Pray like Jonah

Posted on December 30, 2012 by betsybeadhead | 3 Comments

I really like Jonah. He seems so real to me. There are so many people in the Old Testament who when God calls to them they say right away “Here I am” and get right to what God is asking them to do. This is so not like me, and I suspect a lot of people. Many people might think “Oh no! I’m hearing a voice in my head! I must be crazy!” Or if they do realize it is the voice of God, they think “Really? Now? I’m really getting comfortable here, God. Can’t this wait until after the game/my children have grown up/ I’ve retired?” We are forever putting off what we are called to do. Yet we forget that is why we are here – we are part of God’s plan. We are part of creation, and we are co-creators with God. He works through and with us to bring about His will.

Jonah is like us. He hears the voice of God, telling him to go to Ninevah and tell them they are screwing up and to repent. Did he go to Ninevah? Oh gosh no. He heads off in completely the opposite direction. A lot of other cool things happen – a storm, lots are cast and it is discovered Jonah is the reason for the storm, Jonah fesses up, the shipmates are impressed by how powerful the God of the Jews is. Jonah asks to be thrown overboard. He has no idea that God has arranged for a huge whale to swallow him up. He just knows that he has messed up and it is time to pay for his error. Perhaps he hopes he can finally get out of having to go to Ninevah.

But God rescues him. He is in the belly of the whale for three days. I can’t even imagine liking being in a whale’s gut for three minutes, much less three days. It had to be dark. It had to be smelly. No sound other than the gurgle of the whale’s organs and the sea outside. Fish bits floating around. Warmth? I doubt it.

Yet here is the amazing thing. Jonah didn’t raise his fist against God in that time. He praised God. Praised Him! How many of us have the fortitude to say “Thanks! You are an awesome God!” while in the middle of our own personal whales? We all get swallowed up by whales – divorce, disease, disaster. All those huge life events that can either make us turn away from God (How dare you do this to me…) or turn towards God (Hey, can you do me a favor…) No. Jonah sang God’s praises.

In the middle of tragedy, there are still things to be thankful for. Look for those things. Give thanks for them. And, like Jonah, may you be delivered safely upon the shore after you give thanks.

(Originally posted on FB on 11-13-12)

The power of group prayer.

Posted on December 30, 2012 by betsybeadhead | 2 Comments

Originally posted on FB 11-8-12

There is something to be said for the power of group prayer.

A few days ago I felt like I was going into battle at work. A lot of nonsense is going on with management and I felt very conflicted. The rules keep changing on what we are allowed to do, and we feel that we are being pitted against each other in each department. Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies. That is very hard, as you well know. I wanted strength to get through the day with my faith intact, knowing that God is always with me and serving as a good witness to His love.

I remembered all the prayers that lifted me up at Cursillo. Those prayers, from friends and strangers, helped me to get where I needed to be. Those prayers helped me and others overcome physical limitations so that we could be fully present that weekend. I wondered if there was a way I could tap into that power again, and while wondering it came to me that there are monks and nuns, both Christian and Buddhist, who are praying for everyone all across the world, right now. They are praying for peace and harmony and joy. They are praying for one-ness with each other and with our Creator .

I claimed those prayers. I claimed them as mine and tied into that web of support. I felt buoyed up, strengthened by a cloud of witnesses who do not even know me.

Last night I remembered that, and decided to pay it forward. It is good to pray for others by name, but it is also good to pray for those people you don’t even know. We can pray that they are helped, raised up, loved. That they are served by others as Christ would serve them. That those who are lost are found. That those who are found turn that light outwards towards others and expand the family of awakened humans.

I’m thankful that I am in this communion of saints, and thankful that I am learning how to give and receive this kind of support.

There is a hymn that has the refrain “We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord”. It is time to make that real. We say in America “E pluribus unum” – out of many, one.

What would happen if this Body of awakened people all started to move as one?

Love in action is the very definition of God through Christ. The Bodhisattva vow also speaks to this. It is the vow of an enlightened person to not go on to Nirvana but to stay behind and help others achieve enlightenment. I am sure there are other examples like this throughout the world in other religions.

Our goal is to seek and serve God by serving our fellow humans, and all creation, treating everyone and everything with respect and love.

Everyday Miracles

Posted on December 30, 2012 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

Originally posted on FB 11-6-12

We expect miracles. We want healing right now. We want things to happen right away.

We forget that God uses us. God created us as co-creators, according to Madeline L’Engle in her book “Walking on Water”. We are his agents in this world. Saint Theresa of Avila said that Christ has no hands or feet on this Earth but ours.

We forget that God called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. God didn’t do it Himself – He wanted a human to work with Him to bring forth freedom and healing and peace. We forget that Samuel was given the message of doom for Eli. And most of all we forget that Mary brought forth Christ. There are countless stories throughout the Bible of God calling people to do His will here, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

God calls all of us. That is why He made us. Yes, you, right there, right where you are. God wants you. Consider this to be like those old US Army posters – your Uncle Sam needs you! But really, it is your Heavenly Father who needs you.

In all of those stories, God asked the person if they would help, and sometimes there was a bit of arguing. “Me? Really? I’m not any good at that. Can’t you send somebody else?” is a fairly common recap. Rarely do they just say straightaway “Here I am, Lord” or “Let it be to me according to Your will.”

God works through us every day. He sends a friend to listen. He sends us to a stranger to do the same. He sends a kind nurse to notice that we have a health problem we should tend. He sends us to cheer on a friend who is trying to quit smoking.

To paraphrase John F. Kennedy – ask not what your God can do for you – ask what you can do for your God.

You don’t have to wait for the call – you have already been called. Be kind. Show love. Don’t gossip. Encourage others. Teach. Offer a shoulder to cry on. Feed the hungry. Work at a food kitchen. Volunteer with Second Harvest. Work for peace – at home, at work, in the neighborhood, in the world. Every little bit counts, and it all adds up. Do not do nothing for fear of not being able to do everything.

The miracle is that God is with us all the time, and He will never forsake us. God constantly helps us. God strengthens us and raises us up from the chaos of the world. God performs His miracles through us. That is the real miracle – that God needs us, and wants us, and loves us. He never said this life would be easy, but He always says that He will be with us, to the ends of the earth.

At the Chattanooga Choo-Choo

Posted on December 30, 2012 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

Originally posted on FB 11-2-12

When I worked at the Chattanooga Choo Choo, I had a really cool experience.

I worked at a craft store that faced the gardens. The trolley was across the way, and was a cherished part of my childhood. It was from New Orleans, ran on electricity, and was over 100 years old. For 50 cents you could take a ride in it around the complex and seemingly through time.

I stepped out of my store on afternoon and saw a young boy who was about 5, with his Mom close behind. I wanted to share the trolley with him – I wanted him to experience how fun and amazing it was. I said in a bright cheery voice – “Have you ridden the trolley?” and I pointed to it. He turned, looked, and turned back. Nothing. No light, no recognition. Wait – all boys love trains and trolleys. How could he not light up at the sight of this one?

I decided to get down on his level. I came down from the step at the threshold of my store, and went down to my knees near the same area where he was standing. I wanted to see things from his perspective. I looked. Of course he didn’t see it – there was a huge mass of pampas grass in the way! I’d been taller than it, so I’d not seen it as an obstruction. I got up, moved over, got down again, and looked. There was the trolley in clear view. I called out again – “Look, the trolley!” and I pointed again. He came over, saw it, and lit up. He went running for it, filled with delight and joy.

Now, the older I get, the more I see this as a story of how God interacts with us. The boy represents us. The trolley is Heaven on Earth, the Kingdom of God. It is life, and life in abundance. When I stood on the step, I was God of the Old Testament. “Look – there’s where happiness is!” But many of us can’t get there that way. We can’t trust that voice. We can’t see it, so we don’t get what we are supposed to be excited about. We don’t know how to get there. Some of us can – and that is awesome. But some of us are slower, less trusting in our Creator. We need a little extra help.

Then God changes Himself. He so wants us to have joy, to be happy, that He came down to be like us. He came down to our level to see things from our perspective. “Oh, that’s why you couldn’t get it! There was stuff in the way!” And he showed us a new way. A way stripped of all the rules, and just boiled down to two. Love God, and in a similar manner, love everyone else. Love. Just love. Show kindness. Be forgiving. Serve. Love.

God is not your waiter.

Posted on December 30, 2012 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

Originally posted on FB February 3, 2012

God wants you to pray. God wants opinions in the opinion box. He made humans with free will because he wants us to be more than part of creation – he wants us to be co-creators. He wants us to voluntarily participate in our lives and to choose good over evil.

But He doesn’t do what you ask Him to do because you ask Him to do it.

God answers prayers all the time. Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes it is no. Sometimes it is not now. If you don’t get what you prayed for – be thankful. Yes. Be thankful. We humans simply do not have the sense of perspective necessary to know what is best for us. Children may ask their parents for the latest toy, and their parents may refuse. The child gets upset. But the parents know that the child has gotten all the previous latest toys and ignored them. Or, they know that they are saving up for something better, so they can’t spend their money on this item.

I have a friend whose husband prayed for healing for a family friend. The friend died. Now the husband says he doesn’t know what to believe. He should believe that God is in charge. Who are we to tell God what to do? Who are we to even presume to go to our Creator and say “you have to do this” – like spoiled little children?

“When Bad Things Happen to Good People” by Rabbi Harold Kushner is very helpful on this subject.

The Bible is full of examples of people who apparently changed God’s mind. His wrath was turned away, or special dispensation was made, or healing occurred when there was no hope previously. But God does what God does. If you get what you ask for, cool. But if you don’t get what you ask for – cool as well. It is more than likely for the best. Remember the old saying – “Watch what you pray for – you may get it.” Fortunately God will give you nothing bad. It may not seem good to you at the time, but with time and perspective, you may come to see the wisdom in not getting what you wanted.

God in a styrofoam cup.

Posted on December 29, 2012 by betsybeadhead | Leave a comment

I used to think that I needed to go to an all-natural diet. Raw, organic, locally sourced – I was sold on this idea. Even better – go ahead and dig up my front yard and put in some beets and carrots. Train some beans to grow up the maple tree. What a great idea! I could feel connected to the Earth and know where my food is coming from. Plenty of people are getting “homesteading” books these days. Folks are either afraid of pesticides or genetically modified foods. The terrors are there – they are real. Lab rats prove to us that you shouldn’t mess with Mother Nature. Or they want to grow their own food to help out with the grocery bill. It is always cheaper to do it yourself, you know.

But I’m a terrible gardener. I don’t know what to feed my plants. I over water or under water. I don’t know what plants need shade, and what parts of my yard have shade all day. I also work all day long – by the time I have time to work on the yard it is dark outside. And even though I was raised by a Mom who loved to garden, she didn’t teach me a single thing about it. Sure, I could look things up – I have a library and I know how to use it. Sure, I could ask friends to show me how.

But I don’t think that is the point. I don’t have to do it all. I don’t have to grow my own food. I don’t have to sew my own clothes. I don’t have to repair my own car. I think that we all benefit when we are interdependent. It is through our common efforts that we are able to live the life that we have. Not growing my own food gives me the time to create jewelry. Not sewing my own clothes gives me time to write. Not repairing my own car gives me time to read books that inspire me.

Then I started to think that all-natural was closer to the way God intended it. No artificial stuff for me. The more mankind gets involved in something , the further away from real it gets. So wear cotton or linen, no rayon. Eat sugar and butter, not aspartame or margarine. If you can’t pronounce the ingredients on the label, don’t eat it. In general, this is a good plan. Michael Pollan says in his book Food Rules this basic truth. “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” By “food” he means non-processed. Eat foods your grandmother would recognize as food. Cheese is better than Cheese-Wiz. Eat foods that are plants, not foods that came from a (manufacturing) plant.

So now I’m back to the beginning.

Then one day I went to visit a friend. I had been running late, so I hadn’t had my coffee. My friend offered me tea and I happily accepted. But she served it to me in a Styrofoam cup. My “all-natural” side raised an eyebrow. My “recycling” side raised the other eyebrow. I was a little freaked out.
And then I remembered some things.

Buddhist monks don’t eat meat – but if they go to visit someone at their home and are served a meal with meat, they will eat it. They eat it out of respect for the fact that it is a gift that is given to them. They eat it because no good will be done by not eating it. The animal is already dead. Refusing to eat this meal will not restore the animal.

And I remembered something from Madeline L’Engle. She wrote a book called “Walking on Water”. It is about what it means to be a Christian artist. She says that it is essential to be a co-creator with God. She says that God created humankind as participants. We are His hands and His feet – we are created, and we are creators. I’ve heard similar ideas in a Jewish podcast that I enjoy listening to. It is called “Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World” and it is by David Sacks.

Perhaps the biggest thing that came to mind was something I read in a pamphlet on Eucharistic adoration by Daniel Connors. He said in one of the prayers that it is amazing that Jesus chooses to reveal Himself to us in bread and wine. “…they do not exist without God and human beings./Even the wheat and grapes they come from/ do not occur naturally,/ but are the product of human cultivation.” He goes on to say “You are fully God and fully human./ How wise you were to choose to be present to us in a form that cannot exist/ without God and human beings/ both doing their part.”

So I sat and drank my tea in the Styrofoam cup, comforted by the teachings of my Buddhist and Episcopal and Jewish and Catholic friends in spirit. It was good.