And let them make me a sanctuary,
That I may dwell among them.
" Exodus 25,
8-9.
There's a sanctuary at the center of your heart.
In times of despair,
In times of worry and fear,
When you need rest,
When you feel hopeless and wonder where,
Where is the love that we are promised?
You can enter into your sanctuary by unlocking the breath,
By pausing,
Releasing yourself from the demands of life,
The spinning of the mind,
The uprising of your fire and emotions.
Pause.
Be still.
Feel the breath enter and awaken.
Awaken your connection with God.
For God is the breath within the breath.
And by slowly receiving this moment and a connection to this next breath,
You awaken a light.
You become pure love.
One act of self-love,
One breath at a time.
Drink in the sweetness.
Slowly let the breath pour in through you,
Filling.
Ever so slowly letting the breath depart and go.
Maintain this flow,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Receiving.
Unlocking the places that have been shut off or fearful.
Exhaling.
And then returning again.
Arriving with the in-breath.
Pausing and visualizing this key,
Unlocking the sanctuary of your heart.
The doors spreading open.
And this beautiful light shining.
And as you exhale,
That light spreads surrounding you and moving through you.
After that exhalation,
Let the soothing,
Restful presence of divine light spread across your face.
Feel the glow and the radiance as your soul shines forth,
Showing you the way,
The way out of worry and despair.
It's available and you meet it and walk with it on this breath.
It flows with you and holds you so that your path becomes clear.
That clear path,
Maybe just a few steps at a time,
That you just see the light of that next act of love and the next footstep putting one foot in front of the other.
One breath in front of the next.
One willful decision to act in love and an act of pure love for yourself is often to pause and breathe and prepare yourself.
Prepare yourself for the work of living,
Living radiant and pure,
Holy,
Filled with divine hope and love guiding your way forward.
Your soul is beautiful and awakened.
Do not fear.
You have been prepared to be a sanctuary.
When we pray before parting,
Bringing hands to heart,
Fingertips so gently touching one another,
If that's available to you,
Head bowing,
Looking into the peaceful place that is within you.
Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary,
Pure and holy,
Tried and true.
And with Thanksgiving,
I will be a living sanctuary for you.
May you grant yourself time today and always to rest in the peace and sanctuary within you when your mind and your body feel weary or uncertain.
Let your breath become and flow with God and with your own divine love.
It is all within the breath.
This is available to you,
A sanctuary where you restore and renew.
Amen.
