The Healing Grace of the Sacred Pause: Part 1

The Journey

It has often been said that “Life is a journey, not a guided tour”.  When we talk about being on a journey, we are usually talking about moving from one place to another.  Sometimes we have maps that show us the physical way to reach our destination.  But other times it is really up to us to find our way from one place to another.  However, regardless of whether we have a map or not, the choices we make throughout our life & the view we hold of the various circumstances we encounter, shape our journey as we move through life. When we start out on our path of life, we never really know what lies ahead for us.  Sometimes the path on our life journey is smooth, unencumbered, & very clear.  Other times our life is tumultuous & full of challenges.  Often, we have no control over the circumstances we encounter along our path of life. However, we do have choices as to how we view the situations we encounter, whether they are smooth & unencumbered or whether they are tumultuous & our view affects our actions.  I think we’d all agree that regardless of how smooth or tumultuous our journey may seem, simply because we are humans who live in this world, it is easy for us to get stuck or to lose our way as we journey through life.  The question is, when we encounter a challenge & get stuck or lose our way, how do we regain our vision, balance & focus so we can move forward on a smooth path of whole life once again? 

I think most people in our society would say, if you get lost or stuck just “Google it” or look it up on your phone & you will know what to do.  In this computer age we are living in, we are a defining people.  As we define almost anything, we put our finger right on it & as we analyze & catalog, we become extensions of the process.  We put a finger on ourselves as if that is the total answer to our search for clarity.  From the source of the computer, which is a language that defines, we have built a structured, ordered & predictable existence.  That can be a blessing of sorts.  It can also be a problem.  Sometimes defining something becomes confining.  Sometimes our means to understanding, become its own limiting ignorance, or even more, an imprisonment.

There are all sorts of books as well as, extensive suggestions available on the internet that inform people of how to enhance their life as they go forward on their life journey.  However, there are very few books or on-line suggestions that inform people of what to do when they get lost or stuck on their way.  The Bible is an obvious exception.  We read in the book of Genesis that with wind & water, God created the universe & every living thing in it.  The word wind & Spirit are the same word in biblical Hebrew & Greek.  Though we all know what wind & water feel like physically & what chemical component elements are contained in both, the fact is, it is virtually impossible to define wind & water.  They transcend earthly definition.  We may be able to list the various forms water takes, such as ice, steam, clouds etc. or the power or speed of wind, such as a breeze or hurricane force etc., but the fact is, we are unable to define water or wind themselves.  Since both come from God & are life giving forces in creation, both the water & the wind (Spirit of God) are Holy.  A major part of the Holiness of water is its oneness with the wind.  Given that reality, one can assume that when we lose our way, it is at the water’s edge that we can be joined & re-joined with God in body, mind & spirit in a way that transcends our physical & mental view.  The water & wind of the lake before us & the soul within us, are more indications of life’s sum, then the sum of itself.

~Posted by Rev Kathryn Bindig, MDiv. MS; Pastoral Care Minister with assistance from Rich Muscatello; Director of Business Development & Strategy