Being the Beloved - A Monthly Blog from CFDM Northwest
By Rev Stan Jacobson, CFDM Board
I am a member of a Zoom discussion, prayer group that meets weekly, dealing with the issues surrounding our personal, racial understandings and our nations difficulties concerning racial hatred. This past week we had a very lively conversation around our nation’s longstanding violence toward Asians. As we neared the end of our time, I suggested that we spend some time in silence, after which we began to share with one another what God might have been saying to us during that time.
Racial problems seem so deep and so difficult to heal, and I commented that I need to learn to trust that God will show us how we are to proceed. A member of the group lovingly suggested that what we are doing is what God wants of us at this time. She said that we are on a journey together of prayer, learning and discovery and God is present in this moment, with us now, not simply in the future.
From my friend’s comments, which lasted only about thirty seconds, there are at least two profound reminders for me. First, I need to be reminded that our journey with God is not to accomplish something, to “fix” the issue. I am the type of guy who always wants to see what is around the corner, what is on the other side of the hill. It is hard for me to be satisfied with what is, for I am eagerly looking forward to what will be. I needed to be reminded that I do not need to know what the next step might be. “Today is the day of salvation,” the Apostle Paul wrote. I do not need to know what the next step might be. As our group meets weekly, we are learning, sharing, and growing and as we meet together there is God. Immanuel is present as we struggle to grow and understand our racial prejudices and how we are to love all people. Being so concerned about what is around the corner, it is easy for me to miss what is present in the here-and-now.
Secondly, my friend’s thirty second sharing reminded me of the importance of community. It is in community, deep relationships with others, that I grow. I need to hear the Holy Spirit’s wisdom as shared through my sisters and brothers. Joan Chittister in the book HOW SHALL WE LIVE? Because there is a monk in all of us wrote, “It is unlikely that most of us would have done anything of real significance in our lives if we had not been called to it by someone else. Everyone needs a wisdom figure in life.” It is easy for me to begin to rely upon my own private, spiritual disciplines, but perhaps one of the most important elements of the spiritual journey is community, a community that is deeply personal, deeply rooted in Christ.
Enjoy the journey, the present journey.
What books, media, activities are nurturing your heart, soul, mind, strength in this season as we are loving God and our neighbor as ourselves? Post in the comments below or hop on over to our Facebook page and share with one another.