Ecclesiasticus 17:25 Turn back to the Lord and forsake your sins; pray in his presence and lessen your offense.
When I read this verse, it really resonated, but I wasn't sure at first why. What sins did I need to forsake? And then I realized that I have been mulling over the past, mistakes that I made in my life before coming back to my faith -- somehow whatever mistakes I have made since that time I don't regret because of my conviction that walking with God I am on the right path -- and finding myself awash in regrets that I thought I had resolved. As I thought about it, I wondered, "How is that sin?" I knew I didn't like it or the feelings it brought up; I feel stupid and helpless and sad and judgmental and critical. And then I realized that I was indulging in an exercise of self-sabotage as in, "Oh, my mistake was really bad, because it kept me from achieving this other thing, and thwarted my destiny," and on and on; it's an endless loop of self reproach that preoccupies my mind and stops me from focusing on God and appreciating all the blessings that God has bestowed on me in this life. It short circuits gratitude and fills me up with a certain kind of self-importance. "I should have known better! I should have done it right! I should be able to avoid mistakes, unlike everyone else in the world." That's pride. We all know that pride is one of the seven deadlies. I have also come to believe that it is my particular bugaboo.
Today this was reinforced as I sat in on a conversation with some people who could have given up after their mistakes, but instead are reclaiming their lives. Who am I to complain when I have been the unworthy recipient of so much privilege? Verse 30 says "For not everything is within human capability." Like perfection. Only God is perfect. These "mistakes" are part of who I am as a flawed human being, they are part of the circumstances that have brought me to where I am today, those that led directly to my reaching out to God, reconnecting with my faith and bringing me on this wonderful journey that I am on. When I dwell on the past, which cannot be changed in this material world of three dimensions, it eclipses the joy and satisfaction I have found in the present, challenges my faith and gets me doubting my purpose, and that means doubting the very path God is calling me to. Only by restoring God as the central focus of my thoughts, can I regain the sense of joy and peace that are the fruits of my spiritual path.
Prayer: Dear God, I am troubled again by the voices of the past, drawn into practices of doubt, regret, comparison and self-judgment. Let me focus my thoughts on You; call me back into Your Grace so that I may know the purpose You have set for me. Let me trust Your infinite wisdom to guide me on my path. Amen.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
He is not given a hearing
Ecclesiasticus 13:22 If the rich person slips, many come to the rescue; he speaks unseemly words, but they justify him. If the humble person slips, they even criticize him; he talks sense, but is not given a hearing.
How often do we hold different standards for different groups of people? When the privileged and powerful commit acts of betrayal, corruption or immorality, there is often a wave of sympathy for that person, and their acts are contextualized and balanced by other acts that are viewed as more moral and full of integrity. But when poor people, or other marginalized groups, commit similar acts it is often taken as emblematic of the whole group, and no one comes to their defense. Think "welfare queens" vs. kings of industry who commit fraud. Yes, Bernie Madoff got a very long, well deserved sentence, but that is not true of everyone of his ilk that commits such crimes. And very few receive the kind of vitriolic hatred that has been wreaked upon those at the bottom of the ladder who are actually hurting far fewer people. I don't excuse fraud wherever it shows up, but what happened to mercy and justice extended to the least of these?
Here's another example. When the massacre at Columbine happened, it was taken as a symptom of something going terribly wrong with our youth. But when a 55 year old white man slaughters innocent children, or shoots up the post office, no one wonders what is going wrong with middle aged white men; he is seen as an aberration, someone mentally ill deserving our pity more than our censure. Our political parties are apt to behave this way, also. Adultery is worse when it's committed by someone of the other political party; people call for solutions they are not ready to take themselves when they fall into the same behavior.
What is the point? Jesus told us to forgive, up to 70 times 7 times. The prophets call us to extend mercy and justice to all of those in our society, especially those at the margins. It is easy to get carried away by our emotions, and to have different responses to the same behavior in someone we know, love or feel akin to than to someone who feels "different" from us in some substantial way. Bias grows out of the specificities of our lives; none of us can escape it. But if we are aware of our own context, and how it may color our reactions, we can stretch ourselves to see beyond our biases, and extend the same understanding and justice to those unlike ourselves, as we do to those who feel familiar. Bias is not the problem, but our lack of awareness of our bias which can than trip us up without our knowing it. Like a bunch of white men who are convinced of their own objectivity interviewing a Latina supreme court nominee about her supposed "racism."
Prayer: Dear God, I know that I am host to many biases and wrong judgments about others. Let me see others with Your eyes, eyes that can hold people to account for their actions, and yet extend mercy to those who see the nature of their own wrongdoing. Amen.
How often do we hold different standards for different groups of people? When the privileged and powerful commit acts of betrayal, corruption or immorality, there is often a wave of sympathy for that person, and their acts are contextualized and balanced by other acts that are viewed as more moral and full of integrity. But when poor people, or other marginalized groups, commit similar acts it is often taken as emblematic of the whole group, and no one comes to their defense. Think "welfare queens" vs. kings of industry who commit fraud. Yes, Bernie Madoff got a very long, well deserved sentence, but that is not true of everyone of his ilk that commits such crimes. And very few receive the kind of vitriolic hatred that has been wreaked upon those at the bottom of the ladder who are actually hurting far fewer people. I don't excuse fraud wherever it shows up, but what happened to mercy and justice extended to the least of these?
Here's another example. When the massacre at Columbine happened, it was taken as a symptom of something going terribly wrong with our youth. But when a 55 year old white man slaughters innocent children, or shoots up the post office, no one wonders what is going wrong with middle aged white men; he is seen as an aberration, someone mentally ill deserving our pity more than our censure. Our political parties are apt to behave this way, also. Adultery is worse when it's committed by someone of the other political party; people call for solutions they are not ready to take themselves when they fall into the same behavior.
What is the point? Jesus told us to forgive, up to 70 times 7 times. The prophets call us to extend mercy and justice to all of those in our society, especially those at the margins. It is easy to get carried away by our emotions, and to have different responses to the same behavior in someone we know, love or feel akin to than to someone who feels "different" from us in some substantial way. Bias grows out of the specificities of our lives; none of us can escape it. But if we are aware of our own context, and how it may color our reactions, we can stretch ourselves to see beyond our biases, and extend the same understanding and justice to those unlike ourselves, as we do to those who feel familiar. Bias is not the problem, but our lack of awareness of our bias which can than trip us up without our knowing it. Like a bunch of white men who are convinced of their own objectivity interviewing a Latina supreme court nominee about her supposed "racism."
Prayer: Dear God, I know that I am host to many biases and wrong judgments about others. Let me see others with Your eyes, eyes that can hold people to account for their actions, and yet extend mercy to those who see the nature of their own wrongdoing. Amen.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
As Lovers of Learning
Ecclesiasticus: The Prologue Now, those who read the scriptures must not only themselves understand them, but must also as lovers of learning be able through the spoken and written word to help the outsiders.
It struck me as I read this that this is one of the main purposes of this blog! This book, known as Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach, is one of the group that we Protestants call the Apocryphal books, books that are not a part of the official canon of the church, but are nevertheless considered important as part of a larger understanding of scripture. It is full of daily wisdom. The Prologue was written by Jesus of Sirach's grandson, and gives some background to the writer, and includes the above statement as a kind of purpose for the writings. Not meant to be read straight through, it is meant as a guide for teaching how to live according to the Jewish law.
It seemed like an appropriate time for me to share where I have discovered whatever knowledge I have concerning the Biblical Scriptures. It has been primarily through a 4 year class at my Church called EfM -- Education for Ministry. A distance learning course through the Seminary at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN, it was originally intended for those seminarians who could not relocate and go to a residential seminary, but has been primarily utilized for lay people wanting to learn more about their tradition. The first year focuses on the Hebrew scriptures, what we Christians call the Old Testament; the second focuses on the New Testament. The third and fourth years trace both the history of the church and the development of its theology from the first century after Christ's crucifixion to the present day. What a fascinating journey it is, too! Four of us who have been in this class together across the whole four year span recently "graduated". The diocese held a wonderful ceremony for all of us, and we got a very impressive certificate from Sewanee that would be proud next to any other diploma you could find. It has been a fascinating journey, the end result bringing not so much an answer to my questions, as a whole different set of questions and an enormous set of books and theologians to explore in more detail. And my study enriches my reading of scripture every day, opens it up more fully and sharpens the message as it calls me to dig deeper, below the surface.
Prayer: Dear God, You have gifted me with such human knowledge of Your Holy Scripture as is available to me. Help me use that gift to open the Mystery of Your Presence to others, so they may know Your Saving Grace and Divine Peace. Amen.
It struck me as I read this that this is one of the main purposes of this blog! This book, known as Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach, is one of the group that we Protestants call the Apocryphal books, books that are not a part of the official canon of the church, but are nevertheless considered important as part of a larger understanding of scripture. It is full of daily wisdom. The Prologue was written by Jesus of Sirach's grandson, and gives some background to the writer, and includes the above statement as a kind of purpose for the writings. Not meant to be read straight through, it is meant as a guide for teaching how to live according to the Jewish law.
It seemed like an appropriate time for me to share where I have discovered whatever knowledge I have concerning the Biblical Scriptures. It has been primarily through a 4 year class at my Church called EfM -- Education for Ministry. A distance learning course through the Seminary at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN, it was originally intended for those seminarians who could not relocate and go to a residential seminary, but has been primarily utilized for lay people wanting to learn more about their tradition. The first year focuses on the Hebrew scriptures, what we Christians call the Old Testament; the second focuses on the New Testament. The third and fourth years trace both the history of the church and the development of its theology from the first century after Christ's crucifixion to the present day. What a fascinating journey it is, too! Four of us who have been in this class together across the whole four year span recently "graduated". The diocese held a wonderful ceremony for all of us, and we got a very impressive certificate from Sewanee that would be proud next to any other diploma you could find. It has been a fascinating journey, the end result bringing not so much an answer to my questions, as a whole different set of questions and an enormous set of books and theologians to explore in more detail. And my study enriches my reading of scripture every day, opens it up more fully and sharpens the message as it calls me to dig deeper, below the surface.
Prayer: Dear God, You have gifted me with such human knowledge of Your Holy Scripture as is available to me. Help me use that gift to open the Mystery of Your Presence to others, so they may know Your Saving Grace and Divine Peace. Amen.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Have it firsthand
Job 42:5 I admit I once lived by rumors of you, now I have it firsthand -- from my own eyes and ears.
What answers all of Job's complaints, dissipates his anger and finally shuts him up is the direct experience of the Presence of God. All the time that he had lived before his trials as a good man, a righteous man, he was following the rules, but he never experienced God's presence,so it was all at some remove, all as if by rote. Now he sees and hears, he knows God, doesn't just know about God. And that makes all the difference. In Getting Involoved With God, Old Testament scholar Ellen Davis points out the transformation that Job has gone through by noting the differences in how he is presented as a father. In the last paragraph of the book, which one could easily skim past without taking much notice, she points out two unusual things. One, though none of Job's sons are named, his three daughters are, and the names are wild and fanciful. Two, he leaves his daughters an inheritance along with his sons. These are acts almost of recklessness in a highly patriarchal culture, certainly against the norm and against the grain for the "respectable" culture of his day. Just the fact of having children, having lost all his previous children in one terrible accident, demonstrates Job's new willingness to live with risk. As Professor Davis puts it, "Job, this man of integrity who was once so careful, fearful of God and of the posssible sins of his children, becomes at the last freewheeling, breaking with custom to honor daughters alongside sons, bestowing inheritances and snappy names. The inspiration and model for this wild style of parenting is, of course, God the Creator. Job learned about it when God spoke out of the whirlwind." Only the transformative experience of meeting the Presence, the Ultimate Mystery can account for this change in Job.
What about you? Do you live by rumors of God or by direct knowledge? Do you know about God, or do you know God? Prayer and other contemplative practices are all about being in the Presence of God, of experiencing firsthand something of God's power in our lives. This is what has made a difference in my life, has given me the experience of carrying God's peace within me, sometimes at the most difficult of times in my life. This is what transforms, gives me power to endure, even to thrive, in the face of difficulty, which inspires me to write this blog so that others might get some sense of what God's Presence might do in their lives. It's not about being perfect, or being protected from every danger, like some superstitious amulet that's supposed to ward off evil. No, it's about having the power and the presence and the fortitude to wade through the most difficult times we face without being taken over by them; it's about finding our own definition of who we are through God's grace, rather than as the victim of our circumstances; it's about resilience in the face of calamity, like the resilience of Job, who is able to start again after all he had been through, to have more children in the face of terrible loss, to risk it all for love. It is loving in the face of risk, enduring in the face of disaster, thriving in the midst of destruction that are the fruits of an active, yearned for connection with God, the true God, the Creator, the Whatever It Is that sustains us in the face of all we go through, that brought us into being and draws us to Itself through all of our days, our Alpha and Omega, our beginning and end, our Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, our God, our loving, merciful God.
Prayer: Dear God, I am awed by Your Presence and Majesty. Help me to risk it all as I follow Your path, to offer it all to You that You may lead me to the deepest fulfillment of my soul. Amen.
What answers all of Job's complaints, dissipates his anger and finally shuts him up is the direct experience of the Presence of God. All the time that he had lived before his trials as a good man, a righteous man, he was following the rules, but he never experienced God's presence,so it was all at some remove, all as if by rote. Now he sees and hears, he knows God, doesn't just know about God. And that makes all the difference. In Getting Involoved With God, Old Testament scholar Ellen Davis points out the transformation that Job has gone through by noting the differences in how he is presented as a father. In the last paragraph of the book, which one could easily skim past without taking much notice, she points out two unusual things. One, though none of Job's sons are named, his three daughters are, and the names are wild and fanciful. Two, he leaves his daughters an inheritance along with his sons. These are acts almost of recklessness in a highly patriarchal culture, certainly against the norm and against the grain for the "respectable" culture of his day. Just the fact of having children, having lost all his previous children in one terrible accident, demonstrates Job's new willingness to live with risk. As Professor Davis puts it, "Job, this man of integrity who was once so careful, fearful of God and of the posssible sins of his children, becomes at the last freewheeling, breaking with custom to honor daughters alongside sons, bestowing inheritances and snappy names. The inspiration and model for this wild style of parenting is, of course, God the Creator. Job learned about it when God spoke out of the whirlwind." Only the transformative experience of meeting the Presence, the Ultimate Mystery can account for this change in Job.
What about you? Do you live by rumors of God or by direct knowledge? Do you know about God, or do you know God? Prayer and other contemplative practices are all about being in the Presence of God, of experiencing firsthand something of God's power in our lives. This is what has made a difference in my life, has given me the experience of carrying God's peace within me, sometimes at the most difficult of times in my life. This is what transforms, gives me power to endure, even to thrive, in the face of difficulty, which inspires me to write this blog so that others might get some sense of what God's Presence might do in their lives. It's not about being perfect, or being protected from every danger, like some superstitious amulet that's supposed to ward off evil. No, it's about having the power and the presence and the fortitude to wade through the most difficult times we face without being taken over by them; it's about finding our own definition of who we are through God's grace, rather than as the victim of our circumstances; it's about resilience in the face of calamity, like the resilience of Job, who is able to start again after all he had been through, to have more children in the face of terrible loss, to risk it all for love. It is loving in the face of risk, enduring in the face of disaster, thriving in the midst of destruction that are the fruits of an active, yearned for connection with God, the true God, the Creator, the Whatever It Is that sustains us in the face of all we go through, that brought us into being and draws us to Itself through all of our days, our Alpha and Omega, our beginning and end, our Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, our God, our loving, merciful God.
Prayer: Dear God, I am awed by Your Presence and Majesty. Help me to risk it all as I follow Your path, to offer it all to You that You may lead me to the deepest fulfillment of my soul. Amen.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Where were you?
Job: 38:4 Where were you when I created the earth?
We have heard Job's complaints, and his friends harangues; now, finally, God speaks in answer. And what a question! Where was he, indeed? Where were any of us? Not anywhere close, is the answer. Apparently, even our physics and mathematical calculations completely breakdown as we get close to what has come to be known as "The Big Bang". I will never forget reading in a book called Wrinkles in Time about the discovery of cosmic radiation, which is some of the data that supports the idea of the Big Bang, that we could not say anything about the beginning itself, only at a ten-millionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second later, that is 10 to the minus 42nd power. That is a time frame utterly beyond anything I can imagine; it is a number which has no actual or practical meaning to me, only a mathematical one. And the author had the temerity to say that the moment thus described was the first moment about which we could sensibly talk. Such a time frame is the farthest thing from sensible, in my book!
I guess the point is, whatever that beginning was, however we like to think we know something about it, it is utterly beyond our experience or capabilities. I have been told that even the first sentence in Genesis actually begins in the middle! So, even the Bible doesn't dare to say anything about that first moment, whatever it was. Contemplating such ideas, whether through theology or science, is one of the ways that I sometimes get a hint, just a glimpse of the immensity of God, of how far beyond my comprehension, or any possibility of knowing, God is. The paradox is that at the same time, God is as close as my breath; some would even say that God is my breath. It's like putting the enormity of the universe as we know it against the utter tininess of that fraction of a second I described above. What is it that can encompass such extremes? Only God. God -- incomprehensible, beyond all knowledge and thought, yet as intimate as my skin, utterly transcendent and immanent at the same time. And in the face of that, like Job, I have to shut my mouth and fall down in awe.
Prayer: Dear God, I thank you for the marvelous and amazing discoveries of science, which give me some hints at the wonder of Your Creation. Help me to understand that even as I study to know You more, full knowledge is always out of reach, and to bow before The Mystery. Amen.
We have heard Job's complaints, and his friends harangues; now, finally, God speaks in answer. And what a question! Where was he, indeed? Where were any of us? Not anywhere close, is the answer. Apparently, even our physics and mathematical calculations completely breakdown as we get close to what has come to be known as "The Big Bang". I will never forget reading in a book called Wrinkles in Time about the discovery of cosmic radiation, which is some of the data that supports the idea of the Big Bang, that we could not say anything about the beginning itself, only at a ten-millionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second later, that is 10 to the minus 42nd power. That is a time frame utterly beyond anything I can imagine; it is a number which has no actual or practical meaning to me, only a mathematical one. And the author had the temerity to say that the moment thus described was the first moment about which we could sensibly talk. Such a time frame is the farthest thing from sensible, in my book!
I guess the point is, whatever that beginning was, however we like to think we know something about it, it is utterly beyond our experience or capabilities. I have been told that even the first sentence in Genesis actually begins in the middle! So, even the Bible doesn't dare to say anything about that first moment, whatever it was. Contemplating such ideas, whether through theology or science, is one of the ways that I sometimes get a hint, just a glimpse of the immensity of God, of how far beyond my comprehension, or any possibility of knowing, God is. The paradox is that at the same time, God is as close as my breath; some would even say that God is my breath. It's like putting the enormity of the universe as we know it against the utter tininess of that fraction of a second I described above. What is it that can encompass such extremes? Only God. God -- incomprehensible, beyond all knowledge and thought, yet as intimate as my skin, utterly transcendent and immanent at the same time. And in the face of that, like Job, I have to shut my mouth and fall down in awe.
Prayer: Dear God, I thank you for the marvelous and amazing discoveries of science, which give me some hints at the wonder of Your Creation. Help me to understand that even as I study to know You more, full knowledge is always out of reach, and to bow before The Mystery. Amen.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Exploiting the Unfortunate
Job 24:3 They rip off the poor and exploit the unfortunate
I had supper the other day with a friend who is housing an Iranian woman who is applying for asylum in the United States. This woman joined us, and she was gracious and intelligent, serious and eager to learn. After only about 9 months here she spoke English better than I speak any foreign language, even after years of study, and was unafraid to ask when she didn't understand a word or a question. She is working as a nanny for a family with 3 boys under 4, and my friend had offered her a bedroom for the week-ends so she could gain some power in her work situation, by having some place else to go. My friend spoke with passion about her embarrassment for her country in how this woman had been exploited at every turn. I don't know the details of her situation, but clearly something terrible had required her to abandon everything, including grown children, to seek safety on our shores.
What is it that makes people feel they can take advantage of people who are in vulnerable positions, rather than feeling called to support and protect them? I know women who are normally fair-minded and yet expect their child's caretaker to work endlessly, be ever at their beck and call, foregoing time off to serve their needs. I remember a friend whose nanny couldn't show up one day because her own child was sick, which meant my friend had to scramble to deal with her own work situation. She actually, honestly asked me if she shouldn't fire this woman because she hadn't shown up for work. Yet, she would have been incensed if someone from her job had suggested that she be fired for missing work because of an ill child! Perhaps it's just easier to see when we ourselves are being exploited, and it's not so clear when those who are more vulnerable than we are are being exploited through our own actions.
I've focused on women in my examples, but I know there are equally many examples in men's lives. The point is that scripture is clear that we are to protect the vulnerable, take care of the "widows and orphans" as the prophets say, which stands in for all the vulnerable people in a society. I know that I try to be fair and open in my dealings with others, particularly those who provide various services for me, and it's often a balancing act of feeling that my kindness is being exploited, vs. exploiting the other for whatever their vulnerabilities may be. Can I examine all my dealings with others and be sure that I am not exploiting anyone? Maybe not, but I can ask God to help me live out the intentions of my faith, which is to deal with everyone in a respectful, fair-minded way.
Prayer: Dear God, I pray for those who may be exploited as a result of my actions, and ask your forgiveness. Moreover, I pray for Your Spirit to guide me, to open my eyes to the ways I exploit others and lead me in alternate paths, so that everyone I touch can feel the warmth of Your Love and Care. Amen.
I had supper the other day with a friend who is housing an Iranian woman who is applying for asylum in the United States. This woman joined us, and she was gracious and intelligent, serious and eager to learn. After only about 9 months here she spoke English better than I speak any foreign language, even after years of study, and was unafraid to ask when she didn't understand a word or a question. She is working as a nanny for a family with 3 boys under 4, and my friend had offered her a bedroom for the week-ends so she could gain some power in her work situation, by having some place else to go. My friend spoke with passion about her embarrassment for her country in how this woman had been exploited at every turn. I don't know the details of her situation, but clearly something terrible had required her to abandon everything, including grown children, to seek safety on our shores.
What is it that makes people feel they can take advantage of people who are in vulnerable positions, rather than feeling called to support and protect them? I know women who are normally fair-minded and yet expect their child's caretaker to work endlessly, be ever at their beck and call, foregoing time off to serve their needs. I remember a friend whose nanny couldn't show up one day because her own child was sick, which meant my friend had to scramble to deal with her own work situation. She actually, honestly asked me if she shouldn't fire this woman because she hadn't shown up for work. Yet, she would have been incensed if someone from her job had suggested that she be fired for missing work because of an ill child! Perhaps it's just easier to see when we ourselves are being exploited, and it's not so clear when those who are more vulnerable than we are are being exploited through our own actions.
I've focused on women in my examples, but I know there are equally many examples in men's lives. The point is that scripture is clear that we are to protect the vulnerable, take care of the "widows and orphans" as the prophets say, which stands in for all the vulnerable people in a society. I know that I try to be fair and open in my dealings with others, particularly those who provide various services for me, and it's often a balancing act of feeling that my kindness is being exploited, vs. exploiting the other for whatever their vulnerabilities may be. Can I examine all my dealings with others and be sure that I am not exploiting anyone? Maybe not, but I can ask God to help me live out the intentions of my faith, which is to deal with everyone in a respectful, fair-minded way.
Prayer: Dear God, I pray for those who may be exploited as a result of my actions, and ask your forgiveness. Moreover, I pray for Your Spirit to guide me, to open my eyes to the ways I exploit others and lead me in alternate paths, so that everyone I touch can feel the warmth of Your Love and Care. Amen.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
All the Experts
Job 12:1 I'm sure you speak for all the experts, and when you die there'll be no one left to tell us how to live.
Job is speaking sarcastically to his friend Zophar, who has come to provide comfort in Job's distress, and provides no comfort at all. When things aren't going well, it seems there is no shortage of advice. But is that what people need in their times of trouble? Do we who give advice really think they don't know what to do? That people can't figure out for themselves how to proceed? When tragedies happen, like they have happened to Job, most people know what to do; the difficulty is in figuring out how to be with whatever has happened, and all the feelings that are stirred up. So the problem then becomes, for those who visit the afflicted one, how do I sit with all the stuff that comes up for me in the face of this tragedy? Because if I really see the truth of it, I have to admit it could happen to me, too, and that's downright scary. To get around that, I make it somehow the other person's fault. In Job's day it was, "you must have sinned, you must have done something wrong for God to punish you this way." Today, it's, "they must not have eaten the right things, didn't have the right habits, they must have done something to invite this illness or tragedy." By blaming the victim, I can convince myself that their fate is under their control, and therefore, I won't have to face whatever it is because I'll do it right. Because the scariest thing to admit is that we have no control over our fates, ultimately, none at all. And how to sit with that is what the spiritual path is all about.
Prayer: Dear God, You have created a world for us that is full of dangers and uncertainty. Help us place our trust in You to get us through whatever we have to get through in this life without surrendering to the numbness of fear. Amen
Job is speaking sarcastically to his friend Zophar, who has come to provide comfort in Job's distress, and provides no comfort at all. When things aren't going well, it seems there is no shortage of advice. But is that what people need in their times of trouble? Do we who give advice really think they don't know what to do? That people can't figure out for themselves how to proceed? When tragedies happen, like they have happened to Job, most people know what to do; the difficulty is in figuring out how to be with whatever has happened, and all the feelings that are stirred up. So the problem then becomes, for those who visit the afflicted one, how do I sit with all the stuff that comes up for me in the face of this tragedy? Because if I really see the truth of it, I have to admit it could happen to me, too, and that's downright scary. To get around that, I make it somehow the other person's fault. In Job's day it was, "you must have sinned, you must have done something wrong for God to punish you this way." Today, it's, "they must not have eaten the right things, didn't have the right habits, they must have done something to invite this illness or tragedy." By blaming the victim, I can convince myself that their fate is under their control, and therefore, I won't have to face whatever it is because I'll do it right. Because the scariest thing to admit is that we have no control over our fates, ultimately, none at all. And how to sit with that is what the spiritual path is all about.
Prayer: Dear God, You have created a world for us that is full of dangers and uncertainty. Help us place our trust in You to get us through whatever we have to get through in this life without surrendering to the numbness of fear. Amen
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