Keeping Our Center ~ Day 80

My whole goal with these daily reflections was to help all of us stay centered and connected while we isolated to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. I wanted us to remember that we weren’t alone, that God is with us every moment of every day, not as some far off being, but as real as the breeze in our hair and the chocolate in our cookies. I wanted us to remember that our community sustains us whether we meet in person or not. I wanted us to remain centered on positive things instead of getting sucked into the negativity of 24/7 news channels.

Now, as if a pandemic wasn’t enough to contend with, we’re dealing with the heart-wrenching murder of George Floyd, the use of violent measures on peaceful protestors, and the appalling hijacking of a Bible as a political prop. Remaining centered gets more and more challenging by the hour. No wonder even Jesus turned over the tables in the temple.

I keep thinking about a metaphor I used in a sermon a while ago. In it I talked about how life is like a merry-go-round. Do you remember riding on a merry-go-round (not a carousel) where someone spins you around as fast as possible and you try to stay on? If you are sitting in the center of the merry-go-round, you remain fairly stable and calm, but if you let yourself get pulled toward the edge it gets harder and harder to hold on due to the centripetal force. Yeah, well, I find myself getting sucked out of the nice calm center fairly often these days. And, sometimes it’s awfully difficult to get back.

Honestly, I think that must be why Jesus took time away from other folks. He didn’t have news channels to contend with, but I bet the rumor mill worked just fine passing along the latest slam from the Pharisees, or the most recent atrocity by the Romans. To maintain one’s center and perspective in the midst of swirling chaos, one must take time for a deep breath, some quiet, and step back. Eventually it will be safe to engage again from a place of balance, compassion, peace and justice.

I’m just going to keep working at it.

Love & Light!

Kaye