Take Courage

Sometimes, when we're facing a problem, it's good to acknowledge the resources we already have at hand. You can find courage to face challenges through assets you already possess: home, nature, and family. (Based in Deuteronomy 20:5-8)

Transcript

We'll begin with the bell.

Settle in.

Find the most quiet,

Still,

And at peace version of yourself.

You can be standing or seated or lying down,

Eyes closed or open,

But curiously seeking out the formula for deepest relaxation and greatest attentiveness and attunements to your spiritual need.

You may position your body in a way to let your shoulders or joints relax,

Settle in,

Experience gravity,

Letting anything that's not necessary to hold up,

Release,

Become a little more loose or squishy,

Noticing the embrace of gravity,

Finding stillness,

And noticing in the quiet that it's never perfectly silent.

You may hear birds or the refrigerator,

And those could even be a sense of attunement for you.

You can use them as a focal point in meditation.

Breathing first as you are and then beginning to deepen the inhale and lengthen the exhale,

A gentle reminder to slow down.

You've demarcated this time and space for yourself,

So accept that gift.

You could even take a moment to be grateful that you've made this space,

Giving yourself this time.

The next few breaths,

You may want to say something kind to yourself as you inhale and take that in.

You are worthy,

You are loved,

You're special,

Something like that.

Gratitude and grace for all that you are,

All of its wonders and weirdnesses.

You're lucky,

Even if sometimes we don't feel lucky.

You can find it.

Breathing in,

Deepening and settling through the mass of your body and the effect of gravity on your flesh and bones.

Let's consider things that give you strength to face the day and its challenges.

First,

You're probably doing this inside with a roof over your head.

You may be in your house,

A friend's house,

At work,

On the train,

But you're sheltered,

Protected from the elements,

Not always perturbed by sun,

Wind,

Or rain.

You have a space to gather yourself and be safe.

You might even call it a home.

Your stuff,

Your knickknacks,

Your special pillow.

You've made a nest for yourself,

Comforting arrangement.

Can you take that security with you when you go forward into uncertainty?

Is that knowledge something you do or could carry with you,

Even if you have a disagreement with a coworker or a difficult bus ride or commute?

Knowing that you have shelter,

Refuge,

Even home,

Can be a powerful source of strength.

Breathe into all that that means for you.

Continue settling,

Letting your body root to the ground,

Your chair,

Your couch,

Your bed,

Wherever you are.

Draw in and down with healing breath.

And now we're gonna think about nature and its bounty.

Maybe you're someone with a farm,

A garden,

Compost,

Pets,

Or just someone with enough food.

Maybe you are in food insecurity,

But have something.

Find something of the natural world that causes you gratitude and gives you comfort,

Even strength.

Something as simple as looking at a tree might fill you with wonder.

Take in the support of the natural world.

Feel its embrace and its capacity to lift you.

Breathe it in.

When you go forth after this meditation,

Remember that the natural world is there supporting you,

Sharing bounty with you,

Giving you courage.

Whenever you stumble today,

As we all do,

Feel the world supporting you.

Breathe it all in.

Just as food and shelter,

The natural and the built environment support us,

So do other people,

Family,

Co-workers,

Chosen family like friends and communities,

Sending us love,

Listening compassionately,

Thinking about us when we're not there,

Supporting us in ways small and grand.

Breathe in that love and hand-holding,

Even if it's not physically present.

Know that there are those who pray for or meditate on or simply think about your welfare and wish only the best,

Only blessing for you,

Looking to you with admiration.

Take that in.

Breathe it deep.

When life has hurdles,

You can remember that there are those who support you and draw courage from their existence,

Even perhaps those who are no longer living.

You are loved and cared for,

Even by me.

Take it all in.

With the remainder of this meditation,

I invite you to continue taking in,

Internalizing,

Absorbing the gifts of shelter and nature and people who will help you confront.

Reviews

This was very powerful. Something that you said towards the end reminded me of a prayer by Rabbi Lionel Blue z"l, in the Forms of Prayer Siddur from the RSGB. "God, I come before you surrounded by the community in which I live. When I share my joy with them, it grows. When I share my sorrow with them, it lessens. May I not be too mean to give, nor too proud to receive, for in giving and receiving I discover You and begin to learn the meaning of life. Let me not separate myself from the true strength of the community, neither from the experience and wisdom of its elders nor the hope of its young, and the examples of care and courage which sustain me. Give me an open heart and an open mind to welcome those who need me, and to receive Your Presence in my daily life. I think of what we could be and of the harmony and friendship that could unite us. I think of our loneliness and of the friendship that could fill our lives. I think of the good we could do if we were one in spirit. I know that this is Your will and pray for Your help. May I and those around me find our joy together, and bless You for the power You gave us to help each other. Amen." (Forms of Prayer, 2008, p. 155)