What a week! My faith has been put to the test after the riot that took place in the Capitol. I am told that the command, do not kill, actually means, do not hate my brother or sister. I am also told to forgive. That has been very, very difficult for me to do. But here is where my faith comes in. Because I have access to help. Supernatural help. And it makes all the difference.
I want to dive a bit deeper into this, yet I fear alienating those of different faiths. But I am plunging in anyway, because that is why the Meadow exists, to have deep conversations about the things that matter most. Let’s start with Lord of the Rings. I love quest stories, my hands-down favorite theme in books. Not only does good win over evil, but the protagonist is changed by the end of the book, becoming more human (Pinocchio), braver (Frodo), even more confident (Wrinkle in Time). In these stories, you can count on two things: obstacles for the protagonist (dragons, illness, terrible circumstances, treachery, lies) and help along the way, usually in unexpected places.
Photo by Mike Swigunski on Unsplash
In Lord of the Rings, Galadriel gives the Fellowship gifts that help them on their quest, such as elven cloaks that shield them from the enemy, and the Light of Eärendil for Frodo, to light the darkness. These gifts are incredibly helpful at particular points in the journey, but they are finite and limited. There were many other dangers faced by the Fellowship, and others helped along the way.
I think we are also on a quest—to be more authentic, more loving, more real, and more alive. And we have helpers along the way (I want to tell you sometime about those who have helped me along the way). And just like in a quest-themed story, we face metaphorical dragons—a loss of a parent, an illness or disability, a mental health issue, loss of friends, loss of one’s job, a betrayal, divorce, addiction. And the thing I want to say, the thing that is scary for me to say, is that I believe the universe is cheering for us on our quest. It’s bent towards our good. And that when I say universe, I mean God.
Further (even scarier for me to write), that God is not distant or remote, but very present. So present that he became human for a little while to help us on our quest. So he knows what the road feels like, what pain and suffering feel like. And now that he is no longer human, he can help us by giving us supernatural gifts (aka, grace).
I didn’t believe this for a long time, but when I was facing one of the most awful dragons of my life, I called out to this person (let’s call him Friend for now, to avoid all the negative connotations around his given name), and I was, literally, rescued from that darkness. And since then, as I have chosen to allow this connection to flourish, there continues to be grace upon grace, blessings upon blessings, that are helping me on my own quest and which rescue me from new dragons. It’s more than what Galadriel gave Frodo, because it isn’t one gift, it’s daily, as long as I orient myself to receive it and consent to it.
So, how does this relate to the events of the past week? Well, in prayer and meditation, I saw and felt my anger. I sat with it, in the light of God’s presence and love, and my heart softened a bit. And then I felt deep within me that I was called to love and forgive family members that held onto beliefs that I thought were destructive to our country. And I saw that I couldn’t do it on my own. I would just end up being judgmental and angry, and this wouldn’t change anything. So I prayed for help— supernatural help—to the Friend. And my heart softened some more. I stayed receptive for how to move forward, and after a little while, I was inspired to have coffee with this person and be vulnerable and share my thoughts in a non-judgmental way. I prayed with a sense of surrender (and a bit of fear) on the way over, surrendering my agenda and my need to be right, and then a kind of peace came over me. It was like I was still myself, but with a superpower of kindness and love that helped me rise above the anger I had been stewing in for days. The conversation went very, very well. For that moment, at least, I had conquered a dragon that had been causing me and my family harm.
These are the kinds of things I want to discuss here in the Meadow. Next, I want to discuss what I meant above when I wrote that I oriented myself to receive grace and also what it means to consent to it. I hope to get an issue out every 1-2 weeks, and I totally understand if you want to unsubscribe after reading all this. But I am going to keep writing this as long as I have at least 10 folks here in the Meadow with me.
As always, I look forward to your thoughts and comments. And if you know of someone who might be interested in joining us in the Meadow, I would be so grateful if you shared with them.
-Michele