What do you do when life blindfolds you and spins you around? We think it’s our fault, that we’re to blame, when really we should be focused on being gentle with ourselves. Melody Beattie

Meditation: These past months have been like a whirlwind. So much has happened: A Pandemic that changed the life and habits of all humans on this earth. Nearly 200,000 Americans have died. That is about 1,000 beloved family members a day. 9/11 number of human life lost every three days. Racial tensions that at times feel like a beginning civil war, staged by the current government. Upcoming elections fill our hearts with anxiety: will there be fair elections? ——–Sometimes our heart, mind and soul can’t keep up. And when we begin dropping and losing things, or when we don’t meet deadlines, we might start getting frustrated with ourselves and push even harder. Instead, it is so helpful to know that we belong to a merciful God who wants to comfort us in the midst of our “spinning” experience. When we are troubled, God wants to comfort us. Living grounded in God’s Grace means that we can refrain from being harsh with ourselves on top of life being rough. Instead we lean into the experience of self-compassion. We acknowledge and validate how hard the past months have been, and we give ourselves credit for still standing. Or if standing is too difficult, we sit or lay down for a while, just resting. It is wonderful to belong to a God who is patient and compassionate.

Prayer: Gracious God, when we start blaming and judging ourselves for not being more “functional”, Your Spirit intervenes. You remind us of all that has happened to and around us. You remind us of the things we could not control but that impacted us deeply. And then You fill our heart with compassion for ourselves. And after you comfort us in this way, You also give us compassion for others who are “spinning” in the dark, just like us. You are such a safe place to land. And we are grateful! Amen

God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 2. Corinthians 1:3b-4 (NLT)

This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands. Barack Obama

Meditation: Our current government has declared “There is no global warming”. Nature proved them otherwise. We mourn with all who lost their loved ones or their homes in the wild fires and the hurricanes striking. We pray for all who have to rebuild their houses and their lives. Let us resolve! We must come together! We must save this planet!

Prayer: God of this precious earth, we pray that people wake up. We pray that science will not be dismissed. We pray that those in power who value short term financial gains over long term preservation won’t have the last word. Empower those who are resolved to preserve our planet. Amen

I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable. Jeremiah 2:7

Let us remember we are all part of one American family. We are united in common values, and that includes belief in equality under the law, basic respect for public order, and the right of peaceful protest. Barak Obama

Meditation: . There is a powerful wave of protest energy swiping our country. Have we reached the tipping point? First women, then teens and their families and teachers and finally black lives matter demonstrators are protesting those in power who don’t care about the rights of victims, be it sexual abuse, gun violence or racial injustice. Yes, in these months we stand reminded: “We are all part of one family. And we are united in values, belief in equality, respect for the law and our right to protest peacefully!” May this new wave of protest bring about change. Even if not short-term, then long-term. This year, in 2020, most of the junior and senior High Schoolers all around the country who protested two years ago against gun violence will now be able to vote and join in with many others who protest this administration…

Prayer: God, You will bring justice. When those who could do something preoccupy themselves with their own pleasures and their own safety, and when others allow to be bought and corrupted while resorting to “fake prayer” – God You see. God You hear. You hear the protest of each High Schooler, each parent and teacher, and each racially discriminated person on behalf of all Americans who care. We pray for change in this country. Amen

How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love;my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. Psalm 13: 2-5 (ESV)

The entire political system is contrary to everything a feminine heart stands for. It lacks inclusion. It lacks tenderness toward children. It lacks honor for relationships. It lacks reverence for the earth. It lacks love. And without those things, the feminine psyche disconnects. Marianne Williamson

Meditation: Tenderness, inclusion, honor, reverence and love… these are the values that are currently being sacrificed. They are being killed and then buried under the political altar of the current secular religion that has taken over our land: The “Zeit Geist” religion that worships money and power, that increases wealth at any cost for those on the top and that creates intentional divisions based on the self-serving portrayal of a distorted reality. Many of us feel distressed. Many of us feel disconnected. Many of us are dispirited. And yet, there is a compassionate God who sees, hears and witnesses what is happening. A God whose essence is visible in Jesus who embodied those qualities of tenderness, inclusion, respect and love. Back then those in power killed and buried Jesus, thinking that this way they had gotten rid of him. And yet, they could not silence him nor contain the power of his Spirit. After his death he gained even more power than he had during his life among us. And so once again, as we endure the soul killings and value burials of our current times, we call upon and wait for God’s powerful Spirit of resurrection.

Prayer: Jesus, we call on Your Spirit to comfort all of us who feel disconnected, distressed and dispirited. Every day we experience how many of our values are being killed and buried. Sometimes we come close to losing heart. Compassionate One, we feel lost. Gather us, keep us connected with each other and with You. In the midst of our losses, we are grateful that we know You and the power of Your life, death and resurrection. Amen

Seeing the people, Jesus felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36

We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts. How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things? Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Meditation: It is challenging for children to understand why we ask them not to lie in small things. Little white lies, why not? However, it is important for children and adults to understand that all those little things make our character, and also eventually make the big things in our life. If I am wiggling out of uncomfortable situations by telling small lies, can I trust myself that I won’t wiggle out of very important and challenging situations? The same with gratitude. If I am not thankful for the small things in life, how will I be receptive and grateful for the great things? Gratitude, honesty and faithfulness begin very small, and yet translate into the character building and lifelong traits a person develops. Let us practice as parents and role model for our children how to be grateful, how to be honest and how to be faithful, so they can begin practicing with us.

Prayer: Gracious God, thank You for preparing us and pointing us to the many small things in life that You want us to be grateful for, that You need us to be faithful in and that You want us to be honest about. This is how You build Your Kin-dom among us. When we Christians become and remain grateful, honest and faithful in the many daily things, then You will be able to entrust us with Your large things: The re-establishment of “Justice, Peace and Righteousness” in this world. Let Your Church become a beacon of hope. And let it begin with me. Amen

Whoever is faithful in little things will be faithful in large ones. Whoever is unrighteous in small things will be unrighteous in large ones. Luke 16:10

“Don’t worry if those around you aren’t doing their best. Just worry about how you can make yourself worthy. Doing your best is the surest way to remind those around you to do their best.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Meditation It is difficult not to feel isolated and small at this time. What does my breathing, my mindfulness, my small contribution to peace do? What do I contribute to the larger world when I try to model justice, peace and understanding in my small community? The concept of “interbeing” and the belief of God’s Kingdom among us reassures me, that even my small contributions to peace (with my children, my husband, my co-workers, my brothers and sisters in Christ, my fellow protestors) will make a difference. Don’t worry about the large picture. Let God handle that. Just focus on what you can impact today, each moment that is before you, in a positive and loving manner. Breathe, practice mindfulness, compassion and love right where you are. And you will embody the Holy Spirit and God’s Kingdom among us.

Prayer: God of Life, of Justice and of Peace, we seek refuge in you at this time. Encourage our small efforts to contribute to your Kingdom here on Earth. Give us your Peace that surpasses our understanding. Let us see the interconnectedness of the small and the large, and help us trust that our small contributions to Peace on Earth do matter!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phillipians 4:6

“Worrying does not accomplish anything. Even if you worry twenty times more, it will not change the situation of the world. In fact, your anxiety will only make things worse. Even though things are not as we would like, we can still be content, knowing we are trying our best and will continue to do so. If we don’t know how to breathe, smile,and live every moment of our life deeply, we will never be able to help anyone. I am happy in the present moment. I do not ask for anything else. I do not expect any additional happiness or conditions that will bring about more happiness. The most important practice is aimlessness, not running after things, not grasping.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Meditation: The Buddhist practice of breathing in and breathing out, of being fully in our body as a way of being in the present moment is an amazing spiritual way of stopping our minds of racing and worrying. This does not mean to withdraw from this world. Yet it means to not become consumed by this world’s dysfunctions, traumas and threats. Jesus mirrored this Buddhist teaching by calling us to not worry, but to throw our worries onto God. (1. Peter 5:7)

Prayer: God, you are in my breath. You calm my body. My calm breathing is able to bring my mind together with my body once again. Alone, my mind starts racing and my fear is skyrocketing. Together with my body, my mind becomes calm again, and I am able to pray. I am not alone. You are with me. I am in you. Amen

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6: 34

“The deep meaning of the cross of Christ is that there is no suffering on earth that is not borne by God.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Meditation: When we encounter persons who are suffering either physically, emotionally or mentally, we often use all that we have and pour our strength, health and wellbeing into that person or into the situation, to make things better. That is how helpers come about. The world often experiences relief and moments of betterment through those who want to help. And yet, when we become such helpers our resources become easily exhausted after a while. We start feeling in body, mind and spirit similar ailments that the suffering persons have we are trying to help. Many people like social workers, nurses or pastors start burning out. But also family members who care for the generation above or below know this phenomenon. The experience of having taken in too much suffering of others is called compassion fatigue. This exhaustion becomes very real and is often accompanied by symptoms like depression, complete physical exhaustion or even spiritual despair.

Prayer: God, in times of such exhaustion I am called to come to you and rest. I am invited to acknowledge and accept my human limitations and boundaries. I am not You. I am human. The other persons’ suffering needs to be held by Your hands that are bigger than mine. I am not able to bear all suffering, but Christ did. You don’t ask me to help, just to serve. And so I allow myself to come to You and rest from trying to help. I hide myself in Your arms, gracious God,  and I stop helping but begin to serve those who are suffering by praying for them. Sometimes we cannot help and we cannot even bear the suffering, but You can and will. Amen

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11: 28-30

The psychopathology of the masses is rooted in the psychology of the individual. Carl Jung

Meditation: How in the world did our country end up in the situation we are in? Did our individual mental condition become manifested in a collective psychopathology? Our current time in the US can maybe best be described with the words of a trauma survivor. Eve Ensler said: “I think culture is where things change in us deeply. But right now, I think that people are very traumatized. They are very scared. Having grown up in a house with a perpetrator who was violent every day and terrorizing every day, I feel like that this country is suddenly very much like the house and the family I grew up in. Every day we are glued to our phones, glued to our television; “What is this psychopath going to do next? How will he embarrass us? Who will he bully or hurt or humiliate today? It’s so easy to get locked into a syndrome where the perpetrator is ruling your life.”

Prayer: God, our country is going through a severe mental illness. Collectively we have experienced several traumatizing external events in the past years, and then we experience also severe traumatizing reactions and handling of those events. We are afraid. We are feeling trapped in a “family situation” that traumatizes us daily. God have mercy on our country. Restore us to health. Help us to make decisions that lead us collectively out of this system as it is set up currently. Free us from all oppression. Amen

There are six things the Lord… detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family. Proverbs 6:16-19

In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you. Deepak Chopra

Meditation: Many of us are deeply concerned these days and weeks about the political chaos this country finds itself in. The more investigators are closing in daily on our current president ‘s family for possible committed crimes, the more the president’s psychopathology is manifesting. Trying to distract from the legal facts that are surfacing daily, he has to create chaos, no matter how. And so this cornered president orders troops to create chaos on our streets. Currently a cornered, paranoid, deeply narcissistic and blackmailed president is the greatest danger to this country and to our world.  And behind all of this emerging chaos hides an actively blackmailing Russian president who continues to gain power over and against American and international best interests.

This experience is comparable with a family’s complete break down due to the dysfunctional mental illness of the parent, and then another outside entity using this chaos created to take over the family dynamics, but not to rescue or restore, but to make worse, exploit and ultimately take over.

Prayer: God, we breathe deeply and thus pray in the stillness within to not allow the chaos to make us paranoid as well. We breathe deeply and thus pray in the stillness within to not allow fear to take us over. You have given us the Spirit of a sound mind. We need to keep the American “family” from collapsing and from being taken over by outside powers. This president has crossed the line many times. Wake us up! Wake up this nation, so collectively we will make an intervention to rescue and restore, so we will prevent the worst. Amen.

For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2. Corinthians 1:7