Good morning…
“Sue,” she texted yesterday, “we are also at the beach on St. George island. This morning we watched the sun rise in the east and to the west we saw dark threatening clouds moving across our beautiful island. But looking up between the light and the darkness was a full rainbow celebrating God’s promise of his presence. I am reminded that between joy and fear there is always God’s presence, if we only look up.”
“Here in Grayton Beach, we had a wild night,” I replied. “High winds. Pelting rains. Very intense. I actually am grateful for the small slice of solidarity it brings for me with the people in Louisiana and Mississippi and the hours of pummeling they endured. How vulnerable and dependent upon the Giver of life we are.”
“Did you take a photo of the rainbow?” I wondered. “I would love to see it.”
“Between joy and fear, there is always God’s presence – what a great truth to remember,” I reiterated. “Look up. Look out. Continue to ask, “God, what is MINE to do, to say, to care about?”
“I wish I had taken a picture of the rainbow,” she responded. “I was so amazed and enthralled at that beauty that I forgot to take a picture. I can’t imagine riding out a hurricane…the sounds, the sights and not knowing if you are safe or not. We are getting the rain and the wind now and the ocean is very angry but I’m feeling very safe. Big difference. So dependent on the Giver of life. So much suffering throughout the world. God is in control and there is a purpose. I must believe and pray.”
“I am in the basement now since there is a flash flooding alert and a tornado warning in our area,” I wrote back. “Hunkering down with our dog Tate. The entire environment is very angry, 60 mph winds feel crazy. I cannot imaging the 150 mph sustained in the hurricane. I feel very safe too, dependent upon the Giver of life. I think this wild, wooly experience helps me to keep a finger on the pulse of so much suffering throughout the world. God is in control. There is an eternal, everlasting purpose. With you, I deeply believe and pray.”
“Wow,” she texted back. “You are in the midst of it. I pray God’s protection on you. Yes. I feel the environment is restless. I find myself pacing and I don’t know where I am going…in circles pretty much. I am reading The Book of Joy about the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu meeting and discussing joy. Two men who have suffered a great deal but have found true joy. Both burdened by the suffering of the world. Two different philosophies and beliefs but both filled with great compassion and love. Hugs to you and be safe.”
“Oh, the book sounds wonderful,” I replied. “Can you share with me a few of your favorite quotes?”
“The violent storm has passed from me right now, but the devastating impact of Hurricane Ida, Afghanistan, and the Delta variant continue to rage in the lives of so many across our globe,” I added. “I am so grateful to have this visceral experience of the inner and outer chaos many are feeling in this moment. Genuine joy and true compassion are deeply discovered as we are burdened by the suffering of the world. I look forward to the quotes you might share with me.”
“You have totally summed up what they believe,” she concluded. “As we focus on the pain and suffering around us, we are then filled with great compassion and love and the result is joy through helping others. You are experiencing precisely what they speak of. Here’s one book quote: “As we are hearing, so much depends on where we put our attention: on our suffering or that of others, on our perceived separation or on our indivisible connection.”
“This I liked also,” she sent me a screen shot from a page in her book.
She also added a few ideas from another page. Research shows “50 percent of our happiness is determined by immutable factors” (our genes, our temperament, our “set point,” our circumstances). Yet experts notice, “the three factors that seem to have the greatest influence on increasing our happiness are our ability to reframe our situation more positively, our ability to experience gratitude, and our choice to be kind and generous. These were exactly the attitudes and actions that the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop had already mentioned and to which they would return to as central pillars of joy.”
Reframe positively. Grow gratitude. Be kind and generous. Investing in these three daily habits with God, we, my friends, can increase our joy.
Then he told them, “Go, eat rich foods, drink sweet drinks, and send portions to those who cannot provide for themselves. Today is a holy day for the Lord. Don’t be sad because the joy you have in the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10, GW).
This holy day, the joy we have in the Lord is our strength. In prayer, compassion and spiritual solidarity with the resettling refugees, the stranded hurricane survivors, and the COVID patients struggling to breathe, today we share in the world’s suffering as collectively we hand over our food and our drink to our living Lord. We entrust ourselves to the risen Christ who knows how to bless, to break, and to abundantly multiply.
…Sue…
