Monday Manna

Make it nice in there...

These words from Amanda feel especially powerful right now with the latest news with Iran….we will keep believing….

Good morning, my friends, and blessings of grace and hope to you in this new week ~

I’m guessing we are all sad the olympics are over — they are always such a reservoir of inspiration and humanity’s unity (minus the ending we had here in the U.S. over the hockey celebration debacle…)

I wonder if any of you saw this clip of Eileen Gu?

I’ve been thinking about it ever since I saw it. If you don’t watch, here’s the gist — we tell and teach ourselves how to think. We can change our thoughts. We can then, change ourselves and change our lives. This is neuroplasticity at its core. In other words — our minds affect everything.

Our minds have so much power. I wrote some months ago about some injuries I’ve been healing from, and how my friend and practitioner told me he thought my mind’s framework about the whole thing was actually contributing to my pain. “The body follows the mind,” he told me, and I’ve experienced this to be true.

You’ve probably heard how our bodies and sensory systems do not distinguish between reality and what our minds are thinking. Maybe you’ve had the experience as well where as you are dreaming about something, or rehashing a resentment, you feel it. You are living it.

I think this is why Scripture talks so much about the power of our minds and how imperative it is that we ground and care for them intentionally. One of my favorite passages is in Romans 12, a chapter calling us to place our entire lives before God…

“Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so you can figure out what God’s will is — what is good and pleasing and mature.”

Or this other beautiful verse in Philippians 2, drawing us to think like Jesus…

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…”

A mind that is humble, holy, set on God, full of love and generosity and service. A mind that saw possibility in what others deemed impossible.

I’ve long loved Kelly Corrigan, and the theme of the mind is one she references regularly. For Kelly, our minds are our most precious real estate, and she’s not about to give that precious space as free rent to just anything or anyone. She says,

“You live in your head — so make it nice in there.”

And the reality is, we can. We are not victims to our thoughts, we are the creators of them. We feel how we act, rather than act how we feel. Think about that for a moment.

Along these lines, there is another phrase I have found myself coming back to, and that is, “it doesn’t have to be a problem.” What if that was the response we took more often? So often, I view things as a problem to be solved, as though there is something continually “wrong.” But what if it actually doesn’t have to be a problem? What we think about it as a thing that will ask for some energy and time, but probably yield greater strength and wisdom and courage in the end?

This is not about toxic positivity, friends, or lying to ourselves. This is about allowing the Holy Spirit to shape and bless one of the most powerful tools we have.

So for this week, let’s make it nice in there.

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A Prayer

I once heard someone say, “sometimes, the hardest word to hear God say isn’t repent but RELAX.”

Mondays can come with all kinds of pressure and expectations, and as we talked about earlier, this is an opportunity to change the lens in our minds. Let’s approach this week with a posture of slower.

Normally I share a prayer from my book, Ash and Starlight, but I have an extra treat for you this week. Kimberly Knowle - Zeller has a beautiful blessing she gracious shared with me— one included in her forthcoming book, Small Steps: Blessings to Lift Your Soul on the Pilgrimage of Life (see preorders here). Thank you, Kim!!

A Blessing for Slowing Down

If you’re feeling overwhelmed

if your mind is moving

in a thousand different directions

and you’re unable to concentrate,

this blessing is for you.

If your body can’t keep up with your mind

if your head aches and the days blend together

if you fail to take a break, even when you want to,

this blessing is for you.

If your mind wonders

and worries and frets

if your body is tense and tight

if your heart is tired of breaking,

this blessing is for you.

Be still.

Remember.

God is with you.

With every worry

hear God’s voice

seeing you as treasured,

offering you a moment to exhale

to loosen your shoulders

hold your head high

not needing to prove anything

because you already are loved.

With every overscheduled moment

hear God’s voice:

Come to me and rest.

Look up.

Breathe deep.

Be still.

Remember.

God is with you.

This blessing is with you

in the hustle and bustle.

This blessing embraces you

in the hurry

and holds you tight.

This blessing wants you to know

you, precious Child of God,

are enough

just as you are,

so rest

and be still

and remember,

God is with you.

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Something that nourished me recently…

*I turned my watercolor I shared at the beginning of this post into a large canvas to go above our bed. Her words ground me every day. (Will be turning this into prints and soon!)

*Thanks to Erin Gleeson for inspiring me to paint a few little snow drops…a reminder that spring comes in what feels like full force of winter, and that new life comes forth in harsh conditions.

*I was reminded of this book in light of Kim’s blessing, but also, the theme of transforming our thinking. I read “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” some years ago, and while I significantly differ theologically from the author, there were countless practical steps I’ve sought to incorporate in my life, many of which yield great shifts in mindset.

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Ash and Starlight, plus other good things…

*GRIEF PRAYER ~ I shared this last December, but it was just published this month in the Presbyterian Outlook issue on grief. A prayer for all the grief we hold…

* MY ETSY SHOP ~ I have cards, prints, clothes, blankets, and pillows all for sale in my Etsy shop which you can view here . I send portions of sales in my Etsy shop to World Central Kitchen which provides hunger relief.

*SECOND EDITION OF ASH AND STARLIGHT ~ Find the updated edition of my book here at Chalice or at the Bookshop link.

*MONDAY MANNA ARCHIVES ~ Monday Manna each week is free! Paid supporters of Monday Manna can view previous Monday Manna reflections here, or for the really old stuff, go to my website.

*WHAT DOES MANNA MEAN? ~ Check out an earlier post to learn how this little bit of “daily bread” got its name…

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I’ll leave you with this quote from Henry Miller — “One’s destination is never a place, but rather, a new way of looking at things.” May your lens be rubbed and cleared gently by the Holy Spirit, friends, as you let your minds — and therefore, yourselves — be transformed this week. Let’s make it nice in there.

Love and Light,

Arianne

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