How Do I Respond?
How Do I Respond? (Part One)
How do we—you and I—respond to the world in which we live? When all seems so chaotic, uncertain, and out-of-control, how do I, right here, right now, respond?
I find myself sighing a whole lot these days, many times at the edge of tears, running through the gamut of emotions like anger, frustration, grief, and weariness. As the psalmist laments, “How long, O Lord? How long?” How do I respond when it all seems so overwhelming? For the next two weeks, I will share what has been helpful for me in navigating this time in history.
Most of the time I pause. I turn off the relentless chatter of breaking news, power down my other devices, and go outside. I sit in my swing and listen to the sounds around me. The birds, a car going by, people talking, children playing, everyday sounds that remind me of the constancy of life. I watch the sunrise and the sunset and marvel at the infinite night sky, the moon, and the stars. These simple gifts of everyday life ground me and give me a sense of comfort, like a warm blanket on a cold night.
I recall stories I’ve heard of resilience, how throughout history people have taken right actions to push through hard times. God is the Creator of all. All living things have divine DNA. It does not matter what we call the God of our limited understanding, we are all related, Mitakuye Oyasin as the Lakota people say—“all are related”. By virtue of the One who “formed [us] in [our] mother’s womb…[we] are fearfully and wonderfully made” as the Creator’s beloved children on this planet called earth. (Psalm 139:13-14) We are made to be in relationship. My perspective begins to shift. I move to a place of gratitude and awe at how God continues to stay with and work through us even in our human failings.
With this interconnectedness in mind, I pray. Years ago, I heard a prayer of loving kindness from a Buddhist friend. “May all be safe. May all be happy. May all be peaceful. May all live with ease.” Each morning I do a variation of this prayer.
Using prayer beads a friend made for me I pray:
The first bead is for me. If I cannot ask this for myself, it would be dishonest to ask it for anyone else.
May I be happy, healthy, and safe. May I be courageous and wise, compassionate, and forgiving. May I be respectful of myself, others, and the world. May I live in peace and be grateful.
The second bead is for my family. I name and see them in my mind’s eye, then pray:
May we be happy, healthy, and safe. May we be courageous and wise, compassionate, and forgiving. May we be respectful of ourselves, others, and the world. May we live in peace and be grateful.
The third bead is for my friends and acquaintances. I name and try to picture some who may be going through some difficult times or celebrating something.
May we be happy, healthy, and safe. May we be courageous and wise, compassionate, and forgiving. May we be respectful of ourselves, others, and the world. May we live in peace and be grateful.
The fourth bead is for all people everywhere. All people. I try to bring images of people in different parts of the world. People I don’t know and will never meet.
May we be happy, healthy, and safe. May we be courageous and wise, compassionate, and forgiving. May we be respectful of ourselves, others, and the world. May we live in peace and be grateful.
The fifth bead is for those with whom I sorely disagree, dislike, and struggle to tolerate for whatever the reason. You can call them enemies or name names or behaviors that are abhorrent to you. These, too, are God’s beloved children and our siblings, whether we like it or not.
May we be happy, healthy, and safe. May we be courageous and wise, compassionate, and forgiving. May we be respectful of ourselves, others, and the world. May we live in peace and be grateful.
The sixth bead is for creation, the rest of God’s world. I picture the vast diversity of flora and fauna, the critters, the mountains, meadows, waters, sky, deserts, the beauty of what God has created. I pray we do a much better job being stewards of God’s creation.
May all be happy, healthy, and safe. May we be courageous and wise, compassionate, and forgiving. May we be respectful of ourselves, others, and the world. May we live in peace and be grateful.
Continuing around the circle, the next six beads I ask for help for each, and the last six I simply say “thank you” for each.
As I have prayed this prayer over the years, I have gained a different perspective on what it means to be interconnected, to be in relationship with others and our natural world. I begin to see myself in others and others in myself. Some days, the prayer brings tears to my eyes. Most days, it reminds me of my one tiny part in the grand scheme of things and influences how I am called to respond to the world in which I live.
Blessings,
Donna
Rev. Dr. Donna Patterson serves as Anam Cara Chaplain in Residence for Scarritt Bennett Center and directs the Center’s Soul Work program.