How Does God Change Us

 Esther Harding: Change

“We cannot change anyone else; we can change only ourselves, and then usually only when the elements that need reform have become conscious through their reflection in someone else.”—M. Esther Harding in The ‘I’ and the ‘Not-I’: A Study in the Development of Consciousness at InwardOutward.org.

seeing our own defects in others.

Esther Harding was a British American and was considered the first significant Jungian analyst to practice in this country. Her first book, The Way of All Women (1975), was one of the first books I read in my early days of seeking to connect to feminine spirituality.

President Jimmy Carter wrote about reaching a point where we can give thanks for our difficulties during his final years. That is almost impossible, but I can see his reasoning more clearly in Esther Harding’s writings.

We wear our character defects and self-centeredness like an old, tattered bathrobe that is both ugly and yet comfortable and familiar. Our habitual manner of life has become our familiar identity. We can only recognize these defects and behavior patterns in others, as they repulse us, and finally, identify them as our own. Our behavior and reaction to the world keep us from connecting to God.

I am continually amazed by how God uses everything to bring us back to God’s love and connect us to the God within us and our neighbor. We discover what blocks us from God’s love by first recognizing the barriers in others and realizing how unattractive they are.

At some point, when the time is right, I can share Harding’s insights with spiritual friends who are also suffering. I also have spiritual friends who listen to me when suffering brings awareness that opens up a crack of light into my own life.

Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Handing It Over

Handing it Over

“You anoint my head with oil;

 my cup overflows.

 Surely  goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

my whole life long.” Psalm 23: 5b-6. NRSV

Recently, I was at a meeting where I was asked to lead a healing service. Usually, I can do almost all the parts and readings in the service, but I have been having difficulty with my voice after a long illness with deep coughing and hoarseness that damaged my vocal cords.

I am in speech therapy. My voice is improving, but it’s still not as strong as I’d like it to be. I knew I had to ask others to help. In the end, the only part I participated in was the short homily, and I assisted with the laying on of hands and anointing. There were two other deacons and a priest present, and I asked them to help with the anointing.

 The service was beautiful, particularly as we heard many other voices. After the service, the two deacons and the priest approached me and told me they could not express how meaningful it was to do the anointing. One was almost in tears. I was moved by how passionately each person spoke about how being involved in this sacramental rite of laying on hands and unction brought healing to them, as well as to those they prayed for.

Suddenly, I knew I was now being called to do what deacons are supposed to do, to hand over other ministries to others. This is a significant part of the deacon’s ministry. We help others be involved in a ministry, and then hand it over to them.

I am not giving up my call, but I am sharing it with others now. It is more than just delegating. It sacramentally invites others to participate in a ministry to which they are now called. This can be true in outreach and parish life ministries. In fact, it is a principal part of every aspect of ministry. We encourage, mentor, and lead others to become the person God created them to be.

Joanna Seibert https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Sacred Spaces Will Welcome Us Back

 Sacred Spaces Welcome Us Back

“The sea is his, and he made.”—Psalm 95:5.

 I am reliving the time we returned to our sacred space on the Gulf after being gone for months.

 As I sip my morning tea, a huge welcoming party awaits us. A cool breeze keeps us from being overheated. The wind brings with it the welcoming salty smell of the sea. Hundreds of fishing boats leave the pass early in the morning to say Hello. A pelican silently flies by our balcony and tips her wings. Another comes so close he takes our breath away.

Gulls circle the water in front of us but decide not to stay. Their loud squawk tells us they would only stay if we fed them. The clouds above make funny little faces to make us laugh. The lone blue heron flies by but does not land. He must be visiting new friends down the beach. Dolphins have not arrived, but they may consider extending the welcome later in the day. I hear the Blue Angels but cannot see them. A sparrow patiently waits on our balcony for any breakfast droppings.

I think of the men and women and children in the fishing boats. What will they catch today? They extend their lines deep beneath the surface, sometimes to great depths. Some venture far from land in search of the unknown. The fishermen travel with guides who know where to go, having been there before.

It is another metaphor for our spiritual journey, where we search beneath the surface of our lives to a deeper place of memories, dreams, and reflections. We go with spiritual guides who have been there before and know the territory. We share the joy of what we have found in community. We take back into our bodies and share the nourishment we had forgotten.

shutterstock

There is so much more in store for us in the deeper waters than what is found by the lone fisherman casting his line on the shore. However, this fisherman meditates while waiting for the infrequent nibbles from the sea. He also has the opportunity to go deeper into his mind. He also shares his poles with young children, teaching them the new art form. Another is standing by with his cell phone to make a permanent memory of the event.

God is there, reaching out to us no matter how we extend our search. The finding is always in the searching.

Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/