Trust
“I trust
the mystery.”
Angeles
Arrien
Trust is a big issue
today. In a world that is expanding beyond the reach of many, if not
most people, we find it difficult to trust that there will ever be a
turn-around. When the big pictures are all negative, it's hard to hear
and see the small victories. We have to seek them out. We have to
look close-up instead of spending our time projecting into the future
and seeing only things to fear. We must ask, “What do I have right
now for which I am grateful?”
Most of the time, we
cannot see what the future holds. I'm thinking this morning about the
people who work for the federal government who are furloughed or
having to work without pay. Knowing how it feels to live
paycheck to paycheck, I am deeply concerned for them. Also, folks in
the United Kingdom are reeling from the failure of their government
to make an acceptable deal with the European Union. People there
don't know what will happen next. The ground beneath their feet feels
less stable than it has in decades. And I'm thinking about all
migrants everywhere, who don't even know where their next meal will
come from. There is much to strike fear into our hearts and minds.
When we allow fear to
overcome us, however, we constrict. We essentially hold our breath
and tense our muscles, and when we do that, we limit the supply of
oxygen to our brain and body. Under such conditions, we don't think
straight, and fear tends to grow. During this time of being at the
mercy of incompetent governments, more than ever we must take control
of our fear—breathe deeply, calm ourselves. In the silence of that
breathing and calming, there is a possibility that we can begin to
feel trust again. We can choose to live in fear, or we can trust the
mystery of life unfolding in unexpected ways. We can also trust
ourselves to be industrious and creative in finding means to weather
the storm.
Overcoming fear requires
pulling together with others to find solutions—pooling assets and
sharing. It may mean a trip to a community food bank for folks who
never imagined themselves in need of charity. It may increase our
compassion for people who live in that limbo all the time. It may
even lead to gratitude for having our eyes opened to all that we have
taken for granted. Living in gratitude is incompatible with living in
fear.
Angeles Arrien wrote,
“Rarely do we realize that if we simply take time to marvel at
life's gifts and give thanks for them, we activate stunning
opportunities to increase their influence in our lives.” We can
trust ourselves, and we can trust one another, and we can trust that
all things change with time. Take a nice, deep breath and give
thanks.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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