Faith in Action: Peace in the Storm
At Spiritual Life Center we are right in the middle of our fall Faith in Action series.
This year the series is centered around an incredible book by Kaira Jewel Lingo entitled We Were Made for These Times: 10 Lessons on Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption. Kaira was a student of the great Buddhist monk Tich Nhat Hanh.
The SLC series not only includes seven Sunday messages, but there are also many home study groups devoted to studying Kaira’s insights. On top of this we have artists who have made all of this come alive. Lastly Peg and I are leading sessions on Wednesday nights devoted to spiritually getting through these difficult times.
Recently I read a blog by a Colombian writer, Livys Lora Caro, that really drove home the importance of all of this. She lives in Atlantico, which is in the northern part of Columbia and right on the Caribbean Sea. It’s music, food, and festivals are known as some of the liveliest aspects of Colombian culture.
Nevertheless, Livys’ life was proving an old New Thought saying to be true: “You can’t help but to be in heaven. However, you can fail to recognize it.” By her own admission she was going through a very dark period in her life.
“It had been a long night filled with many thoughts, tears, and questions until finally I prayed and asked the Lord to allow me to sleep. I had many things going on in my mind, and yet at that moment they ceased and I was able to sleep. Tomorrow would be another day to tackle the chaos and burdens of my life,” she wrote.
Interestingly one of Livys’ favorite Psalms was also one that Myrtle Fillmore, the co-founder of Unity, often turned to for comfort and strength. Both Livys and Myrtle received power from the 91st Psalm, where it says:
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)
It was from her 91st Psalm experiences that Myrtle developed the concept of “Going Into The Silence” and “Silent Unity” (which is that great 24/7 beacon of prayer. It is literally just a phone call, email, or text message away from you. Try it in your times of need!)
That 91st Psalm experience is all about “that secret place of the Most High” where we feel one with the One — and we feel centered and empowered no matter what the outside world is doing.
Many of us feel that one of the most sacred places in all of Unity Village is the Prayer Chapel. It is small compared to many of the other sanctuaries at Unity Village, but up on the wall is a beautiful fresco with these words: “Peace, be still.” (Mark 4:39)
Remember when Jesus said this? Jesus and the disciples were on a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. A storm was raging, and the disciples thought the boat was going to sink. Jesus reminded them of the power of faith and prayer, and the sea became calm.
I don’t care if you take the above story literally, metaphysically, or some combination of the two. It is a powerful story that has much to teach us as we go through times like these.
As a Unity minister I wish I could tell you that I never go through times like Livys experienced. But that is not the case. Sometimes I wake up at 2 in the morning with that unnameable fear and dread.
However, thanks to what I have learned from great spiritual masters — including Kaira — I can now say to myself: “You have not taken your spiritual medicine yet. Rick, you know that you will be okay once you have had a 91st Psalm experience. So get started with your prayer and meditation… get started with your journaling… You know the power of Two Way Prayer and an Attitude of Gratitude. And while you are at it, you know the healing from forgiveness. So even if it is 2 in the morning, get started now!”
And I swear to you, this spiritual stuff really works for me. Similar to Livys, I find that it really does chase the blues away and gets our feet moving in the direction that they should be going.
As Livys remarks, “Realizing the impossibility of resolving the chaos around me on my own, I released my burdens to God, and God gave me rest.”
All the Sunday messages given so far in the series are up on YouTube, so it is not too late to join us in Faith in Action.
May you all be blessed by the Faith In Action series. I know that I have.
Many blessings,
Rev Rick
