Audiostretto 59/4/24 English

There was or still is a financial institution that advertises with the slogan "We clear the way", showing an endless straight road with two lanes. One lane is in one direction, the other in the other direction. Of course, you can to ask yourself: which is the right direction? The mere fact that the road is clear does not mean that one is going into the right direction. Sometimes it's wiser - like with a navigation system - to hear the signal "please turn!" Maybe that's what you need to do today. Perhaps in a relationship or a professional situation. Don't continue to follow the chosen path unstoppably only because you have been doing this for a while now. But stop, turn around and look at the situation from the other perspective and perhaps also go back a bit and start anew.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

A match is something fascinating: It is easily combustible wood with an ignition head. When this is rubbed against a rough rubbing surface, which often contains easily combustible phosphorus, enough heat is generated to ignite the phosphorus and thus ignite the match. And then many things are possible: lighting a candle or a fire or whatever. The individual parts by themselves do nothing. But in combination with the right movement, they can be the starting point of something powerful. I believe that in you and your immediate environment, especially today, there is also the potential for something great, even if it is perhaps hidden. I invite you to an experiment today: whether you believe in God or not, but try the following simple prayer: "Lord, bring my components and the external ones together today so that I can experience something great with you." And then be curious about what will happen - and if you like, share it with me.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

I remember many moments when I had the privilege to fly and look down on the earth from the plane above or in the clouds. Unique moments and if you haven't experienced it, it's hard to imagine and also hard to describe it. Many experiences cannot be described and certainly not been passed on or given away. It is the nature of experiences that you have to make them - and hopefully learn something from them here and there. Everyday life seems to be free of such experiences in all its routine - but this is probably not true. Just because they are more frequent or more regular, they still have a teaching potential. Why not assume today that what happens to you is a lesson for the rest of your life and prepares you for the future, so that you can cope well with whatever is to come.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

I'm sure you've read fairy tale books or, more importantly, read them aloud. The fascinating thing about fairy tale books - I think - is that they convey deep truths in relatively short stories, but often in a hidden or metaphorical form. As a child, I mainly heard the story, but not necessarily the moral or message. As an adult, I now recognise these more readily - and then sometimes resistance stirs in my enlightened thinking, telling me that it cannot be presented in such simple or black-and-white terms. Nevertheless, it is often precisely in their clarity that these messages are so helpful - and sometimes also offensive. If you have the opportunity take a storybook or a fairy tale and read it and let it inspire you. Simplicity is sometimes much more useful than high complexity, which does not make progress due to its diversity.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

Whispering has something special about it. It is soft speech that is presumably only meant to be heard by the person receiving it. As children we whispered when we didn't want our parents to hear, or lovers whisper to each other. But also evil or sinister, sometimes uncanny things are communicated in whispers. Our self-talk often also takes place in whispers. It reveals how we think about ourselves, how often we judge ourselves and how seldom we praise ourselves, how great our self-worth and small our credit to ourselves is. Pay attention to your inner whispers today - what voices are you actually listening to and are you aware of them? Perhaps it is your turn today to amplify good voices and no longer pay attention to negative whispers. 

I wish you an extraordinary day!

In the past, coffee grinders were used to grind coffee beans. They were a kind of wooden container with a crank at the top, which was then revolved around its own axis and ground the roasted coffee beans into coffee powder. Actually a good thing, I think to myself: grinding was done as needed and no electric power was necessary either. I don't know anyone who still does this today that way. However, this does not mean that nobody does it! I have seen that you can still buy and use various models today, apparently with very good results and in totally different price ranges. Why not? My impulse for you today is therefore: just because you cannot imagine something, because you do not know it, does not mean that it is not possible and perhaps very good. So, if necessary, be cautious today with all-too-quick prejudices and instead be curious for the unknown that you may encounter today.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

The other day I had set my mind accomplishing something. I went into the situation full of motivation - but then I was so distracted that it only occurred to me much later that I had completely forgotten what I went into the situation to do. So I had allowed myself to be distracted without wanting to be and without being aware in advance that it could happen that way. When I became aware of this, I felt a mixture of anger and sadness for myself. So I take this experience as an opportunity to ask you in today's audiostretto if you are currently experiencing something similar: You have decided to do something specific, but have been putting it off until now - and now would be an opportune time. Then do it and concentrate on doing it with first priority and don't let yourself be distracted from it as it happened to me.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

Do you wear a necklace or have you ever worn one? One with a pendant? Often the necklace is virtually only a means to having a pendant in a unique place where nothing else is present. Sometimes visible, sometimes hidden. But often a pendant is worn for a special reason. For example, as a reminder in the sense of keeping alive experiences, usually with special people or unique moments. But there are also supporters of sports clubs, often called fans. They have a special loyalty to a particular club or a team or a person and so to speak hang on them. This is also about identity. A true supporter or fan is someone who remains loyal, even when things are not going well or when it is difficult. Do you also have such an area in your life for which you are so devoted or hang on, for which you show so much passion? Is it worth it?

I wish you an extraordinary day!

Not so long ago, many households received their television signals via satellite dishes, often installed on balconies. So there were these bizarre pictures of houses littered with these dishes, several of them on each floor, at least one for each flat. Today, these are already "tempi passati" and today we receive TV signals from even more channels via cable. So in the past, the reception of external signals was crucial and also the orientation of the reception sensor. Today, this is much less susceptible and internal via the cable. What about the question of meaning and purpose in your life? Do you depend on external impulses, which may also be susceptible to interference, or do you let yourself be fed by an inner source that is reliable and steadfast? I believe that this is exactly what God offers us: His presence, which wants to dwell in us - reliably and steadfastly.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

It used to be that in the theatre it was "Curtain up!" Then the performance began. Some people still have curtains at home. They prevent people from seeing in from the outside. So not everyone can see into our private lives. They are a visual protection. In certain areas of our lives we prefer to open partially our curtains - we are transparent to a certain extent. In others, we choose closed curtains. These serve as protection for us and only in front of a few we open them. When God approached the people of Israel and created the tabernacle first in the tent, then in the temple, there was always a thick curtain between the people and God's presence - to protect the people from God's holiness. When Jesus died, the curtain was torn. By this God opens up to us, makes himself accessible. For free. What a generosity!

I wish you an extraordinary day!