Staying Centered in the World of Today

This morning I found my thoughts centering around the challenge I think we all have at one time or another as we go through our day. That of taking in the concerns of our world at a global level, as well as those in the communities much closer to us: our nation, our city or town, our neighborhood and the communities of church and that more intimate group of people we hold most dear, our family and friends. When such a moment happens to me, as has very recently, I realize I have a choice: do I allow the words, the concerns of others to trigger within me feelings and associated thoughts that very easily could influence me to join in and take on the concern as an active one that I then share equally with those being expressed by others? Or do I recognize and acknowledge the source of all such energies, fear? I am grateful that my daily practices of prayer and meditation, along with the ever, on-going need to do the inner work of owning those aspects of my own human psyche, enable me to recognize I have a choice. I can draw upon my level of understanding and compassion for others as they express their concerns and beliefs and remain fully present, recognizing my role is to listen and understand without making any attempt to change how others see their world. And when I make that choice, I am given the gift of peace. I don’t need to do anything to fix the situation; it simply is what it is. And as I think about all of this, I realize there is another gift that comes with walking the path onto which I’ve been drawn by Spirit: the gift of gratitude and the feeling of Oneness with all that is. Those moments help sustain me when I find myself in the throws of my own humanity, momentarily separated from true reality, inviting others into my misperceptions of the world. And I am blessed to know others understand all of this. Have a blessed day! ♥️☮️♥️