Why We Cannot Make Moments Holy

And we pray, not
for new earth or heaven, but to be
quiet in heart, and in eye,
clear. What we need is here.
(Wendell Berry)

I’m the first one at the church, and the morning light has long legs that stretch from windows to floors. I close the door to my office and light candles, to remind me that God is present, here and always.

Deadlines and budgets can be far away for a moment; the phone can ring to voicemail; e-mails can go unread.

It is me and three blank sheets of paper: a space to envision, a space to dream. Here, everything is permissible. Everything is possible.

I am not carving out a holy space in my life — all the spaces are holy. I am carving out a space in my heart to recognize the holy in the only moment I have: this one right now.

It is not that the sacred needs to be ushered into my life but that my attention needs to be drawn to the sacred that already covers me.

Let this silence, these small flames, this moment of pause reminders. I cannot make holy what is holy already.

All that is needed for worship is an open heart and a moment of attention. The rest is already here.

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What reminds you to be present to the everyday holy? When/where/how have you found unexpected moments of worship?

A poem of presence

Awe is an intuition for the dignity of all things,
a realization that things are not only what they are
but also stand, however remotely, for something supreme.

Awe is a sense for the transcendence,
for the reference everywhere to mystery beyond all things.
It enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the divine …
to sense the ultimate in the common and simple;
to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal.
Abraham Joshua Heschel

Coffee’s on,
subtle murmurs and gurgles from the machine,
familiar friend.

Nearby, the sound of the clock rings morning:
Wake up, this is your life.
Notice details: yellow table, glint of sunlight, the muted sound of traffic.
Heed to impatience, to comfort, to the pressure of wrist on wrist.

The whole world feels reduced to this moment,
the conversation between the wind at the window
and the hum of the refrigerator.

Steam rises slowly from the mug;
nothing and everything is happening at once.

The rush of the passing ushers in the stillness of the sacred,
the quiet
that reaches into the holiest temple of our hearts
and hushes us.

Infinite Possibilities

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May today there be peace within.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and
allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of you.
(St. Teresa of Avila)

Today I swept the kitchen, first thing in the morning,

to prepare for more visitors.

This house is like a way station, and one guest is hardly gone

before the next arrives. I feel grateful and full.

- – -

Today I walked home barefoot

because the sidewalk was warm and the air was cool

and the world was beautiful –

and I believe a beautiful world should be felt up close.

- – -

Today I ran into a friend at the train station,

an unexpected delight to us both,

and someone made space for us to sit next to each other

so we could chat.

Being Blessed…

Being blessed is

drinking steaming mugs of coffee in morning sunshine,

the feeling of grass under toes, soft cat fur under fingers, warm hands caressing shoulders,

the woosh of breath in and out of lungs that quickens to match the pounding of feet on pavement, the pounding of heart in chest.

Being blessed is

hearing “I love you” and “I’m sorry” and “I understand,”

saying “I love you” and “I’m sorry” and “I understand,”

being hugged by a stranger with soft, wet eyes who has told you their life story before they have even learned your name.

Being blessed is

sharing watermelon and spitting out the seeds all the way to the other end of the yard,

childhood memories of fireworks and oak trees and church pews,

hushed in the glow of stained glass sunshine,

the thrill of connection that comes just from holding his hand.

Being blessed is

the deepness of scripture becoming shallow enough to sink in,

the bad coffee and stale cookies and warm smiles at church potlucks,

the glimmer of God as she sparkles across the ocean waves,

as she swoops in pelican form toward earth,

as she tugs at your heart when you pray: Come, come, and may all our souls be homes.

Being blessed is

crying the kind of sobs that catch in your throat,

clenching your fist in anger when the news is bad,

feeling the pulse of your own power– you are someone who matters,

you are someone who changes.

you are.

Being blessed is being awake, wide and alive and salty.

It is to be created creature, made of mud, called by name, known to the depths of yourself.

It is to be weened from yourself, ushered into mystery, lifted and held in this very moment.

It is to be born, again and again, into goodness.

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Thanks for asking us, Emily, what it means to be blessed!

The Fullness of Joy

We do not have to die to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
In fact we have to be fully alive.
Thich Naht Hahn, Touching Peace, 8

Joy: A Continual Feast

One of my favorite Buddhist teachers, Pema Chödrön, writes:

Authentic joy is not a euphoric state or a feeling of being high.
Rather, it is a state of appreciation that allows us to participate fully in our lives.
The Places that Scare You, 79

Paul made this same connection. Most people are familiar with the line “the peace of God will guard you hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,” but we should take a look at what surrounds that passage:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say: rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to everyone.
The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-5

Paul connects the practice of living gently – with thanksgiving and peacefulness – with being joyful!

When you are filling your life with rejoicing, there’s no room left for worry or anxiety. You empty your life of that worry and anxiety in order to make room for gentleness and joy to fill your life, buoyed by thankful prayer.

And the result of living this kind of life? Deep, abiding peace moves in to guard your very soul.

Proverbs 15 declares that a “joyful heart has a continual feast” (Proverbs 15:15b). A continual feast! That bounty is already all around us: in God’s presence, in the beauty of our world, in the pleasures of living. It is joy that opens up our eyes to live fully into that goodness.

Practices of Fullness

So how do we actually bring this kind of authentic presence into our daily lives?

Here are five practices I use to participate fully in my life. (Note: None of these will be surprising or at all original. But these are often suggested because they are indeed effective and helpful.)

• Mindfulness – I took a mindfulness course recently, and I’ve been using some of the really basic practices learned there: a daily practice of mindful breathing, fostering compassion for myself and those around me, bringing awareness into my body and present experience, etc.

• Running – Running has always been an important practice for me. It gives my brain time and space to relax, to just kind of float with me while I run the beautiful neighborhoods of the East Bay. Running also helps me balance my health and sleep better.

• Journaling – I write, a lot. I try to also let myself draw when I feel led to, even though I’m not a very gifted visual artist. I write a lot of poetry, just to be able to express emotions that are holding me, so I can better move through them.

• Gratitude – Nothing kills anxiety like a good gratitude list. This is a practice I’d like to grow more. Listing things – small or significant – for which I’m grateful is always calming and healing for me. (If you want to develop a practice of gratitude, check out Ann’s resources.)

• Solitude – Because I’m someone who can easily fill up my life with other people’s feelings and words, I need to be sure to practice aloneness, so I become familiar with the ground of my own experience. Usually, this means prayer, worship, or hiking for me. I take the time to really ask myself what I need to relax, and then I make space for that activity to happen.

Share with us: what practices help you cultivate joy? How do you empty your life of anxiety and worry to make room for gentleness and joy? What does it mean to you to live fully?

P.S.

Living fully alive is a big theme for me! Want to read more about why I think living fully alive is an important part of the Christian life? Check out this post or this one or this one …