On the Minister’s Mind

by Rev. Laine Morgan

So many of us are experiencing great challenges with the social environment in which we currently live. Perhaps you have found it necessary to limit the amount of news you consume or purposefully spend time with more positive people to offset the flow of negativity we encounter on the roads of life. There seems to be an undercurrent of anger and frustration, isn’t there?

Last night I watched the movie “Straw” on Netflix.  It was a depiction of an especially challenging day for a single mother.  I recommend the movie, but for me, it was a rollercoaster of deep compassion and also high frustration about the obstacle-ridden cultural systems the main character encountered throughout the movie. Thankfully, she encountered a few caring people who saw her fully and helped her navigate the harshest of it as they helped her access inner strength that was faltering.

Yogananda, an Indian-American yogi and guru, would have had these words for these types of moments - "God has given inner strength for the tree to survive the harshest winters. You are no less endowed. The winter times of life come not to destroy you, but to stimulate you to fresh enthusiasm and constructive effort."

Janiya, our movie heroine, was in an absolutely tragic “wintertime” of her life.  Everywhere she turned she faced unbelievably hard challenges and barriers, yet her resilience and resourcefulness were evident even in her very worst moments.  She just kept going when I think most of us would have just crumpled under the weight of it all.

Is this a wintertime of your life?  It may be 100 degrees outside this summer, but I know many who would describe these days as particularly challenging.  As you navigate difficult things in your life, never forget that you have been endowed with the inherent strength Yogananda speaks of. The spirit within you is seeking to stimulate a fresh perspective and new path forward.  Will you connect with that inner divinity and find your way to a new chapter for yourself?

When things seem to fall apart, I have found that they are actually going through a period of chaos before settling into a new pattern, revealing a path forward you couldn’t see coming. Watch for that and expect it. Trust that Spirit is just as present in winter as it is in any other season of our cycle of life.

Don’t let the straws break you, let them help you build your strength.