A New Time

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Awakened, covenant, Hebrews, resolve, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

As our new President, Joe Biden, begins to re-establish order to the political system and the life of the nation, we hear the words of The Letter to the Hebrews which proclaims a new covenant. It could be a message for us today as we read or hear God’s promise: I will put my laws in their minds and I will write it upon their hearts. I will be their God and they shall be my people…all shall know me from the least to the greatest…

It feels a bit like a mighty wind has blown through the country and dissipated the heavy fog that has covered us for so long. It is also in some ways as if we have awakened from a long sleep. Some of us are still a bit groggy and slow-moving, but our desire is now awakened for the future. May our resolve be strengthened and our hearts be turned to know again how great is our God and faithful in good times and bad. May we have learned this truth as the sun begins to shine again.

What Can One Do?

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Awakened, awareness, caring, challenges, concern, mindful, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Last night we had a thunderstorm that rumbled for quite awhile and poured torrents of rain on our land as if every cloud was ripped open and burst all at once. I had a moment of wishing to go out and stand under the rain to be washed clean but the lightning convinced me to take a safer path. Looking out the window into the dark was not as fulfilling but definitely a more adult option.

Suddenly there was a thunderclap that woke those who were asleep and called us all to gather in one place in the house. Had a tree fallen? Was there an electrical outage? It truly sounded like two giant boulders smashing into one another. There was nothing to do but sit in the dark and wait. After some moments we expected nothing more than a continuation of the rain, the weakened effort of the the thunder and lightning, and a surrender to the night. But were we changed?

Anything can be a call to awareness. There are places in our country where the storm that disturbed us for a moment was wreaking havoc for inhabitants as a hurricane. Were we concerned for their safety last night? If we had been living in one of the war zones in the world, that moment might have been catastrophic. Are we mindful of the “hotspots” in the world? Do we consider the dangers that some people face every day of their lives? We are living now in the midst of a pandemic. Has it changed us for the better, made us more mindful and caring of people less fortunate than we are? How do we meet the challenges of each day now?

I wonder what one thing I will do, one thought I will think today to make someone happier…to care for someone in need…to be grateful for my life.