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....
Amen
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