Right off the bat, the question the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III asked intrigued me in his brief meditation for the Center for Action & Contemplation called “CONSECRATING THE CHAOS.” Describing the chaotic milieu in which we are currently living, he asks: “Do we have the spiritual audacity and the practical means to turn chaotic energy to our own purposes?” THAT stopped me in my tracks.
I thought about how much we mostly struggle between hopelessness (when we open any social media outlet or tune in to the news) and hopefulness when we worship together or share something of our lives with each other and those whom we love. The key for me is recalling the Tao or the natural harmony and balance that is a component of LIFE and how I can co-create this harmony in my psyche and in my personal life. Knowing that harmony is who I AM inviting me to re-think thoughts or behaviors that do not align with my I AM-ness.
So, do I have the “spiritual audacity” not to be undone by the swirling chaos around me? I do when I realize the I AM-ness of my nature and when I am clear about my choices in life and what I am banking my life on. Sometimes, it takes a hot minute while I am being a hot mess before I realize that I am a sovereign spiritual being. I have the capacity to claim what I desire in life. I am convinced that when I have the courage to stand, it allows the practical means of my stance to fall into place.
I am reminded of the story of King Ahaz and the prophet Isaiah when the King made an allyship with the Assyrian royalty as protection against his enemies (Judah’s enemies). The word of GOD, through Isaiah, warned him against the alliance. The words were: “If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all.” (cf. Is 7:9) Of course, Ahaz ignored the warning with disastrous results for his kingdom and for himself.
Having the courage to stand in what I bank my life on is the spiritual audacity that I need to walk through the chaos, weather the storm, remain hopeful, and do my part to hold the LOVE-LIGHT that is required to transform this present darkness.
Rev. Moss ends his reflection hearkening back to the creation of the cosmos, and he says, in effect, that “God consecrates the chaos, giving it form…as an act of creativity and choice.” This important note raises an equally important question. Will I allow G-D within me to consecrate my agitation or reaction to the chaos so that it can be alchemized into something greater for the highest good of all? I only have to concern myself with my own circle of influence even though my circle of concern is much greater. Can I surrender and trust the Christ-Light within another to affect their circle of influence where they are? I can when (and if) I begin to trust I AM within me.
Storms come and go, and our ability to weather the storms in life or to be subsumed by them might just be connected to our ability to know the truth of WHO we are and the practical ways in which we live out of that truth. The realization of our I AM-ness, the divine power, presence, and knowing within us can catapult us beyond chaos and even, depending on our personal circles of influence, alter the conditions of such chaos in unimaginable ways. We just have to IMAGINE it for it to be so. What kind of day, world, or life are you imagining? Do YOU have the spiritual chutzpah to imagine something better—for EVERYONE and EVERYTHING?
Imagination is a holy thing.
With Love,
Freda Marie+