Consider This: 2/3/25

By Rev. Ian Oliver | Monday, February 3, 2025

In times that can feel anxious or chaotic, I can find it helpful to ask myself about how I’m grounded.  What centers me and helps calm me?   What am I sure of when things feel uncertain?   For me, it helps to close my computer, mute my phone and go outside – especially on a clear cold day like we’ve been having.   I’m reminded that I am a living being surrounded by living beings in a natural world that has sensations and seasons all its own.   It is real.  Opening up my computer, is there an old friend to whom I owe a message – or the thought of whom makes me smile?  Is there someone who knows me so well that they can help me place my feelings in a realistic picture of who I am?  If I’m feeling discouraged, are there profound spiritual voices I can turn to that can place this moment in a broader or longer narrative?  Or can I quiet down, clear my head, and feel the presence of God around me and in me?  In the midst of turmoil, I can remember who and whose I am.