"And he said, The person is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of little fish. Among them the wise fisherman discovered a fine large fish. He threw all the little fish back into the sea, and easily chose the large fish. Anyone here with two good ears had better listen!"

This is a beautiful description of what life is all about. The quality of our life is dependent on two processes: assimilation and elimination.

We always "cast our net into the sea", for there should be constant assimilation of new ideas, using of new opportunities, and facing new challenges. Life implies our interaction with the great world within us (the kingdom of God) and the great world outside of us.

At the same time there should be elimination, or letting go of everything which doesn't serve us anymore. A fisherman from the story was called wise because he courageously threw away the little fish back into the sea. He was willing to move from good things to greater things.

The starting point of our spiritual awakening is the realization that God is "all in all". However it would be wrong to draw from this statement a conclusion that all things are equally good for us. Nothing is void of divine Presence, nothing is void of value. Yet we should be specific in our choices. Our creative assignment in this world is unique, so it is up to us to determine the course of our action.

There should be no sentimental attachment to that which doesn't contribute to our happiness and fulfillment. That particular thing, or idea, or even a person, perhaps was useful at a certain stage of our development. But its time is over, and now we are called to go up to the next level.

There is a falce sense of love we need to deal with. In our culture love is often understood as attachment. But divine love implies freedom, it never puts a burden on anyone or anything. In God's great love there is enough room for letting go.

There is a falce sense of duty we need to deal with. Our true duty is to be an open channel for the flow of life. Our true duty is to be obedient to divine inspiration, to the "genius within" Emerson spoke of.

People who emphasise dutiful life are mostly good and well-intended, yet their perception is slightly distorted. They are searching for security in establishing firm relationships in the outside world, and for a while it looks like they succeed. However, their security is a delusive one, because life cannot stand still. After a time they find themselves tied up, unfulfilled, out of touch with the stream of creative ideas. This is not something to feel guilty about. This is an urge of the Spirit within, calling them to "throw away the little fish".

Some people seem to live in the past: they either rest on the laurels of their former victories, or bemoan past failures. These two attitudes turns to be counterproductive, because they don't allow them to live fully in the present.

Let us let go our past, no matter good or bad it was. Today is a brand new day. Today is a clean slate. We may re-write our life and re-state who we are if we feel that it is the right thing for us to do. It has been said that the mercy of God - that is, the flow of blessings - renews every morning. Why should we live on yesterday's blessings?

Knowing this, we may affirm: "Today I will experience God in new and exciting way - greater than ever before!"