November 4, 2018

“There is grace in the world and some of it is for me.”

That quotation is from an extraordinary story told by Auburn Sandstrom at one of The Moth’s storytelling events.

There is grace in the world and some of it is for every person, including each of us.

There is grace in the world and, just as important, much of it comes from people – from us.  Whether, when and how to be agents of grace is entrusted by the Holy Spirit, and by our consciences, to each of us.

[Ms. Sandstrom’s story: https://themoth.org/stories/a-phone-call.]

The get-away-with-it culture

Many people abuse others, and society, by breaking the law - violence, driving drunk, cheating, stealing, etc. - or failing to honor basic social values of honesty, responsibility, charity and live-and-let-live, confident that they'll get away with it.
If we really hold and wish to maintain those values, let's work to change the get-away-with-it culture, starting by ending any get-away-with-it attitude in ourselves and not rewarding it in others.

Reality check #8: the take-give balance

Each moment of life includes a complex combination of taking and giving.  Like inhaling and exhaling, this is mostly unconscious, but there is value in increasing our consciousness and personal responsibility.
We take in oxygen and nutrition.  We give love, kindness, compassion, patience – and some thoughtless, regrettable behavior.  We take rest and we play, sometimes at great expense.  We give work, sometimes with great effort, in paid or unpaid service to others, from which we take fulfillment – but at some point we say "enough."  We take support and joy from as many of our relationships as we can – person-to-person, citizen-to-society, human-to-nature – usually in some proportion to what we give to those relationships, but sometimes coasting on a feeling of entitlement.  
With every breath, we continue the cycle of take and give, with some conscious or unconscious effort at balance.
I am alive and well: I know I am taking the basic necessities of life - and more.  Is my taking and giving in a reasonable balance? 
Am I pulling my weight in human society?
Is what I am doing or about to do consistent with the take-give balance I wish for a fulfilling life?

October 21, 2018

Every conscious moment is a crossroads; a choice of what to do; and thus vulnerable to anxiety and regret.

Every human life – each life being a series of moments, of choices – is vulnerable to anxiety, regret, travail and discouragement.

Hope is vulnerable, too, but resilient: after a setback, hope helps us to press on toward our goals and to persevere in the service of others which gives life meaning.

Holy Spirit, we are just individuals, but please help us to cultivate hope and resilience through clarity of what we can do, and through love.

Reality check #7

Ask of any good thing (including the absence of its opposite - horrible, difficult or merely unpleasant or inconvenient things): do I feel entitled to that good thing?
On what basis? 
Is it something guaranteed by law? 
Is it something I earned?
Or is it something to which I'm more comfortable feeling entitled than admitting I just want it?
Am I justifying what I want rather than cultivating gratitude for what I have?
Am I willing to learn, even to work hard to learn, facts and conditions - starting with the advantages I've enjoyed which countless others have not - to which I might be blind, or comfortably unconscious, because my ignorance helps me feel entitled to what I have?

Relationships built on genius

If you believe there is something holy in every person, doesn't that mean there is a spirit of grace and of creativity - of genius - in every person?
What does it cost you to seek and acknowledge the grace and genius in others?
Imagine how your seeking and acknowledging the grace and genius in others could help them find it within themselves. 
Imagine relationships built on seeking and appreciating each other's genius! 
- God (attrib.)

October 7, 2018

Holy Spirit, in these times of conflict, fear, physical and emotional violence, and confusion, with injustice, self-righteousness and pain seemingly all around us, we seek your guidance.

What are we to do?

Today, the response I get is this:

“For what moment have I not prepared you to do your best?

“Also: accept discomfort, at least sometimes, for it is essential to growth.”

(Spoken at Connecticut Valley Quarterly Meeting)