THE ANOINTING (PART III)

What I hope to convey in this final series of thoughts based on Paul’s “fruit of the spirit” (Galatians 5:22) is how the Holy Spirit’s presence anoints, that is, brings its holiness--its capacity to make all things truly new--to every situation. Living our day conscious of this changes everything from how we interpret what happens to us to how we feel about ourselves in light of it to how we respond to the situation.   

 

This anxiety and angst I’m feeling . . . .

is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s love.

This disappointing setback I’m dealing with. . . .

is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s joy.

This sudden turn of events in my life . . . . 

is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s peace.

This longing to be loved deep inside me . . . . 

is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s patience.

This cruelty I’ve committed against my neighbor . . . .

is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s kindness.

This caring for all of creation . . . . 

is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s faithfulness.

This painful loss and grief I’m experiencing . . . . 

is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s gentleness.

This inner ambivalence that’s plaguing me . . . . 

is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s self-control.

SAFEHOUSE

Every autumn 

the temperature drops enough

from dusk to dawn so that, 

in the early morning sun, 

the wall surrounding our picture windows 

softly, randomly creaks and crackles 

as its wood warms to the new day. 

It’s an oddly comforting, even cozy sound 

that makes me feel safe, protected, peaceful.

I remember hearing the same creaking 

when I woke up before the others,

went downstairs in my pajamas,

and sat in my grandfather’s lap

while he sat in his favorite chair 

by the big living room window 

in their little house out in the country. 

I remember hearing the same crackling

in the wall behind the radiator

near where my mother loved

to compose long newsy letters 

with flawless cursive penmanship

while sitting at her writing desk

in the nook beside the stairs 

that led up to the bedrooms 

in our big house in the little town

where I grew up. 

THE ANOINTING (PART II)

What I hope to convey in this three-part series based on Paul’s “fruit of the spirit” (Galatians 5:22) is that the Holy Spirit anoints absolutely every life experience with its ubiquitous presence and power--opening in us an array of responses that are un-conventional and “un-worldly”--yet readily available. This is the purpose of the Holy Spirit...in real time.  

This unthinkable tragedy is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s love.

This ego-humbling experience is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s joy.

This irascible relationship is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s peace.

This chasm of despair is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s patience.

This anger-invoking encounter is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s kindness.

This thimbleful of initiative is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s generosity.

This intractable illness is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s faithfulness.

This humiliating failure is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s gentleness.

This wellspring of wellbeing is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s self-control.

STOP THE NARRATIVE

We humans are storytellers. Little stories. . . “Yeah, they had this great sale at...” Big stories. . . “I’m pregnant!” Sweet stories. . . “We got a new puppy!” Scary stories. . . “Looks like Ida made landfall...” We share stories whenever we talk, text or transmit info to others be they family, friends, coworkers, colleagues or even complete strangers. (Think: social media)

Further, we each have our own “life story”. . . our cumulative and accumulating personal narrative complete with our very own custom experiences of agony, ecstasy and everything in between.

When I call it our “personal narrative” I mean personal! It’s the meta-script we repeat in our heads all day (and night) long--WHAT WE TELL OURSELVES ABOUT OURSELVES--upon which we base our sense of identity, meaning and purpose. Powerful stuff! It includes the good, bad, and yes, ugly self-talk going on incessantly in our heads. Actually, our minds are just doing what we've taught them to do--what they do best--piecing disparate things together into a framework out of which we make sense of life. And in real time! They do it unconsciously. Without being asked, and more importantly; without asking for permission. 

Which is why it’s so important that we stop the narrative. At least, some of the time.

To be more specific, just because we have a personal narrative, it doesn’t mean it’s healthy. (Got any bad habits, blues or baggage?) And like our bodies, our minds need down time, need to rest as deeply and completely as possible. Further, our meta-narratives act like black holes, i.e. our most powerful, overarching narrative either incorporates or consumes all our smaller stories. (Star Trek’s Borg: "Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!") And worse, in sum or part they can take on a life of their own--insofar as we believe them--believe they define our reality! 

If these aren’t reasons enough to regularly review and reset our personal narratives, we also have collective narratives (in our families, groups, organizations, even whole nations), some of which are extremely dangerous and destructive. Just read or listen to the latest news update. 

Fortunately, fortunately, fortunately. . . we get to choose. 

We get to choose how to perceive, interpret and respond to what happens to us every day, every minute, every moment. Doing so, however, requires one thing: consciousness. To be conscious of our personal narrative is to stop and step out of it (or any part) so that at least momentarily, we are not the participant. We are the observer, the witness, and the actor from without. Here, from this always-available vantage point, we can see and alter it. (This, I believe, is the essence of all Jesus's parables.)

There’s just one catch: We have to think in order to do so. So please...

TODAY.

LET’S GIVE THE WORLD & OURSELVES A GIFT.

LET’S TAKE TIME TO THINK ABOUT OUR PERSONAL NARRATIVES.

CLAY

Today is yesterday’s tomorrow.

Its clay now soft. Warmed. Calling.

Waiting for the strong supple fingers 

of my heart, my mind, my spirit

to work their magic once again.

Beckoning this never-before me,

the one I will become today,

to sculpt even as I am being sculpted,

to create even as I am being created,

to trust even as I am being entrusted

with so soft and wondrous a gift 

as this clay we call life.

THE ANOINTING (PART I)

What I hope to convey in this three-part series of writings, based on Paul’s “fruits of the spirit” (Galatians 5:22), is how the Holy Spirit’s presence anoints and therefore changes everything, opening us to unconventional and “unworldly” ways of responding to whatever comes our way today.

This fear-filled life is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s love.

This agonizing moment is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s joy.

This conflict of wills is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s peace.

This resolution-defying situation is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s patience.

This cesspool of wrongdoing is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s kindness.

This scarcity mentality is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s generosity.

This boiling cauldron of doubt is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s faithfulness.

This jostling with injustice is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s gentleness.

This addiction to freedom is anointed with the Holy Spirit’s self-control.

WHY ARE WE HERE?

To conquer? No.

To console.

To control? No.

To relinquish.

To disparage? No.

To encourage.

To wallow? No.

To hallow.

To ensnare? No.

To ensure.

To silence? No.

To celebrate.

To offend? No.

To offer.

To estrange? No.

To reconcile.

To withdraw? No.

To welcome.

To detach? No.

To engage.

To disempower? No.

To legitimize.

To condemn? No.

To honor.

To negate? No. 

To affirm.

To confuse? No.

To clarify.

To rant? No.

To resolve.

To frighten? No.

To free.

MOSTLY MYSTERY

Like most people on the planet, I love a good mystery.

That’s good because life, it seems, is mostly mystery. Not only are complete strangers a mystery, at times the people we live with can be, too! And, as if that weren’t enough, well, have you looked in a mirror lately? Maybe the reason we love a good mystery so much is because it’s where we live. 

Think about it. At some level, everything is (or was) shrouded in the unknown--as if the mysterious side of life is playing a game with us--a game that’s so sophisticated that it calls forth our very best and most creative thinking (e.g. cutting edge scientific or medical research) and yet one so simple (like tying our shoelaces) that once we’ve got it, we’ve got it for good. Let’s remember, though, there was a time before shoelaces!

It reminds me of Hefner, a Russian Blue cat our son asked us to adopt while his life was in transition. “Just two months, Mom and Dad, I promise!” Six months later we still had him. And loved him. Why? For one thing, after a short time we came to understand that whether we realized it or not, we were always part of a game. Always!  

Life, with all its mysteries, is like that. We aren’t just invited to play. By virtue of birth, whether we catch on or remain clueless, we’re in. Always!  

Even the wisest among us only get this “mystery” of life some of the time. The rest of us? Well,  maybe on a good day . . . but that’s part of the game, too. 

Whatever the case, it’s our turn. 

TODAY.

LET’S GIVE THE WORLD & OURSELVES A GIFT.

LET’S TAKE TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE THINK.