May 19, 2022 – When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chodron

Leaning In

“As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. So…(the Pharisees) called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”” John 9:1-7, 24-27, 30-33

GENERALLY SPEAKING, we regard discomfort in any form as bad news. But for practitioners or spiritual warriors—people who have a certain hunger to know what is true—feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.” Chodron, Pema. When Things Fall Apart (Shambhala Classics) (p. 19).

Leaning In

I am not so sure any of us would consider any form of discomfort as good news. I know few people who are glad that their back has suddenly gone out, or their pancreas has flared up, or a tooth suddenly needs a root canal. Pema Chodron considers these moments to be times when we can lean in for the teachings they can give to us. Again, she calls people who can do this seamlessly to be spiritual warriors. Now, you may not consider yourself a spiritual warriors, and that is okay – because we are all on the path to better spiritual practices. As such, when we do find ourselves feeling disappointment or anger or even fear, we can try to take these moments as opportunities to stop, pray and listen.

From the time we were young, we most likely have been taught to back away from fear, back away from embarrassment, and lean away from hurt and discomfort. It is also our natural inclination to do just this. Few people relish these times. Something scares us, we move away. Something embarrasses us, we get out of the situation. We put our hand on a hot stove top, we do not continue to press our hand down. But what if, what if in some circumstances of life and living, we might be able to begin to train ourselves to lean in a little to see what we can learn about ourselves? What if…..?

In our reading for today, the (formerly) blind man is confronted by the Pharisees wanting to know how Jesus had performed the miracle of giving him his sight. The formerly blind man could have shrunk away out of fear. But instead he leans into their inquiry and says, basically, “You do not want to hear my story because it frightens you that Jesus might actually be the Son of God.” It is an amazing statement of faith – which will get him tossed out of the synagogue and could have gotten him killed. But he leaned in when the moment was right.

Pema Chodron claims rightfully that these moments are always “wherever” we are. We carry them everywhere. When they come, will we be able to lean in, or continue to lean away?

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, we often turn away from the path that frightens us, provokes us, and scares us. Give me your spirit today to consider leaning in when I want to shrink away; to speak when I want to be silent; and to follow when I want to run away. Amen.

Pastor Dave

May 18, 2022 – When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chodron

Room With Many Views

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” John 14:1-6

“Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy. When we think that something is going to bring us pleasure, we don’t know what’s really going to happen. When we think something is going to give us misery, we don’t know. Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all.” Chodron, Pema. When Things Fall Apart (p. 14).

Room With Many Views

We often think that there isn’t enough room – enough room in our stomach for desert; enough room in the car for another rider; enough room in the house for another baby. I have often preached on the idea that our lives are filled with all kinds of rooms – from the rooms we lived in as a child, to the nursery we created for the newborn in our lives – we move from room to room throughout our lives. Some of those rooms are small and cozy – others so expansive we have no clue how we are going to fill them.

Pema Chodron talks about allowing room in our lives, not for knowledge or knowing, but for “..not knowing.” That is a space none of us like to think about filling, although our lives are crammed with lots of un-knowing. We do not know who will win the Super Bowl next year, though already many are making their projections. We do not know if we will be alive next year, though we have no plans for allowing for our own demise. Pema goes on to write… “We never know if we’re going to fall flat or sit up tall. When there’s a big disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may be just the beginning of a great adventure. (p. 14) The off-center, in-between state is an ideal situation, a situation in which we don’t get caught and we can open our hearts and minds beyond limit. It’s a very tender, nonaggressive, open-ended state of affairs.”  (p. 16)

Every adventure has begun with a first step, a first decision, a first inkling as to the potential for disaster or success. If we never hold open the chance for “not knowing”, if when all heck is breaking loose around us we do not at the least hold open some expectation to be “surprised”, we will never be settled enough to realize how surprisingly generous, loving and merciful our G-d truly is.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, you are the way and the truth – and a relationship with you truly gives us life. This I know. Help me with all of the “unknowing” that will come to me today. Amen.

Pastor Dave