A Meditation Moment

We are almost finished completing our meditation through the Serenity Prayer. Breathe on this…

God [pause], I Trust that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will [pause]...

Breathe and consider your willingness to trust. Ask God to help you in your unbelief.

And then….conclude: “Help me in my unbelief!”

As with most things, we are both/and. We believe. We doubt. This does not make us double-minded, which is not recommended. It makes us honest about our complexity. In truth, knowing that we desperately believe and we have doubts indicates that we have something else going for us that is super important: we tell the truth about ourselves. We are humble enough to recognize that we are not always consistent in living faithfully.

A Meditation Moment

There are various versions of the Serenity Prayer, and various attributions as to the author (Reinhold Niebuhr is a popular guess). Today we will continue with the longer version.

God [pause]

Living one day at a time [pause], Enjoying one moment at a time [pause], Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace [pause], Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it [pause]

What will today bring? Consider living it well, wisely, with gratitude. Breathe.

Meditation Moment

Today, try a loving kindness meditation. Think of someone and find your gratitude for them. Name at least five things about them you appreciate. Move on to another person and pray gratitude and appreciation for them in five specific ways. Do this as long as time and concentration permits. Gratitude is super good for us. It has more benefits than eating cruciferous vegetables and flossing. Just kidding - but it is really, really good for our souls!

Meditation Moment

Mindfulness meditation is as simple as sitting, breathing, and focusing on the present moment and breath. Research indicates that this is extremely helpful especially for folks struggling with depression and anxiety. I like to start my time of meditation with this opening prayer, “God, I am going to sit here and simply be present. I do this as an acknowledgement that you are God and I am not. So I sit in honor of you.”

When your mind gets distracted with thoughts and worries and plans for the future, just take a deep breath and refocus on the sit.

A Prayer for Wednesday

Father, Give us a heart for earnest seeking.  Help us appreciate the value of unconditional love and the real risk associated with knowing that all our relationships are appropriately conditional.  Grant us the discernment to wisely understand that we can ruin relationships if we stubbornly resist change. Guide us as we navigate our own struggles with people who have betrayed us and for whom we have lost trust.  And in all these things pour your grace and mercy upon us for we are weak and without you we are hopeless.

Amen