Welcome

As Christians, we affirm that God is good and that we can trust him in everything.  We commit to listening and responding affirmatively to His voice, to saying "yes" to all that He gives.  We trust that what he asks is not more than we can handle, and we know that he works all things out for our good.

So what's up with all the complaining?  Humans are master complainers, myself included.  For most of us, nothing is ever quite right.  We're not happy with the little stuff (like the weather), and we're not happy with the big stuff (like the people around us).  We have a hard time accepting life as it is -- we have a hard time saying "yes" to what is given.  When God hands us a moment, we tend to either ignore it or push it away.  This is how our minds create suffering for ourselves, even when we know that God is working all things out for our good.

Mindfulness gives us a new option: to say "yes" to the moment, to extend an intentional, open, and curious welcome to each moment of life.  With mindfulness, we do not suspend our welcome until a moment proves itself worthy.  We extend our welcome to each moment.  In doing so, we say "yes" to God -- not just cognitively, but by letting ourselves experience the moment fully in our bodies and hearts.

This is confusing in the face of suffering.  We live in a world of injustice.  In America, we suffer a climate of racism and political strife that is fueling murder and unrest across our country.  We are nervous for the safety of ourselves, our neighbors, and our friends.  We know that things are not right, that love is not the norm in our world.  The more we talk about it, the more polarized things become and the farther we get from understanding one another.  Many of us feel tired, worn down, and afraid.  There are lots of reasons to reject the moments. The problem is, when we reject a moment, we are blinded to God in that moment, and we are blinded to the path before us.  We cultivate wisdom when we pause to welcome what is before us, and this empowers us to act more effectively.  Welcoming the moment also gives us the grace to experience goodness in the midst of pain. 

The Spanish-speaking church down the street from me recently closed its doors.  It is a beautiful building, but has long been in disrepair.  The attempts to repaint and repair the crumbling structure have been in vain -- it was too big of a project for a tiny, struggling congregation.  I miss the people who used to live and worship there.  And yet when I walk by, the old sign in the window still says ¡Bienvenidos!, and I feel welcomed.  Welcomed to this moment, this building, this place, this legacy of worship in my neighborhood.  I am reminded to say "yes" in all circumstances -- to welcome what is and, in the process, to be open to Redemption.

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