Admitting our Powerlessness

 I was listening to some beautiful music yesterday as I made soup and thought about how sometimes, the simplest things can help us to rise above difficult circumstances. The very act of being present, moving out of our head and into the flow of life: doing, rather than thinking; breathing and being, rather than worrying, can he healing and restorative.

This is good advice for me, at this particular point in my life, as I face challenges that sometimes seem overwhelming. Perhaps you are feeling this as well. It's not just the uncertainty and fear about what is happening in our country, but the addition of stress in our personal lives that can tip the balance and cause worry to go into overdrive. 

I admit, anxiety and worry have plagued me throughout my life. For the most part, I have overcome this tendency and trained myself to find things to be grateful for each day and to have faith in God to make all things well in time.

But sometimes, doubt creeps in and shakes my faith. I see myself and my choices all too clearly and can identify areas where I have boxed myself in and made things extra difficult because I have tried to solve problems that may be beyond my power to change them.

In A.A or Al anon, this is the first step to healing: admitting our powerlessness. This is very hard for us control freaks because we see it as giving up, surrendering our role and our desire for change. But, when we have thoroughly exhausted ourselves and fallen down on our knees, there seems to be no other way but to step aside and allow God in. 

This can be scary, because, let's face it, we don't really understand who or what God is. That is the very quandary in the book of Job. When Job questions God, wanting to know "why has all this misfortune befallen me?"; "where/who are you God?", the only answer he gets is basically that God is beyond human comprehension. His ways and His timing are unknowable.

But we are assured, over and over again, that the all-powerful Creator is loving, just and good. He works all things out for the best in the end and we must just rest in that belief.

Which brings me back to making soup as I listen to music. Just letting it be....

Forgiveness is Freeing

  Imagine a world where everyone forgave everything. There would be no need for revenge, conflict or war; no family rifts, lost friendships or grudges. We would see each person as God sees them-worthy of unconditional love.

A tall order, of course, but worth pondering and working towards.  If each one of us, in our own little radius of influence, were to spend time in prayer, asking for the heart to forgive each person who has wronged us, and most importantly, to forgive ourselves, the world might begin to change, little by little.

Toxic emotions, like regret, anger, resentment and guilt, can affect us in negative ways, not only emotionally and spiritually, but physically as well. We are complex beings; body, mind and spirit are interconnected and everything that we expose ourselves to in one realm affects the others in ways that we are not always consciously aware of.

Numerous studies have shown that negative emotions like anger, hostility, anxiety and guilt can suppress our immune systems, weaken our heart function and cause digestive problems. Conversely, letting go of burdens and consciously focusing on the positive has been shown to have a beneficial effect on health.

So for today, let's begin to heal ourselves with forgiveness of all hurts and release of all resentment and guilt:

I will share two little forgiveness prayers:

Dear God, I thank You for the power of forgiveness, and I choose to forgive everyone who has hurt me. Help me set [name anyone who has offended you] free and release them to You. Help me bless those who have hurt. Help me walk in righteousness, peace, and joy, demonstrating Your life here on earth. I choose to be kind and compassionate, forgiving others, just as You forgave me  -Amen.

Father, today I ask forgiveness of all the negative and harmful words I have spoken about myself. I do not want to abuse myself in such a way again. Transform my thoughts and let me understand how marvelously you made me. Change my habits so I use my tongue to speak hope and favor upon my life.

*Chistianity.com

 

Have a blessed day!

 

 

Safe in the Storm

 Last night, I sat inside looking out the window as a ferocious thunderstorm raged. What seemed like a torrential downpour fell and the wind blew fiercely, rattling the windows. Watching it all from my place on the couch, in the warmth of my home, I felt safe and protected. Although the storm raged on, I felt calm at my core, because I believed that my home protected me. Yet still I was watchful and alert.

As I often do, I thought about the spiritual metaphor this scene created. Our country and the world in general, seems like a scary place right now. Everything seems upside down and torn apart. I have a great deal of anxiety about what is happening, how the very fabric of our democracy is being dismantled.

This may seem like a political, leftist point of view, but I believe we should all be concerned, regardless of political affiliation. Things are not normal by any means, and we will all be affected in some way eventually.

We should definitely be alert and watchful (1 Peter 5:8), not complacent, in the months ahead. But the story that comes to mind is that of Jesus and the disciples in a sailboat on the Sea of Galilee during a furious storm. It was the kind of storm that came up suddenly and soon the waves were crashing over the boat. The disciples were terrified and woke Jesus from his sleep, saying, "Lord save us! We are going to drown!" Jesus said, "Why are you so afraid, oh you of little faith?" And he rebuked the storm, saying "Peace, be still". The storm subsided, there was a great calm and the disciples were amazed.

I think of this command now, as I recall watching the storm from the safety of my home and worrying about the state of affairs in our country: "Peace, be still"...I am calm at my center, no matter what is happening around me. I can hold onto Jesus' words: "Why are you so afraid, oh you of little faith? Stay calm, trust in me, and I will be with you through whatever storms arise.

Pandemic Anniversary Lessons

As we approach the five-year anniversary of the Covid shutdown, I am re-visiting a post from 2022, which reflects on lessons learned during that time. Reflecting on this time has value for today; as our country becomes increasingly isolationist it is important to remind ourselves that we share a planet with many nations. It would be wiser to acknowledge that we truly are "one world" and should be respectful of all.

 This past Friday, was of course, the two-year anniversary of the Great Pandemic Shutdown. 

Since then, I've been mulling over my "takeaways" from this experience. Although the pandemic is probably not over, it does seem to be winding down, with the ferocity of the virus waning and people's patience wearing thin.

So I ask myself: "What have I learned from this experience?  What have we as a society, as a world community, learned"?

We learned, for one thing, that we are not insulated from the rest of the world -- what happens in China or Africa or Italy very soon becomes part of our experience as well. We share one planet, breathe the same air, experience illness, suffering and loss in the same way.  Many people found that, having exited the "rat race" for awhile brought them a new awareness of the value of time with family and time to pause.

We learned that the human spirit is strong; that we can survive isolation and illness as we find new ways to connect (Zoom!) and new ways of adapting to whatever there is to adapt to.  We learned that when there is no toilet paper and little food on the grocery shelves, we can still somehow survive the inconvenience and go with whatever we can find.

Personally, I learned the value of simple things -- a daily walk in the park to experience the restorative power of nature; the beauty of silence and extra time for prayer; the soul satisfying aroma of fresh baked cookies and bread. Of course, we did our share of Netflix binge-watching to pass the time and we listened to a lot of great music. 

 In fact, as I look back, I realize that, in spite of the churning anxiety often caused by knowing that a mysterious virus was invading the world, it was a time capable of teaching lessons for those who were listening.  If you were fortunate not to have the virus touch your life in a painful, devastating way, it can be seen as a time of personal growth, capable of helping us to see areas in our lives that need changing.  We paused, we examined and we hopefully developed a new awareness -- of ourselves and the world around us.

So, for today, I am thankful for whatever good came out of our time of planetary pausing and will take those lessons forward with me as I continue my journey.