Meditation for 14 April 2010
From The Rev. Peter A. Munson
Psalm 13 and John 15:1-5

Psalm 13

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me for ever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 4and my enemy will say, ‘I have prevailed’; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
5But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
John 15:1-5

15‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. 2He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 4Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.

Making A Shift

I woke up this morning feeling out of sorts. What to do? I took my dog, Sophie, for a run. That usually helps. I don’t just run because it benefits my physical health. There is no doubt in my mind that running is just as good for my mental and emotional and spiritual health, for countless times I have experienced this. There is no denying the mind-body-spirit connection thing (that the YMCA has promoted for over a century now).

The run was fine – it is a gorgeous day in Colorado today. But I was still feeling out of sorts after I ran.

I am learning more and more about what Gay and Katie Hendricks call “shifting”. You can shift your experience by breathing, my moving (one example would be running, but you can simply move around your home), and by going inside and paying attention to what is going on in your body. Again, with the body-mind-spirit connection, our bodies are often trying to tell us something.

When I paid attention to my body, I noticed that I was feeling heavy in my heart. That almost always is an indicator of sadness. What am I sad about today? I’m not exactly sure. But the important thing is to recognize it and acknowledge it. I am learning to do this in a matter-of-fact way, without judging it or trying to stop it. “It’s Wednesday and I’m feeling sad.” That’s the truth in this moment. Feeling our feelings and acknowledging them is another way to shift our energy, for feelings usually dissipate in a few minutes, if we allow ourselves to feel them. So I breathe and I feel, and it helps me to shift.

And I do another thing that often helps me to shift: I open up my Bible. Why does this help us to shift? Because the Bible can and often does (if we are open) lead us to a connection with the living God, the Spirit of God that dwells inside each one of us. And when I connect with God, especially when I am feeling sad or alone or isolated, I am reminded that I am NOT alone, that there is a power… a force… an energy at work in the world and in me, that is way bigger than me – a power with which I can reconnect – the power and energy of God.

It is interesting to me that when I read the Psalms, I often see this shift depicted. The Psalmist will be writing about a certain reality going on, and then, quite quickly (sometimes in one verse), the tone of the Psalm will change. The Psalmist has made some kind of shift move. Often it seems to involve remembering that God is present, or remembering and being grateful for all the helpful ways that God has shown up in the past.

In Psalm 13, the Psalmist begins, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me for ever?” The Psalmist is clearly feeling alone and isolated, confused and sad (verse 2). But then, in verse 5, there is an abrupt shift. “But I put my trust in your mercy; my heart is joyful because of your saving help.” And then verse 6: “I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt with me richly…”

We have the power to shift our energy, and to shift it quickly. This is especially true when we reconnect with God, and remember that our life is changed and our perspective is changed when we let God in – again. Jesus was always staying connected to his Father (“the vine-grower” – John 15:1). This was the way that he found continual sustenance, guidance, energy, and life. From that learning – that everything that he did stemmed from his connection to his Father – he was able to pass on the same truth to us. “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)

Sometimes the shift I need to make is only a few verses away. When I open up my Bible and read a Psalm or read some words from Jesus, I am reminded of some of the deepest truths in life.

I am not alone.
Apart from Jesus I can do nothing.

No matter what I may have been feeling fifteen minutes ago, I can sing to the Lord, for he has “dealt with me richly”.

Do you need to shift your energy? Try breathing. Try moving. Try noticing what you are feeling in your body. Try sharing what is going on with you by expressing it out loud to another person. Try opening your Bible, and let the deep words of truth there find a resting place in your heart and in your soul, and re-discover that God is indeed right there with you.

Do any or all of these things, and your energy will shift. God is with us. God is for us. Sometimes we just need a little reminder.