Week of Sept 9, 2018
The Scripture ~ “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV translation
The Spiritual Focus ~ “A community is only a community when the majority of it’s members are making the transition from ‘the community for myself’ to ‘myself for the community.’”
Jean Vanier, L’Arche Founder and CEO.
The Breath Prayer ~ Inhale, I embrace, Exhale, change
The Devotion ~
Watching the local news coverage of the first week of school, was a meditation on
loving kindness. Community and government officials partnered with teachers, going out of their way to welcome everyone. This eased the transition for all involved, moving from summer schedules to a new school year can be challenging. Transitions are challenging, but as one writer noted… “life is one big transition,” so learning to ‘lean’ into transitions fearlessly, helps us enjoy the experience. Fear, in general, is an issue for many of us, perhaps that is why God reminds us so often in scripture not to fear and to trust God. Part of trusting God is to see God’s activity in the world. God works through us so that we transition from ‘the community for myself’ to ‘myself for community.’ This type of transition in our thinking opens us to be loving and kind and witnesses to the teaching of Jesus.
Attention to transitions, practiced in yoga, informs how we transition when life changes. Many yogi’s will say the transitions from asana to asana are the most important part of a practice because it teaches us be intentional about moving from one place to another, safely.
Many institutions are transitioning, positioning themselves to be communities that are welcoming, gathering spaces for people to be in community. Coffee shops, book stores, malls, breweries and yes yoga studios have witnessed the benefit of creating space for communities to grow and share in life’s journey. Community is where we see God at work in the world and see our story unfold in God’s story. This is where we trust God and transition from a ‘community for myself’ to ‘myself for community.’
