I journal and then I try to put a GRIND together that we need to
hear, that will lift you up, make you smile and leave you stronger!
I find that unless someone shares an idea I tend to write
about the very things I need to hear. Wow, how things can
change in two weeks! We are now in the midst of a global pandemic
and I pray that all of you are staying strong and well through
these times.
To help bring a bit of cheer, I'll be posting from my journaling
short thoughts and meditations to keep us positive and full of
hope.
I'd also like to invite you to join us on Sundays via our
facebook site. Everyone is welcome - no matter who you are, where
you're from, religious or not. Right now we could ALL use some good
music, prayers, uplifitng words, and a huge dose of hope. The
services are recorded so you can watch them by checking into the
facebook page. Join us at First United Church of Christ
Richmond.
I wish God's blessings on you all . . . and I offer this thought
for the week:
The Bible says to love your neighbor.Alternatively, some people
on this earth apparently believe that the Bible says love your
neighbor unless you are in a pandemic and shopping for
groceries.Last week I saw this real time in my local Kroger.
Tempers were hot, anxiety was high, and people were just down right
rude. There was a butcher who seemed to be the target of much of
the anger, as the store had simply sold out of much of their stock.
When I finally got to the front of the line at the meat counter and
saw his face, I just involuntarily blurted out, “Are you okay?” and
tears began to stream down his face.
Love your neighbor has no exceptions. No time limits. No
restrictions on circumstances. Of all the times we need to be kind
to each other—to our families, to our friends, to our community, to
strangers—it’s now. Kindness benefits not only the person to whom
we offer it but ourselves.Psychologists and scientists as far back
as Charles Darwin have argued that emotions can be regulated by
behavior. We usually think the opposite—that we smile when we are
feeling happy. But science has shown that we can create happiness
by the act of forming a smile.
For example, there is scientific evidence to show that when a
person smiles, it triggers physiological changes in the brain that
cool the blood, which in turn controls our mood, which in the end
causes a feeling of happiness. Translated: we can change our inward
emotion by changing our outward expression.
I’ve said that what we feel in our hearts manifests itself in
our behavior, and how we act over time is what we become.
Consistently reminding ourselves to smile throughout our daily
lives may eventually change our hearts. And when our hearts change,
the way we encounter the world changes. That is when we can truly
begin to affect those around us.I think of the famous lyrics by
Louis Armstrong: “When you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with
you.” Louis was onto something, as science has proven those lyrics
to be true. Neuroscience has shown that merely seeing a smile (or a
frown) activates mirror neurons in the brain that mimic the
emotion. Translated: When someone smiles at us, we smile back. And
vice versa.
This research has caught on in a number of industries, including
the hospitality industry. For example, Walt Disney World as well as
the Ritz Carlton use what’s called the 10:5 Rule. When a hotel
employee is within ten feet of a guest, they must make eye contact
and smile. When they get within five feet of the guest, they must
say hello. Bottom line? A virus is contagious, but so is
kindness.
While the restrictions on social distancing may prevent us from
offering a smile in person, we can share kindness in other ways.
Pick up the phone. Call three people a day to check on how they
are. Pick up a pen. Write one letter a day to tell someone you
care. Pick up a world map, put your finger on a place you’ve never
been, then raise up a prayer for a stranger in that land who is
fighting the virus.
We can still maintain community while being apart. It is about
being contagious with our kindness by connecting our hearts, our
spirits, and our prayers. It is about loving your neighbor at all
times without exception. And when fear takes over and kindness
wanes, remember the words of the mystic Julian of Norwich, who
herself lived through a pandemic in the 1300s, and yet, wrote these
words of kindness and hope from the isolation of her monastic
cell:“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of
things shall be well.”
BE THE REASON Someone Smiles Today!
Our faith has never required a building to thrive, and this
pandemic will be no different.
Social distancing doesn't mean spiritual distancing, so join us
online or let us call you.
Social distancing doesn't mean spiritual distancing, so join us
online or let us call you.
We're actively exploring how we can connect differently - online
and beyond - to bring our community together in meaningful ways
that foster hope and reassurance.
The Holy Spirit can bring us together spiritually even when life
events keep us apart physically.
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