May 14, 2022 – When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chodron

Groundlessness

“Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” Deuteronomy 34:1-5

“…anyone who stands on the edge of the unknown, fully in the present without reference point, experiences groundlessness. That’s when our understanding goes deeper, when we find that the present moment is a pretty vulnerable place and that this can be completely unnerving and completely tender at the same time.” (Chodron, Pema. When Things Fall Apart, (P. 6)

Groundlessness

Pema Chodron talks about the time she was first introduced to meditation. A friend of hers in the class said to her “…please don’t go away from here thinking that meditation is a vacation from irritation.”

Notice in our text that Moses is being introduced to the Promised Land – but also introduced to the news that he will not be able to enter into the same land. Because Moses had struck a rock at Meribah to produce water for the Israelites rather than speaking to the rock, the Lord had determined that Moses would not be allowed to continue on this journey (Numbers 20:11-12). I have to believe this was a moment of groundlessness for Moses. After all of his efforts to lead and guide these “stiff-necked” people, because of one indiscretion, he would not be allowed to complete the journey.

You see, just because we are faithful does not guarantee us life without groundlessness. There will always be times when we feel as if the current struggle of life is going to finally be the one to pull the rug right out from under us. And we determine just to quit. However, if we are willing to stop struggling, not give up, and just stand in the moment of whatever we are encountering – refusing to act out, to blame others, or to blame ourselves for failing in this way or that – rather than be ruled by fear, we will encounter the courage we need to take one more step – and then another, and another, being led by G-d into an unknown future. When we get out of our own fear, and out of our own way and allow G-d to lead us, we begin to realize that the Lord considers us precious beyond all measure – and has secured our unknown future through the Son, Jesus Christ.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, we come to you in good times, and in bad. We come to you with praise, and we come to you in fear. Help me today to stop, take a moment and consider again that I am a loved child of G-d. Whatever I may encounter today, that reality cannot be taken from me. Amen.

Pastor Dave