I do not share my story, triggers, anxieties, and emotional bottoming out, to inspire anyone. Do not read this to make yourself feel better, or to gossip, or offer unsolicited advice. Instead, consider the situation to become a prayer ally.
I believe in healing through empathetic, intentional, intelligent, compassionate prayer. Whether we call, text, or email prayers, we have connected to The Source of Healing, the great "Rapha", the One who creates, changes, transforms, and resurrects us. That "dispensary" never closes, never charges for anything, and is available to ALL! I believe in healing through physical touch. Hugs are healing. They are my "anti-fentanyl vaccination"! Massages are ultra-healing. When someone who is gifted to heal through touch therapy, like my dear wild sister Terri, I know that I have been touched by the Divine Beloved!
This is healing...
On a different note...
Today I reflect on the passage about Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus to the temple shortly after his birth. The part that caught my attention was how Simeon and Anna were "in the Spirit". That was the single distinction that allowed them to enter into the sweetest and greatest revelation. They got to see Messiah, in the flesh. They got to hold him close, smell him, squeeze his sweet little cheeks, and do all the goofy things we do when we meet a newborn. Nobody was expecting Messiah to come in such a vulnerable form. Some were expecting a king, a liberator, a mighty warrior. Others were expecting a priest, the supreme priest that would fulfill and enforce the Law. But, a baby? Messiah is a baby?!? This is the extreme paradox. Only a few were privileged and blessed to witness and understand this mystery. This could only happen "in the Spirit"!
Consider the things we could see, say, and do if only we chose to enter life "in the Spirit". Consider the heights and the depths we could navigate "in the Spirit". Consider the love, peace, joy, and compassion we could spread in our communities when we walk "in the Spirit". Consider the freedom we experience when we are "in the Spirit".
This is not just wishful thinking. I am not just speaking anything out into the universe, hoping that it will answer back. No, I speak in the certainty that when I am "in the Spirit", when I respond to the prompting of the Spirit, amazing things happen. When I pray/speak/walk "in the Spirit", there is a sense of peace, confidence, and assurance that can be felt within a 5 mile radius (perhaps I exaggerate a little, haha)!
Now, consider praying this with me:
"Holy Spirit, our teacher, would you awaken our hearts, expand our minds, and shape our identity in new ways."
In Jesus' name. Amen.
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