Face Fear With Faith

There's no question that we live in scary times.  Covid-19 is still with us; the cost of everything has skyrocketed; mass murderers motivated by hate terrorize our communities; the war in Ukraine rages; the devastating effects of Climate Change loom.  All of these can be perceived as threats to our safety and security and our natural, primal reaction to danger is of course fear. Our bodies pump with adrenaline, our hearts race, our jaw and shoulders clench and our physical health can be impacted. But our higher selves can supersede this reaction and face fear with faith, trusting that God will protect us and give us peace in the midst of all of this.

Easier said than done, you may think?  Yes, of course.  But a trusted source (you know who you are), has said that the bible tells us 365 times not to be afraid, to have faith, to trust in a loving unseen Creator who loves and cares for us all. The trust part is the hardest aspect of it for me, because of course, bad things do happen to good people and our prayers are not always answered in the way we expect. But one thing I do know for sure, is that deep, heartfelt prayers bring peace in the midst of whatever we are going through and can help to make the way forward seem clearer and more hopeful.

It helps to clear our mind first, since anxious thoughts can interfere with prayer. I like to focus on one word, such as "peace" or "love", or a phrase like, "Be still and know that I am God".  Observe any thoughts that come and simply set them aside, imagining putting them in a basket to sort through later.When the mind is quieted, true prayer can begin. Pray from the heart, expressing whatever is troubling you and release all to God for healing and restoration.  Give thanks for answered prayer in advance, trusting that all will be well.

A favorite affirmation of mine, that I pray when I'm feeling afraid, is the Unity Prayer for Protection:

The Light of God surrounds me;
The Love of God enfolds me;
The Power of God protects me;
The Presence of God watches over me;
Wherever I am, God is,
And all is well. 

Have a peaceful day!

 

Imagine a World of Peace

Stepping outside this morning, breathing deeply and seeing the faint outline of last night's glorious full red moon, I pick up the newspaper and the front page news quickly reminds me of all that is wrong in the world. There are several stories about the horrible hate crime that was committed in our sister city, Buffalo. I read about the young man, barely more than a child, who was so filled with seething hatred for anyone whose skin color differed from his own, that he planned an elaborate, military style attack, traveled 200 miles from home to a black neighborhood and murdered innocent people while live-streaming the "event" for his social media audience. I wonder, as most of us do, how a person can become so twisted with rage that they would do such a thing.

What do we do in the face of such evil and horror? What can we ever do but send thoughts and prayers? We can pray for peace for the families and the poor souls whose lives have been cut short; their hopes and dreams suddenly and irrevocably stolen. We can pray for sensible gun control that would prevent a mentally ill young man, who had threatened his high school with violence, from obtaining military assault weapons and tactical gear. We can pray for media personalities and politicians to stop parroting rhetoric that emboldens white supremacist groups with ideas about "replacement theory" and elections being stolen by people of color. We can pray for schools to teach kindness and respect for all others, especially those who are different from us. 

In our own lives, we can commit to practicing kindness and respect and teaching this to others in our sphere of influence. We have children and grandchildren, students and young people in our communities who we can influence in positive ways. In my work with preschool children, teaching social skills is a big part of what we do. Some days I feel like it's a bit of "Lord of the Flies" in the classroom, but I just keep teaching kindness and respect, talking it out, apologizing when you've hurt someone and most importantly, seeing the goodness in each child and doing my best to encourage the positive.  

Each of us has a unique perspective on the ways in which we can influence others for good. I pray that today we will commit to this.

Let's imagine, as John Lennon did, a world of peace:

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace... You...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world... You...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one...