• About Sophia Meditations…

sophiameditations

~ Meditations on life, relationships and our spiritual walk.

sophiameditations

Tag Archives: Uncategorized

Success, yokes and stress…

24 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by Linda in spirituality, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

spirituality, Uncategorized

“Success means we go to sleep at night knowing that our talents and abilties were used in a way that served others.”

Marianne Williamson

Success is an interesting thing. It might be a particular rung on the corporate ladder, completion of a major athletic even, or gaining admission to a prestigious organization. Some might find success in the accomplishments of their children or reaching that next milestone-wedding anniversary. For others it might be moving into their dream home, driving the ‘it’ car, or sporting the latest and greatest clothing label. Do you find your place on this list? Is your success measured by any of these markers? Or, do you see it another way? How we define stress says a lot about what we value. 

We live in a culture that is deeply affected by the desire for success. Stress and anxiety are so prevalent that we have entire industries based on helping people find the calm through herbs, pharmaceuticals, physical activity, diets and a myriad of other remedies. Companies that specialize in clothing, furniture, books, and DVD’s have branched out from those industries hoping to build revenue when we realize their product is available to augment whatever it is that is supposed to bring serenity to our lives. In spite of all that is available to us to bring us peace, we see that health in America is increasingly affected by the human physiological response to unresolved stress and anxiety. On the individual level this can be seen in the national obesity level, heart disease, cancers, strokes and a litany of chronic illnesses. As a community we see uncontrolled anger, frustration and hopelessness that presents itself in a variety of crimes ranging from a neighborhood spat to road rage to hostile shootings.

The problem is, with all of the resources available to us today, we don’t seem to be able to find peace. In actuality, our national obsession with stress and its ugly outcomes seems to be getting worse. Most of us long for that elusive feeling of peace, yet we just can’t seem to find it in the midst of our goal-oriented culture.

Years ago I heard a national talk show hostess encourage an overweight, lonely and depressed woman to find a place to volunteer 3-4 times a week. There was one important caveat to her advice – the place had to be more than a mile from her home. She was to walk there, share herself in service to others and walk home at the end of her scheduled shift. After she had done this for a month, she was to call into the show again to let the hostess know what transpired. She speculated that the woman would loose some of her excess weight from regular exercise and, more importantly, she would recognize she had something to offer to others, which would ease her feelings of loneliness and despair. I didn’t hear the second call. My guess is the talk show hostess was right.

In her quote, Marianne Williamson equates success with the use of our talents and abilities. How many times have we heard that we will be successful in life if we find our passion and make it our work? The problem is, success measured in those terms tends to be about financial achievement. Williamson gives us another measure – peace, the kind that feeds into sound and restorative sleep, as a result of success. That peace comes from serving others.

In Matthew 11 Jesus tells us something about who we are in God’s world. It ends with an invitation to “come to me” and it speaks to “all who are weary and carrying heavy burdens.” Even though the burdens we carry in our current era are very different from the ancient people, there are still big, ugly things that cause us to live in constant stress. Jesus paints a different picture of what life could and should look like. There’s just this one little thing we need to do and it involves a yoke.

The ancients would have understood the function of a yoke. It is a large, wooden crosspiece that harnesses two animals together so they can pull a cart. The yoke binds them so they share the load and complete the work. In our industrialized world, we have little need for yokes and oxen, so it is hard to picture what this analogy looks like. The point is, Jesus calls to us in our stressed and crazy lives. He offers us rest. Then, he instructs us to take his yoke. No, not to carry it alone. The nature of a yoke is that it is shared. Jesus is going to walk with us and guide us in his ways. There will be times when we try to veer left when he is moving right, or vice versa, and the yoke will keep us moving along together.

This brings up another point to ponder, namely Jesus’ ways. I never really thought about Jesus’ ways as being based on his talents and abilities. I mean, he’s Jesus, for crying out loud! Wouldn’t a list of things that weren’t his talents and abilities be shorter, if anything at all? But, what if we tried to make a list of the good things…acceptance, nurture, serving others…

Jesus’ way was and is to serve others. In our humanity we have limitations. Some of us are good at some things while others excel at others. We read in Romans and 1 Corinthians that we are given different gifts and talents, yet all of them are to be used in service to God. What does that look like? If we follow the example that Jesus modeled for us through his life, service to God is service to those around us.

Which brings us back to Ms Williamson’s quote. When we recognize who we are and whose we are, we will use our talents and abilities in a way that serves others. Maybe then we can let go of societies measures of success and find rest in living as God created us to live.

 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11: 28-30

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • More
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

“How you get there is where you’ll arrive…”

03 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by Linda in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Uncategorized

Years ago I was confronted with three questions: “Who are you?”, “Where are you going?” and “How are you going to get there?” It took some real thought to formulate answers. Who am I? Well, I could repeat my name, complete with nicknames, titles and surnames; tell you what I did for a living; and that I like my red wine at room temperature and my white wine chilled. I had plans for the future…some of which have been fulfilled and some that sound pretty crazy to my current self. I was going to travel; open my own business or enjoy a successful career; write a book; and be part of a perfect family. I would never have to diet, exercise or worry about health. Nor would I worry about taxes, politics, sexual predators, or wrinkles. Life would happen the way it was supposed to because…well, because…because… The truth was, I didn’t know how I was going to get there, I only knew where I wanted to be.

Some days I find myself asking God similar questions, like “Who are you”? The second one is more difficult, “Where are you in my life?” I don’t always have answers for these complex questions, but I do know how one resolves them will determine how a person lives.

There are times when the notion of “God” seems odd. Oh, I know what Christian tradition has told me. And, I know that perceptions of who God is adjusts with the exploration of other traditions or as common beliefs meander through time. An understanding of God’s nature seems to change when confronted with other brands for the divine: Jehovah, Allah, Lord, Jesus and the list goes on. If one calls The Divine essence by a particular name, it seems to ascribe particular traits or understandings. Some define love, acceptance, mercy, and nurture. Others depict a perfect being which is obsessed with our ability to match that impeccability. Still others conjure up hate and the inability to accept anything that doesn’t match a sanctioned stereotype. We read in scripture that Jesus asked the disciples over and over, “Who do you say that I am?” It is interesting to juxtapose that thought with a question posed by Brian McLaren, a Protestant pastor and lecturer when he stated, “…What you focus on determines what you miss.” “Who do you say that I am?” (Matt 16:15 and Mark 8:29) Even the act of wrapping words around that statement means something will become hidden. Peter responded, “You are the Messiah.” Even that word carried human understanding and expectations. No wonder so many parables have to do with sight being given to the blind. What are we missing as we stumble through life? Who is God? Are we ‘made in the image’ of one who loves or one who hates?  One who shows mercy and nurture or judges? Our perception of the divine is as important in our relationship with ourselves as in our interactions with others. Do I love and nurture myself? Or do I bully myself with taunts and jabs about decisions I have made or perceived personal failures?

Dovetailed into this cloudy definition is the concept of where the divine exists in our lives. Jesus responded to the Pharisees question regarding the coming of the kingdom of God by saying, ‘the kingdom of God is among (within – NIV) us’. (Luke 17:21) Like most of scripture, this is a pretty muddy statement. What does it mean that the kingdom is among us? Within us? Is this a reference to heaven? Or is it a broader statement about creation? Is God somewhere out there, beyond the clouds? I haven’t seen any angels, harps or pearly gates when flying above the clouds. Trust me, I have been known to be glued to the airplane window.  Physics and aerodynamics explain how something weighing in somewhere around 800,000 pounds can defy gravity. I never studied either subject. I suppose if I had, I would understand that gravity is only part of the picture.

The thing is, when I am looking beyond my reality for God and this nebulous kingdom, I miss it. If I look around the plane, I might notice the flight attendant who helps an elderly woman to the restroom because her aging balance makes it difficult to navigate the aisle or the young man who jumps up to pull that overly heavy bag out of the overhead compartment for the young mother traveling with an infant. I might also miss the businessman who gives up his 1st class seat for the soldier who is traveling with orders that take her into unknown geographical, emotional and physical territory. It’s the recognition of people serving others simply because they can. This is God among us, within us, reaching out to love and nurture all that is around us.

A recent post said, “How you get there is where you’ll arrive”. Various sources attribute the quote to Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland. I couldn’t verify this. The point is, whoever it was completely tapped into our spiritual journey. How we do life – no matter who we think we are, where we think we are going or how we think we are going to get there – will depend on who we say that God is and where we see the divine in our lives. It isn’t simply noticing the good in the world, it’s recognizing that there is good in everything that God created and trusting that God is present always and everywhere – even in people we think are crazy, stupid, arrogant or just plain irritating. Aristotle said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” That statement can send a mathematician into apoplexy. Although, it’s magic to a behaviorist and theologian! It’s remembering that each one of us is a mixture of God’s goodness and human brokenness. It’s recognizing that our blindness will make us miss something that someone else might see. If we can put all of this together, we know that we are limited when we can only see our perspective. When we open ourselves to others and filter all that we come up against through the lens of our understanding of who God is and where we find God in our lives, we will become open to conversation and discernment regarding the opinions of others. It is then, and only then that we move forward together.

“How you get there is where you will arrive.” In the whole scheme of things, it seems that how one gets there is the important part. When it’s done with God at the center, it will lead to arriving exactly where we need to be.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • More
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Baking bread and contemplation…

25 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by Linda in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Uncategorized

ImageThe bread took 8 days to make. Some initial decisions had to be made, but nothing greater than whether to use white or whole-wheat flour. The most important factor for success was the need for a time commitment of daily attention. It started in a small bowl with flour and water set on the kitchen counter. You see, the bacteria in the pasty mixture produced lactic and acetic acids, which in turn attracted wild yeast for cultivation. With daily feedings of additional flour and water evidence of the yeast-farm’s prosperity is seen as the concoction bubbles and grows. Each day it needed to be stirred down. More flour and water were added and it continued to react, proving yeast from the air found the seed starter and liked it. The mixture had to be stirred daily, forcing the gas escape. More flour and water were added, then you waited some more. It grew. It is stirred down.  Every day involves a step. Nothing takes very long or is difficult. It simply needs a little something every day…a little here, a little there. The regular rhythm of mindful attention turns the flour and water paste into something that will add flavor and leavening to bread dough. There is no rushing the process, no addition of instant yeast or other agents to cause the bread to rise. It is simply flour, water and deliberate time and attention that allows the dough to slowly find its life.

Bread bakers call the results of this process the ‘barm’. I think it must be short for bread-farm. This is the stuff you can keep for decades in the refrigerator and portion out at any time you want to make bread. It must be fed on a regular basis and added to if a portion is used. To make bread, barm is kneaded with salt, more flour and more water. Variety, at this point, can lead to amazing results. Olive oil, butter or eggs can increase the richness of the loaf. Some medleys of herbs and spices can reflect ethnic foods. Olive and rosemary bread becomes a Mediterranean taste sensation while the addition of sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg represents a Scandinavian heritage. Shaping the bread into a sandwich loaf, a baguette or a braid can indicate whether the bread is for everyday eating or for a holiday. Whatever it becomes, it is a gift at the table – evidence of time and diligence for the sole purpose of sharing bread at the meal.

It only took 8 days to become a routine in my life – one that will remain forever as long as I continue to nurture it.

The thing is, this daily bread is very much like the spiritual walk.

  1. It takes regularity and diligence for optimal results.
  2. What you did a day or two ago can become stale, so daily attention remains necessary.
  3. Try changes. Some might not work as well as others. Some will be amazing.
  4. There is plenty for sharing.
  5. It cannot be hurried.

The problem is, we live in a culture focused on ‘faster is better’ and we want our results immediately. It’s difficult to embrace a contemplative lifestyle when so much of what we do is focused on production and immediate reward. Contemplation can look like daydreaming and wasted time. How do we respond when answers aren’t immediate? How do we respond to the beat of God’s heart? How do we slow down long enough to hear God’s gentle whisper beaconing to us to come closer, to simply breathe and listen?

Like the bread, it’s with daily attention – just a little at a time; just enough to focus; just enough to be still and know who God is. Like bread, there will be times when keeping contemplation simple will be enough. One might choose to share conversation with God in that thing we call prayer while sitting in a pleasant spot or while noticing nature on a walk or during a daily run. Maybe it comes with a favorite passage of scripture, a daily devotion or a conversation with friends. It might not be the same every time. There might be moments when you add to the practice for variety, much like oils, herbs and spices add flavor to bread. It might come in the form of a retreat, a conference or joining a discussion group. The thing is, God is always and everywhere. We only need to look to find God’s presence wherever we are. That ‘looking’ takes a little practice. Not a lot…just a bit of diligent attention each day. In time, it will grow into something amazing. Kind of like that warm, freshly baked bread…

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • More
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Weight loss, butterflies and resurrection…

19 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by Linda in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Uncategorized

I belong to a national organization that focuses on weight loss. In all reality, weight loss can only come with a change in lifestyle and behavior. The program acts as a guide towards developing new, healthier, life giving habits. Weekly meetings offer inspiration and group support. The leader raised the following question at a recent meeting: “What are some of the positives about belonging to […name of program…]” A group member excitedly answered, “You get to start fresh every week.” She was right. Each week begins as if nothing before it mattered. Nothing. Not the extra glass of wine on Saturday night, not the restaurant’s complimentary basket of chips and salsa, not the birthday cake or the ice cream or the missed work out. Nothing before it mattered. The point is to move on, engaging in just one new habit until it becomes part of your routine. As time goes on, you choose another habit, then another, until one day you look back and realize you have been transformed.  Not only do you look different, you feel different. It’s like life has taken on a whole new perspective. Something happened along the way…something that gave you a fresh, new start.

As most of us have, I experienced a particularly difficult situation several years ago. I received a card from a friend that assured me I would be fine when I came out on the other side of my metamorphosis. Yup, the same thing cocoons and butterflies do as they pass through the stages of life and, finally, something beautiful emerges. Mind you, that change doesn’t come without significant struggle! If you have ever watched a butterfly wrestle it’s way out of a cocoon, you know it takes a lot of persistence and groaning. But, the struggle leads to a fresh, new start.

I tried to find a definition for the word “resurrection”. Most online sources try to put “the” before it, making it an event. Which, in all reality, is how we typically view the word. It has to do with Jesus dying and coming back to life – a difficult concept to wrap one’s brain around, but one that is central to the mystery of the Christian faith. After his persecution and death, the disciples found themselves lost and afraid. Think about Mary Magdalene as she wakes the morning after the Sabbath and goes to the tomb to mourn. Maybe she wanted to feel his presence close to her; to meditate at the resting spot of her dear, dear friend; or to simply have a quiet moment of personal anguish. Many of us have visited the grave of a loved one and can relate to Mary’s desires to spend time in the place where she thought she might find a fragment of solace in the midst of an unimaginable situation. Scripture tells us she wept when she saw the tomb was empty. Talk about being kicked when you’re already down! First, she saw him murdered in a heinous, despicable way. And now this! Grave robbers took this last morsel of comfort away from her.

But, something utterly confounding happened! He was there and he was alive. She didn’t recognize him until he spoke. Then, she saw past his new form…his new life…and knew that this was him. She, too, was changed.

Resurrection comes from the Latin word resurgere which means to rise again. It’s to bring back, to revive, or to renew; a transformation. It’s like the butterfly that let go of the cocoon holding it down so it could fly. It’s new life…a fresh, new start.

The thing is, resurrection is kind of like the weekly experience in the weigh loss program I mentioned – a fresh start without guilt. It can also be described as a renewal or revitalization following a personal metamorphosis.  And, we are given opportunity to experience resurrection every time we trust the one who loves us unconditionally enough to let go of whatever is holding us back and turn toward that love.  In religious circles, we call that grace.  Sometimes we need to practice and form new habits and sometimes we just need to let go of old ‘stuff’. Either way, we are offered resurrection – new life – opportunity through grace every minute of every day.  Resurrection…to rise again…to be revitalized…to be renewed…to be transformed…to be given a fresh, new start.

Think about the possibilities and the amazing hope we can find in resurrection.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • More
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

That confusing thing we call prayer…

12 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by Linda in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

spirituality, Uncategorized

I frequently have problems with prayer. I have been on the receiving end, as I suspect we all have, of prayer platitudes. “Just pray about it,” or “I’ll prayer for you.” I am not sure what either of those comments mean. What am I supposed to pray about? Tell God what I think the plan for the day should be? Or share my thoughts about whom I think God should bless, heal, soothe, or give a winning lottery ticket to? And, if someone is praying for me am I supposed to appreciate the outcome they think I should have and subsequently instructed God to grant me? What if I don’t want what they want for me? Or is their prayer simply a way for them to think they are doing something for me when they don’t feel like they have time to do anything else?

There have been studies about prayer decreasing pulse, blood pressure and respiration rates in hospitalized patients who had no idea anyone was praying for them. What causes that? And, did it also cure their cancer, reduce their pain, or make them heal faster? Maybe some would say “yes” and some would say “no” without a clear understanding of who gets to have their prayer-wish granted. Does it mean that God is ready to help some people but not others?

I sat in a class where the leader spoke of her son’s premature birth years earlier and how she “just knew that God would take care of him so he could go home with her soon.” And, God answered her prayer. I felt confused as I thought about the two babies I carried. No, not the two that are now wonderful young adults. It was the other two, the ones that didn’t make it past the first trimester of pregnancy. Am I to somehow understand that God couldn’t hear my cries above the din of other prayers – the more important ones – being offered at the same time?

As a seminary student I heard a professor say a prayer wasn’t a prayer unless it offered adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. It was as if one needed to learn how to pray before a prayer was really a prayer. So…where does that leave the groaning of the heart? The place where we only have “sighs too deep for words”? (Romans 8:28) Can we only pray when we feel like thanking God for all the crappy stuff flying around us?

To make it worse, the Apostle Paul suggests we pray without ceasing. There are days when media reports about worldwide pain and suffering or troubling issues closer to home and those we love make it hard to simply breath without ceasing! Paul continues his instruction in the midst of his constant-prayer admonition by giving the instruction to  “Rejoice always…and give thanks in all circumstances”. Really? (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

All of that said, I admit that I love Paul’s advice. But, whether or not you appreciate his thoughts depends on how you think about prayer. Prayer is not our opportunity to let God know what is going on in creation. God is always and everywhere, which means God already knows everything about anything I have to say. And, God is working in and around the through the situation. God is already busy… without any need for my thoughts, wisdom, criticism, or advice.

So, why do I pray? I pray as a reminder to myself that God is. I am seriously glad that I am no longer taking English literature classes as someone would certainly let me know that I just created a sentence fragment. “God is” obviously needs to be followed by descriptors of what God is doing or who God is. No! It seems that defining God would only place limits on our understanding of God. It’s kind of like when God was talking to Moses and said, “I am.” I am what???  The “what” wasn’t important. God simply said, “I am.” God is. No conditions, no exceptions, nothing. God is. It has nothing to do with me, the country I live in, the church I attend, the political views I have, who I hang out with, whatever foibles I embrace… God is. God’s presence is with all that is. The Spirit pervades everything God created, which means God is not only present where I walk, but also present in every human, goat, chicken, dog, cockroach and frog. (I still don’t get the cockroach thing. We’ll leave that for another conversation.)  God is present in the leaves of the tree and in the wind. God is painting the colors of the sunset, the ocean and rainbows. God is present in every grain of sand and in the confusing creatures that roam the desert. God is…

Prayer is recognizing God in all things and responding to the presence of God. That response might be feeling peace as we navigate a lousy or confusing situation. It might be seeing someone else’s need and acting on that realization. It might be correcting a wrong in a personal relationship or corruption in a culture. It might be gratitude or awe in the way a seemingly hopeless situation turned out or maybe it’s recognizing snippets of silver linings when the trajectory of an outcome is heading towards sorrow. Prayer keeps us focused on the One who loves us more than we can ever imagine and guides us to share that love in all of our interactions, thoughts and desires. No, it isn’t limited to telling the story of God’s love. That’s important at certain times and in certain places. It’s about always living as if God’s love for all of creation matters. It’s ranting at God for the things that don’t seem quite right and waiting for God to guide us in our responses. It’s taking that casserole to the sick neighbor; mowing the elderly neighbor’s grass; offering to watch the young couple’s children for an evening; reading to the comatose nursing home patient; teaching English to the immigrant; visiting the inmate; praying with the lonely to remind them that God is there – whispering, beaconing, holding and walking through all that we encounter every hour of every day.

God is. To remember and act on that is to pray without ceasing.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • More
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

“God” as a verb…

04 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by Linda in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Uncategorized

imagesThere are days when I think my life is one big diet. You see, my name is Linda and I am a foodie. I love to cook, bake, eat, read cookbooks, eat some more, and…eat again. Unfortunately, keeping my love affair with food and my complicated relationship with exercise balanced is difficult. I am almost as familiar with diets as I am with my overfilled spice drawer. It seems there is a diet for every lifestyle and body type. Some take it off quickly, some slowly and methodically. Some focus on eliminating carbohydrates; others emphasize protein; while others say everything is “okay”, but moderation is the key. It seems the only common denominator is that with some diligence and attention, they all work.

I was bemoaning my plight with weight one day while talking to a dear friend. She sat there nibbling on a Snicker’s bar. I do mean nibbling! It was portioned into tiny squares that she insisted would satisfy her for a week – one square at a time when she had a craving for something sweet. A week! That’s right…a week. I am lucky to make one candy bar last seven minutes, let alone seven days. She paused, then told me my problem was I thought of a diet as a noun when indeed it was a verb.

An internet search of “verb” offered a consistent definition: the part of speech that expresses existence, action or occurrence; a state of being. Wikipedia informs us that a noun is the part of speech that denotes a person, place or thing. 

With all due respect to English and grammar majors, I would like to dig into these definitions. A noun tells us about something. When we see a name, we know something about the object the name is assigned to. For example, if I mention Scarsdale or Adkins, most diet junkies will immediately know we are talking a high protein plan. Yum! Yet, it doesn’t indicate any action, just thinking and recognition based on a word. It’s simply a noun…something that describes a person, place or thing.

Some words have a duality where they can be descriptive or show action, depending on how they are used. Diet in a general sense indicates something I know about…the noun. Then, there is the diet I immerse myself into…the verb. This is the action I take to not only know about the diet, it becomes living the diet. It is to plunge oneself into the expression of existence, to take action, to enter a state of being. Diet…the verb.

It’s kind of like God. When we say “God”, we get a sense of something we know about – depending on our tradition. Yet, knowing about something indicates a certain detachment. It’s like that something is out there without any significant connection between us. It’s the understanding of God as a noun.

But, something happens when we think of God as a verb. All of a sudden, we enter into a relationship with God – a relationship that isn’t based on dogma, doctrine, or knowing whether there are 66 or 73 books in the Bible and naming them in exact order. It’s a relationship where we see the perfect work of the Divine in and through all that is beaconing us to join in the dance of love and life. It’s when we plunge ourselves into the expression of the Holy’s existence; when we enter the state of being that we were created for; and we take action to live in harmony with all of God’s creation recognizing the creator in the created, it’s then that God becomes a verb.

Admittedly, I have days when I want God to be a noun so I can merrily go about my business unaffected by the world or world events. I don’t want to think about poverty, famine or war. They are just too big! Please, just let me get my groceries and go home so I can hide from the pain and suffering out there. Oh, I know enough about God to keep from shop lifting or being totally nasty to others. But, I’m not really concerned about what’s affecting them today. Please, please, just let me get on with my business and get home. God as a noun…

Then I see the mom with 3 kids trying to manage a grocery cart while keeping everyone safe in the parking lot. I can push her cart. God as a verb… I see the elderly woman who dropped her bag and oranges are rolling everywhere. I can pick up oranges. God as a verb… I see a handout asking for volunteers to mentor high school students. I can mentor. God as a verb… I see the check out person looking frazzled from long lines, crying children and demanding customers. I can smile, look her in the eye and tell her I appreciate how difficult some days can be. God as a verb…

Each of the Gospels tells a story of Jesus healing the blind. In other words, those who were without sight (hmmm, insight?) were brought to a place where they could see the world around them. (I guess that includes other people and all of the ‘stuff’ they are dealing with.) Those who are familiar with the stories are also familiar with Christ stating, “Your faith has made you well.” Faith – believing in something enough to live as if that something matters. It’s seeing God in and through all of creation and plunging into that crazy dance of faith with God. It’s recognizing where and when and who needs something we can offer. God as a verb… 

To know about a particular diet is a start, but it isn’t enough. You have to live it for it to be effective. And so it is with God…

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • More
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Working on the dream…MLK, Jr…50 years later…

28 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by Linda in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

religion, Uncategorized

UnknownAugust 28, 1963 – Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his beloved “I have a dream…” speech. Wow – 50 years ago! For many of us, it wasn’t simply a history class lesson. We were there to hear about it from television commentators, read about it in newspapers or listen to our parents talk about it around the dinner table. Some applauded Dr. King for his call to end racism. Others were less than positive. Worse yet, some reacted with total apathy.

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.                                                                               Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

To many, his dream that his “four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character” summarizes his message. He challenged a society to look past appearance and see others as God sees them. It contained a spiritual context and extended well beyond the ethnicity issues that continue to plagued our culture today.

Many don’t know that Dr. King was more than an American civil rights movement speaker.  He held a doctorate from Boston University in systematic theology and served as a pastor in Montgomery, Alabama. His message of love, acceptance and forgiveness was centered in his faith – a faith that he studied, lived, preached and offered to the nation.

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality…I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.                                                                     

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.                                                           Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“To live together as brothers” resonates with the echo of God’s message as given to us through the living example of Jesus Christ. In all reality, to dig into Dr. King’s quotes is to dig into Christ’s message to us. It’s a message of love, hope, forgiveness and plain old getting along with others. It’s loving God enough that we instinctively love each other – even if they are different than we are. It’s taking the time to reach out to the woman at the well. (John 4:4-42) You know her. She’s, well…different. She’s a Samaritan, for crying out loud…a half-breed to the Hebrews. She’s been married 5 times and lives with a man to whom she is not married. She’s even shunned by the other  Samaritan women. She comes from the wrong city, has the wrong skin color, lives the wrong life and shouldn’t be noticed by a nice Jewish leader. What was Jesus thinking anyhow?

Have you seen her? Maybe…but maybe not. She remains with us today in many forms. Maybe it’s her skin color. It might be too light for some crowds, too dark for others. Maybe it’s her job, her family, or her nationality. Maybe it’s the way she thinks, her ability to do things or her deepest desires.  She might be liberal or conservative; bright or mentally challenged; straight or gay. Maybe she is not a woman, maybe she is a man or a child for “she” represents those who live outside of the acceptance and compassion given people who live up to the expectations of a culture. It happens when we see or hear something about and assign generalizations to an individual based on appearance or a singular event.

Look at it another way. What divides us? Politics and religion seem to have the corner on that market. We climb onto our pedestals assuming that our exclusive club is right and support that concept by making anything outside of our comfort zone “wrong”. We sink deeper and deeper into our perspectives until anything challenging our beliefs must be confronted, belittled, and defeated. Our boundaries become so pronounced that compromise appears as weakness, when in reality it should be the blending of the beauty in differing opinions to reach a solution which is better than either side could achieve on it’s own. It should be about compassion, about love, about looking at “the other” as part of God’s divine creation and treating them as if they matter. It’s about loving our neighbor as ourself…even if they don’t agree with us or look like us. And, it’s about navigating life in God’s creation as we embrace the good; discern what to speak out against; and generally grow in wisdom as we learn from each other.

I wonder what Dr. King would think if he were to join us for the day.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • More
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Reading scripture and mac and cheese…

22 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by Linda in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Uncategorized

The variety of macaroni and cheese options seems endless. For example, there is the kind that you can nuke, eat quickly and walk away wondering what just happened. It’s satisfying, but only for  the moment it takes to scrape the carton with a spoon and bring it to your mouth. It’s a momentary fix. Not a meal to fuel the body, it  exists for the moment as something to consume before getting on with life.

Then, there is the mother lode of macaroni and cheese. We’ve all had it. It’s the typical restaurant variety with 7 exotic cheeses, butter, maybe and egg or two, cream, more butter in the brioche crumbs on top and – drum roll please – bacon. It tastes amazing, but you quickly realize that it is going to stay with you in an uncomfortable way. It’s there for hours…days…and nothing seems to make it go away. Heartburn, bloat, guilt and your skinny jeans tear at your conscience. Even a hefty workout doesn’t negate it’s effects. It just hangs around as a stubborn reminder that you might not want mac and cheese ever again when in all actuality it’s not the macaroni and cheese that got to you. It’s all the stuff that was added to it.

There is basic mac and cheese, made with, well…macaroni and cheese. This variety might have a little milk in it, but it’s just as good without it. It’s the kind that makes you smile as it satisfies your craving for comfort food as well as your appetite. It’s simply enough to make a tough day better. It reminds you of home, family, belonging and feeling loved. It leaves you looking forward to having it again…and again…and again…

And so it is with reading scripture.

Sometimes we read scripture quickly. You know, just to get it done. It might be for a season during the church year, or for an event like confirmation or baptism. Most likely it’s Sunday morning in worship and it’s actually read by someone else. Occasionally we might follow along, if there is a Bible in the seat pocket and the passage is relatively easy to find. Although, if the reading is from Habakkuk, Obadiah or Haggai, we might choose to just listen least we spend the entire time of the reading looking for wherever it is that those little known prophets hang out in the Bible. It’s nice, it’s there and we got our dose for the week. It doesn’t really stay with us, but it was good to hear before we go on with the day.

Anyone who has hung out in a church for very long has heard the ramped up version of scripture and interpretation. This has to do with writing styles, commentaries, Bible translations, theological perspectives and doctrinal influence. You know, the stuff that is added to scripture so we know what it should really mean. The result can lead us to think that Biblical interpretation is confusing, like something we would never try to do at home – so we leave it to the professionals.  Alternatively, it can make scripture dangerously simple – “when Paul says…he means…”. Oh, and by the way, that means for all time. Unfortunately, the standard interpretation and meanings can be twisted and warped as we relate the stories from one generation to the next. I mean, if our original restaurant mac and cheese recipe was 2000 years old, or older, it might tell us to milk the cow – or goat – as a first step. While we are waiting for the milk to become cheese, we might think about grinding wheat into a powder fine enough to make our desired pasta, which, by the way did not exist in Paul’s time. Then there is the pig and processing the bacon. All of which would make us head to some other eatery least we spend the better part of a year waiting for our mac and cheese. We would never actually try to make it ourselves! It would be too overwhelming, as would listening to a chef explain just how it was prepared. What the ancient chef accepted as something everyone just understood, would seem like hieroglyphics  to us today. It’s too much trouble and we simply don’t have the time.

So, what good is scripture? Why should we even try to read it? What if we get it wrong? Worse yet, what if traditional interpretations seem too overwhelming or like they just don’t apply to our lives today? I mean, is there even a place for this ancient text in our 21st Century lives?

In case you don’t yet know, I absolutely love macaroni and cheese. I play with a basic recipe by changing out elbow macaroni for rotini or shells. Although american cheese is a favorite in our house, I will occasionally use cheddar if that’s what is on hand. Salt is good, as is a sprinkle of paprika or dry mustard and some pepper. But, when it comes out of the pot and is put in the bowl, it is typically just macaroni and cheese. Two major ingredients that really can’t be improved upon.

Scripture is kind of like that, too. These amazing narratives detail how humanity and the Divine rub together as those who came before us share their stories about navigating this crazy thing called life. The basic plot repeats itself we read tale after tale where God provides love and humanity responds to that love. Some things, like the 10 Commandments, tell us what that response should look like – love God; don’t lie, cheat, steal, kill or covet. Jesus gave us his living example of how we can live life as fully as God created us to live it. Our response to God’s love is to love God above all things and love our neighbor as ourselves. (Matt 22: 37-39; Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:28; Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18) It’s the golden rule of treating someone else as we would want to be treated. (Matthew 7:12) It’s recognizing that God is the creator and all of creation is loved by God. When we begin to experience the depth of God’s love for us we cannot deny our individual responsibility and natural tendency to care for those in need.

As we continue to read the prose, poetry, and songs of scripture within the framework of God’s love for humanity and humanity’s response to that love, we find ourselves deep within stories about who we are and Whose we are. We learn what it means to live with God in this amazing world and find comfort in knowing the ancients’ struggles were like ours. We hear their voices telling us, from the perspective of their era and culture, what it looks like to trust God as if we truly believe in God’s love. It is our challenge to take that information and keep it new and fresh and alive so that we continue to live knowing that God’s plan and creation were as God saw them…good, very good.

Kind of like the simple, homemade mac and cheese…

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • More
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Aside

Hope, yokes and grim, bleak shit…

15 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by Linda in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Uncategorized

“Hope is not about proving anything. It’s about choosing to believe this one thing: that love is bigger than any grim, bleak shit anyone can throw at us.” –Anne Lamott

It seems like everyone is in the middle of ‘stuff’ these days. Some of it is pretty big, like finding out your 5-year old has autism; or your parent’s cancer is back; or your future isn’t going to be what you thought because of a failed class, a relationship break-up, or an unexpected situation at work.

Some of the stuff is smaller – but seems bigger because the small things always come in batches. Like when the dog poo’s in the house just as the UPS guy rings the doorbell with a package you have been waiting for and it needs a signature. At about the same moment the washing machine overflows and the cat knocks over the remains of your cold coffee from this morning that you never did get to drink because the phone wouldn’t stop ringing. I don’t even have a cat, but you get my point. It’s the flat tire when you’re already late for work; the scorched dinner when 10 guests are arriving in 5 minutes; the realtor who shows up unannounced with potential buyers when all of your children are home with the flu; or the jeans that used to fit, but will only close today if you lay on your back and use a pliers to get the right leverage to zip the zipper.

The grim, bleak shit that comes our way…

Matthew 11: 27-29 reminds us that Jesus will give us rest if we only remember to bring our burdens to him. And, that we can take his yoke and learn from him for he is ‘gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’

This isn’t a promise that everything will be okay as long as we have enough faith. You know, the twisted belief that Jesus is the magic vending machine in the sky who will give us what we want as long as we put in the right prayer. Unfortunately, that irresponsible concept has been perpetrated by too many doctrines for too long. Although, I would be lying if I said there was never a time I hoped it would work that way. There is a part of most of us that longs for life to simply work out the way we want it to happen. My agenda, my plan, my hopes, my dreams and my desires. Oops…

The thing is, Jesus-God has something else in mind for us. Matthew 11:27-29 is really an invitation to us: ‘Come to me…’ And, if we do, we can find rest. Now that part sounds pretty good! The really good news is he is ‘gentle of heart’. I hope that means he understands when I offer up my tirade about the disparities of life! There have been several lately…

We have to also recognize there is a middle section of the passage that talks about ‘taking a yoke’ and ‘learning from him’. Some invitation! This is beginning to sound like work! However, when we put the entire passage together, it is a simple beaconing from the one who loves us more than we are capable of knowing to come to him, to walk with him and he will help us learn his ways. It is in and through this formula that we will find peace.

Side note: For those of us from the city or suburbs, a yoke is a wooden beam strapped to two oxen so they can carry a load together. ‘Take my yoke’ doesn’t tell us we are on our own with some horrible burden. It tells us we will have help through love and find that seemingly elusive ‘peace’.

If you are like me, it’s difficult to recognize help. I want the big-guy; the royal telephone; the divine bullhorn!!! Okay, I would settle for the still, quiet voice in the wilderness and I might even stop screaming long enough to hear it if I knew it was going to say something that I could physically hear. The problem is, I want something that I recognize as a sign from God that all is right with the world, or at least my corner in it. It doesn’t work that way.

It does work when we recognize God is truly working in and through all situations; that God is always and everywhere; that God simply is. Help comes through the neighbor who asks if they can do anything for you in the situation and really means it. Help is the moment when that same, autistic 5-year old looks up at you and says, ‘I love you’. And, as we recognize those things that help us through a situation, we recognize that light will always, always, always, always, always come after the darkness.

Light…hope…come to me all who are weary with heavy burdens…yokes…we’ll work through it together…come to me…come to me…love…hope…

Now that’s a message I need to embrace!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • More
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Aside

Just as I am…

07 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by Linda in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Uncategorized

“God doesn’t love things because they are beautiful, things are beautiful because God loves them” 

I wish I could remember where I read that one so I could give credit to someone with amazing insight. I mean -it’s beautiful! It says it all. It puts the focus back on God and not on some silly notion that we have to be something, or become something to be loved by God. It’s the old, “Just as I am…” concept. Remember that one? We used to sing it in Sunday School when I was growing up. “Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve…” There is nothing in the entire song that says I have to be anything. I simply need to show up “just as I am”.

The problem is, do we really believe it? Do we fully appreciate that no matter who we are, no matter what we have done, no matter who tells us otherwise – God loves us? And, it’s not all about me or you or what anybody defines as the formula to gain God’s love. We just need to know that we are loved by God.

Now, peeling the whole quote apart it’s possible to get caught up in the word beautiful. Unfortunately, our culture seems to put a heavy focus on the right age, looks, clothing, make-up and hair as we figure out this ‘beauty’ thing. Do you remember the 1999’s song “Always wear sunscreen…”? The lyrics were originally written by Mary Schmich and published in the Chicago Tribune as a commencement speech she would like to give someday…that is, if she were ever asked to give a commencement speech. (If I were to meet her, I would, without a doubt, like Mary Schmich very much.) It’s a great list of advice that includes, “do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.” There must be more to this beauty-thing than the lotions and potions of the cosmetic and fashion industry.

The dictionary will support our pervasive cultural idea to a point, but it impresses us with a meaning deeper than appearance. It defines beauty as, “pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically; of a very high standard; excellent.” What could be a higher standard or more excellent than what God created us to be? Flowers and butterflies are beautiful and they aspire to be nothing more than what they are. What if we were so bold as to believe it’s enough for us, too?  It’s not about becoming something so God will notice us.  “Just as I am…”

That said, let’s go back to part 2 – “things are beautiful because God loves them.” In all reality, that packs it’s own punch. It’s foolish to think we can blissfully and naively blunder through life doing whatever we choose to do because, after all, God loves us and therefore anything and everything we do is, well…beautiful. When we fully embrace that love, like grab onto the idea that this perfect entity which epitomizes all that is good looks at our chaotic, broken lives and loves us…loves us in spite of everything we have messed up, botched, ignored, and ruined; loves us when we have morning breath, wrinkles, thinning hair and warts; loves us when we berate others who aren’t like us; loves us no matter what…well, it can be a bit overwhelming. How do we know we are loved? In Romans 38-39 the Apostle Paul assures us that there is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from God’s love. “All of creation” covers a lot of territory!

The thing is, if we listen to God’s beaconing call to us and we come “Just as I am…”; when we truly believe we are loved just as we are, we are changed. The gratitude goes so deep that it envelops our entire being and we become beautiful as we transition into all that God created us to be.

Now, excuse me for a moment while I take some magazines to the recycling bin.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • More
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...
← Older posts
Follow sophiameditations on WordPress.com

Recent Posts

  • When the heart aches…
  • Hunkered Down…
  • It’s Easter…so what?
  • Stop it!
  • We all knew…and we did nothing…

Recent Comments

Linda on When the heart aches…
Beth Azan on When the heart aches…
Linda on When the heart aches…
Mary Miller on When the heart aches…
Linda on On coffee shops and listening…
wsj.com on On coffee shops and listening…
Linda on It’s Easter…so wha…
Mary Miller on It’s Easter…so wha…
Linda on This has to stop…now…
akiwigirlabroad on This has to stop…now…
Julie on This has to stop…now…
Linda on Relationships only work i…
bethazan on Relationships only work i…
Linda on When the march is over…
Linda on When the march is over…

Archives

  • May 2020
  • March 2020
  • April 2019
  • October 2018
  • October 2017
  • August 2017
  • June 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • December 2015
  • September 2015
  • June 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013

Categories

Follow sophiameditations on WordPress.com

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
Cancel
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
%d bloggers like this: