbed a high mountain to practice your foul sex-and-death religion.”  (Isaiah 57.7)  Am I doomed to follow their steps?  The guiding principles I hold onto to prevent such an occurrence include the following.
1. I can only be a contributor to the community if I take care of myself first.  In my life, this is a balance that I must struggle to achieve.  With God, Divinity must take priority over everything else.2. Being open to a blunt assessment of my state of being does not change how God sees me.  God already knows the truth.  God knows and states without reservation; I am Divinity’s child, recreated, priceless.3. I live within a family.  What I do affects the others.  What I contribute makes a difference.  Yet I am only relevant in context of the others. 
Today is an opportunity to know my state.  Tilden’s words ring true; prayer is more a state of being than an isolated act of doing.  I will listen to God’s voice and follow.