Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid                                                                           John 14:27

Just a short word today about peace. In a world where peace is ever more elusive, we need to be intentional about finding it for ourselves. We cannot be at peace with others if we do not have an inner peace- a peace that the Disciple John wrote was “not as the world gives.”

I remembered the other day the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.                                                                                                      Matthew 25:40

I was recently speaking with a client who is feeling the effects of the current political upheaval. She feels helpless in light of sweeping changes in her field of employment. She has lost a sense of agency- that is, the ability to impact the world around her.

We all need to have a sense of the ability to impact our world in a positive way. The “macro” world is too big for most of us to alter in a meaningful way. We do not have vast political or financial power to effect large changes in our country. So, how do we react when we feel that we have lost our impact? What do we do when we feel small and powerless?

I suggested to her that she, in the words of the old proverb, “don’t try to change the world, but change the world for some of those people around her.”  In other words, she can still have real impact. She can volunteer at a preschool or nursing home; she can mentor kids; she can work at a food pantry; the list goes on and on.

The important thing is to not give in to a sense of powerlessness. We are called to have impact- to raise our voice against injustice, and to help others in need. Yes, we often can do very little in the “macro” world of political structure, but we can have very positive impact right where we live.

Prayer: Lord, give us the wisdom to determine how we can impact the world right around us, Amen

Do we really have it?

And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others                                                                                                         II Corinthians 9:8

I was thinking the other day about the paradox of control. As I have said often in this space, control is the antidote to anxiety. The more control we have, or believe that we have, generally the less anxiety we have. Anxiety really arises out of our sense of little or no control in situations- real or imagined.

The paradox of control is this- we have more control than we realize, but less than we think we do. What do I mean by that?

Let’s begin…

When I say that we have more control than we realize, I mean that there are often aspects of situations we are in whereby we only see the external threats. We believe that other people or situations are overwhelming and powerful, and there seems to be nothing that we can do.  The truth is, we have control over our own thoughts and actions- our adaptive assessments and behaviors.

During times of high stress and anxiety we tend to minimize our own power or strengths. Maybe that is because we are just emotionally flooded. Or perhaps, the situation seems so threatening that whatever we think we can do seems puny in comparison.

The truth is, having control over our own thoughts and behaviors is incredibly powerful. We also must consider that part of our power is the power of our team. As I have said before, anxiety control is a “team effort”, and we must be ready, willing and aware to ask for help from our team.

What about the “less than we think” part? Well, we like to believe that we can change others so that we can escape from their control. The truth is, we are unlikely to change other people, but heaven knows we try! We do not need to change others to have peace and anxiety control, so let’s not count on changing the minds of others in order to minimize our own anxiety.

Just my thoughts for the day friends, what think you?

Prayer: Lord, you have given us all that we need to face difficulties. We can rely upon you, Amen

The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.                Matthew 13:22

By any measure, the United States is a wealthy country. No surprise there. In fact, the State of the Nation Project (see www.stateofnation.org) recently released a study showing that the United States outperformed 98% of the rest of the world in “Economic Output”. Here comes the rest of the story…

The United States outperforms only 70% of the world in current life satisfaction; 66% of the world in trust in the police; 33% of the world in belief in democracy, and only 11% of the world in depression and anxiety measures.

Are you surprised? Shocked even? I was not surprised by the “Life Satisfaction” results. I had seen those types of numbers before. However, the United States outperformed only 33% of the world in “Belief in Democracy”. Let that sink in- the trust measure for the world’s oldest and most successful democracy is in the bottom third of the world!

The United States is near the bottom of the world in the mental health measures of depression and anxiety. Nearly 90% of the world fares better in what I would call “measures of personal peace”.

As has been so clear for thousands of years, wealth and a sense of personal peace are not well related. In fact, in the case of the United States, they are almost inversely proportional!

Ah, but we already know that real peace rests in relationship with Jesus and trust in his care of us.  

Prayer: Lord, you are the source of real peace, and we are grateful, Amen

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God                                      Micah 6:8

Our pastor yesterday had a sermon about God’s will for our lives. It was good, and it made me think. How do we determine God’s will? In general, of course, God would have us love him and be loved by him, just like any good father. However, he created us as curious and active beings, and we of course want to know a specific will for our lives. We ask, “What would God have me do?” “What am I created to do?” “What is my mission in life?” “Why am I here on planet Earth?”

I believe that God did not ordain any specific will or plan for our life that we need to work hard to figure out. It is not as if God knows some hidden mission and he sets us on a giant quest to find it out. In fact, I think it is far simpler than that.  

We can go in whatever direction we would like, based upon our gifts, our experiences and our passion. As long as we set out to first honor God in whatever particular field or endeavor we have chosen, He can bless our course.  

Yes, God has equipped all of us with various talents and gifts right from our conception. Perhaps some have certain musical, or artistic, or athletic, or whatever type of gift to be found- there is partly a genetic component to our gifts and talents.

We have all gained valuable experiences (both positive and negative) from our birth and on through life. This helps to shape our way of thinking. Finally, in our hearts, we all have certain things we are drawn to- things we love to do- which are our passions.   

We put together information from those three areas to find that mission: God-given talents and gifts; life experiences; areas of interest or passion.

If we direct ourselves in pursuit of God in any mission or career, we have found God’s will for our life.    

Prayer: Lord, thank you for making us in your image, and desiring a mission in this life, Amen

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”                      John 13:35

I sometimes listen to a podcast titled Science and God by Dr. Michael Guillen. He is a noted scientist and a strong Christian. He rightly contends that God and science are not enemies, but rather, a “power couple”.

On a recent podcast, he discussed the concept of proof and the idea that there are many things that science cannot prove. Yes, it can disprove many things, but in the strictest sense, proof is an elusive concept.

He went on to say that we cannot prove the existence of God. That is the province of faith. However, we need not be dismayed. This does not diminish the existence of God. Actually, it gives us the opportunity to BE the proof of God.

Jesus explained to his disciples that they (and succeeding generations) are to be the living witness of God’s existence. Certainly, the marvels of creation attest to God’s presence, but people attest to God’s character.

So, the word for today- be the proof of God’s existence and his love for humankind.  

Prayer: Lord, you have given us the great challenge and the great privilege to be the proof of your existence, Amen.

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.                                                 Ephesians 4:16

I heard that word a hundred times this morning.

I was in a strategic planning meeting this morning for a non-profit community agency which serves sexually abused children. This agency provides mental health services and clinical assessments for those abused children, and as such, works with law enforcement agencies and the courts to secure justice and healing for families and children.

It was so gratifying to see these different parts of our social service safety net work together for the benefit of hurting families and children. The program I saw at play was based upon collaboration for the sake of helping the most vulnerable members of society. The crucial element of the collaboration was humility.

That virtue was not directly mentioned, but it became clear to me that without the humility of each system to say that they alone did not have the answer to the problem, allowed them to use one another’s strengths and expertise for the benefit of those who needed help.  

What a beautiful way to make a community a little bit safer for families and children!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the virtue of humility to work in the best interest of your children.

“The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.”

Samuel Johnson

Funny how we yearn for “normal” when our sense of “normal” has been disrupted. So often, I talk with people who have had major stresses, such as physical ailments, relationship problems, employment issues- you name it. When those events change the normal routines to which we have become accustomed, we yearn for a return to normal- a return to what we know, the things that are soothing and give comfort to us. Even enjoyable vacations get to a point where we just want to get home and “return to our normal routines”.

I suppose the corollary of this is that we may not appreciate “normal” when we have it. In other words, we can feel bored, or under stimulated with the “same things day after day”. We all establish our own sense of normal, and even people who live in somewhat of a chronic stressful situation can eventually come to see their daily lives as normal to them.

So, I guess that when we are in our daily routines, we probably should be thankful for those comforting habits. I admit that I default to that a lot. I like my routines, which give me a sense of control and predictability. Nothing wrong with that, I think. I am remembering to be grateful for such mundane routines that I have established.

In fact, gratitude should always be one of those habits.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the little daily things that make “normal” for us, Amen

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us…                                Romans 12:6a

I was speaking the other day with a client who was talking about her frustration about not being able to articulate well her opinions about certain decisions that she and her husband need to make. They are “wired” differently in how they perceive the world. She is much more intuitive in the way she approaches decisions. Her husband is much more linear in his thinking.

He is prone to more logical processes, whereas she may be more circuitous in how she arrives at her conclusions. He can articulate his position in a more straightforward fashion, whereas she may take a more peripheral route to her explanations.

This I felt was a good example of left-brained v. right-brained thinking. These are tendencies where basic orientation of how one perceives the world shapes the way we problem solve. The left-brained orientation will lean toward logic and linear thinking. Novel approaches to problem solving are more likely to come from the right-brained person. Connections for them may not be as straightforward, but hold the possibility of novel solutions- ones that may not appear obvious to others.

Because her husband sees the world in a more straightforward, logic-driven way, he cannot always understand her way of thinking. She also has trouble explaining herself to him because they, in some ways, speak a “different emotional language”. My client struggles with this, and often ends up simply giving in, believing that she is probably wrong because she cannot explain her own internal logic to him.  

I explained to her that her thinking pattern is not wrong, just different. She is beginning to see this, and we are working on ways for her to better understand herself.

So many times, we see differences in people and assume that something is wrong. Isn’t it great that we are so different as we reflect the full image of God’s creation?

Prayer: Lord, you have made a diverse world, one that reflects your creative Spirit, Amen  

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.                                                                   Jeremiah 31:3

While cutting the grass yesterday – yes cutting the grass!- I listened to good old Pandora music. I heard so many great songs on the Petula Clark station that I curated. One of them was her classic “My Love”. When I was listening to the refrain lyrics, it occurred to me that this was a pretty good summary of how God loves us.  Here are the words:

My love is warmer than the warmest sunshine

Softer than a sigh

My love is deeper than the deepest ocean

Wider than the sky

My love is brighter than the brightest star

That shines every night above

And there is nothing in this world

That can ever change my love

So, those of you of a certain age will not only read these words, you will sing them, because you can’t help yourself. Insert the idea that this is God’s song to you.

It will make your day…

Prayer: Lord, your love for us is just like that! Amen