"Faith"fully Yours

A friend of mine has suggested that this time of living with COVID-19 is really a call to live even more in the present moment.  I used to think that I did a pretty good job of living in the moment, but I am learning how untrue this is.  As long ago scheduled events drop off my calendar like leaves from a tree in autumn and as I try to figure out what to do each day, I am learning that I am a creature of habit; that I like being productive in a predictable way; that I believe in some longe range planning and that I define myself at least somewhat by my position/occupation.  I believe that each of these things are valuable to a point.  However, when this is all we have, then staying in and appreciating the present moment is a real challenge. As a person of faith in the divine, in a God who became one of us to show us the way to return to God, I believe that God is in everything.   Even when I find myself in a mess of a relationship or a difficult decision or tr...

In this new “pandemic” reality in which we find ourselves, I struggle with the thought that all of this is of God (or a punishment from God) and if we just had enough faith, we would be okay or that the virus and all its effects; physical, practical and economic would be straightened out and we would go back to the way things were.   These are my thoughts and by sharing them, I am hoping to open the conversation, rather than cause distress. So many have referred to a “new normal” toward which we are headed.   Social media is peppered with spiritually uplifting memes meant to remind the reader that underneath all the fear and upset is something more solid and reliable.   For me, as a believer, that something is God.   I believe in a God who created the universe and all its inhabitants out of a deep love and a desire to be in relationship.   I believe in a God who loves the world so very much that God became one like us in every way except sin. This is a God wh...

A friend of mine recently shared a poem by Mary Oliver called “Sometimes.”   Here is a quote I find particularly meaningful at this time:               Instructions for living a life. Pay Attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. How are you today?   Are you “living a life,” just marking time or somewhere in-between?   I suspect if we are honest, we are somewhere in the in-between.   Life as we knew it stopped somewhere in the month of March of this year and we have been actively trying to figure out what comes next day to day, moment by moment, ever since.   Living with the reality of COVID-19 has all the earmarks of living through a time of great upheaval and loss.   If you are anything like me, these days have had buoyant highs during which we rejoice in the many ways people are looking out for one another and trying their best to stay safe and healthy while at the same time grow...

Last week was kind of a “slow starter” sort of week. Not every day, or every part of every day, but as I look back on the week, that certainly characterizes the week.   What do I mean?   Well, most mornings it was hard to get up and start the day.   I did not feel unwell, but I did not feel “right” either.   My early morning prayer time seemed more like a time of trying to quiet the noise in my head than a time of listening for the presence of God.   Sitting down to whatever tasks of the day seemed like navigating through a sea of molasses.   And there were some “tasks” that did not get done – like the writing of these reflections. So here I am, at the start of a new week with some new energy and renewed direction.   This time of “stay at home” orders and living daily with the reality of COVID-19 is unlike any we have ever experienced. For many of us, our usual coping mechanisms aren’t quite up to the task.   And the stressors are new and ...