A Virtual Church

Stability in today's world

8:23 p.m. today

Saint Benedict of Nursia, Italy, lived 1400 years ago. He introduced the world to the Trellis, a rule of life, that would shape the monks with whom he lived. If his rule were to find new life among 21^st century Christians, our world would be a better place.

Benedict’s trellis forms a triangle of practices. These practices, when lived, transform us. Obedience, Compassion, and Stability are Benedict’s top three practices for a stable life.

The simplicity and ordinariness of these disciplines are easy to practice when we live with intention.

Chaos is all around us in our culture. People are angry, frustrated, and fed up.  A step back into a spiritual practice would calm the turbulence and settle us so we might once again find our way.

How did we get here?

Speed of life is a factor. People rush and hurry in great busyness and equal stress. Getting ahead is equated with activity and productivity. The Protestant Work Ethic is on steroids today. We are rats on a wheel striving to get ahead. We want to win.

Some of us have discovered the price of winning is loss. We lose contact with other people, with our families, with God. We wonder why there is so little satisfaction at the end of our day.

Wisdom teaches the lesson of slowing down, smelling roses, playing with children and puppies.

We begin to assess our lives. What have we done to make the world a better place? Have our lives mattered?

When we do not stand on solid ground, we remain unsteady. Balance is part of stability. It shows as we nurture our relationships and care for creation. We spend time with God in prayer and meditation. Other people matter more than we matter to ourselves.

Americans are self-absorbed. Many lives are small and narrow.

It is easy to forget who and whose we are. Pillar to post we flit without landing. Cultural ADD has taken the ground out from under us.

The old hymn, The Solid Rock tells the story. “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” Too often we are on sinking sand.

American values, strength, and prominence in the world are waning. We have watched the dismantling of American life. Democracy is disappearing before our eyes. Civility and common courtesy have left the stage.

The Constitution is being trashed. The attack on news outlets and ban of the White House press corps reveals disdain for free speech. It’s alright for people to criticize, but pity the fool who criticizes the president.

We are the barbarians at the gate now. The waning of American greatness is the cost we are paying for this current division and acrimony.

Spiritual practices of deep breathing, meditation, and prayer restore our strength and shore up our hope. The sun will rise again. Light will come into the world.

Finding and practicing stability settles and strengthens us for the journey. The journey of restoring America is upon us all. We cannot grow weary.

Walk outside into the sunshine. Feel its warmth on your face. Give thanks for the day.

Our times are in God’s hands. Find inner peace and solid ground. Stay calm, stand firm, and give thanks.

Lib Campbell is a retired Methodist pastor, retreat leader, columnist, and host of the blogsite Avirtualchurch.com. She can be contacted at libcam05@gmail.com. 

 

 

 

 

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