The room was pitch black then suddenly green laser beams crisscrossed the darkness and left little room to move without bumping into them. The object was to move from one wall to another and touch a glowing hand embedded in the opposite wall. It was way beyond my agility but the children manoeuvred the space quickly; their combined efforts and coordination meant that they worked out nimble solutions for the obstacles they faced. I was impressed; they were way too quick for me!
This week I visited the home of the Peace Pavillion, a Community of Christ kids interactive museum here in Independence, Missiouri. It was good to see this exciting program up and running and experience with children all the various rooms and wonderful exhibits, including the laser room.
The children were running around like crazed flashes of light, yelling instructions at each other as they tried to dodge the beams. Of course I was tempted to crawl on the floor with them. I decided instead to take a more philosophical approach and contemplate how we move through obstacles in our lives. It takes us time to process challenges and hurt sometimes. I certainly don’t rush about, yet I’ll admit I do find myself using distractions to stop me fulling processing them.
Some things I’ve found helpful though in healing and moving on from challenges in life is to breathe; to be present in the here and now, just as I am; to allow what is, to go easy on myself and to focus on the invisible yet loving presence of grace.
I think about Easter that has just past and of the people who were around Jesus at the time of his death. The day after Jesus died as was the custom on the Sabbath everyone went to the temple. I wonder what they were feeling in this time between death and resurrection. Liz Milani asks us "How do you embody the time between death and resurrection? The awkward, painful middle? How do you live through all the deaths and burials - every kind that you experience?"
How do you allow all of life, all the obstacles to not diminish you? Perhaps it is when we surrender to the darkness and let it do its holy work that resurrection happens. Perhaps this is where we find the power of God’s grace as Anne Lamott says “I do not understand the mystery of grace -- only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us.”
The Bible has a lot to say about overcoming obstacles. We read in Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” or in 1 Peter 5:7 we read “Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
So what do we do? We remember what it is to be human, though sometimes the pain is like focussed laser beams cutting through our life; we cry, love, share, surrender and open our eyes to beauty and wonder around us. We focus on the outstretched hand of grace that is with us always.
For Contemplation: "If everything around you seems dark, look again you may be the light." Rumi
Anne Bonnefin
Communications Co ordinator
Community of Christ Australia