In our UUCG worship service on March 17, I shared three helpful truths that can bring us hope and couragein the face of change. But … have I really applied these helpful truths to my own life, which is surely in a time of huge transformation? Hmmmmm … Here goes:
Helpful Truth #1: For good transformations to happen, some things have to fall apart. Father Richard Rohr says, “The pain of something old falling apart—chaos—invites the soul to listen at a deeper level.” Most of us humans just won’t stop to pay attention until things fall apart.
This was so true for me last year. Coming out of myministry with the First Unitarian Church of San José (FUCSJ), I dived into full-time community organizing, work I’d really loved. But I was miserable! I couldn’t seem to do it “right,” and old habits came roaring back. I tried too hard to please, got angry when I was just confused, felt paralyzed by the size of the tasks. Mysense of confidence and worth were falling apart. I needed to acknowledge that it was OK to be scared, and this inner chaos was a message I needed to hear.
Helpful Truth #2: Make space to pause and listen.Henri-Frédéric Amiel says that when we’re lost, “let mystery have its place in you.” When I lost my senseof vocation last year, I needed to sit with not knowing what was next. Making that space allowed me to hear a call to come here to UUCG. Even now, I keep pausing. Spending time every morning writing in my journal, asking Love what Love wants me to know, invites me into a daily practice of listening.
Helpful Truth #3: Our small actions are part of a larger whole. I don’t know exactly what my justice work looks like in this new place and new time of life. So I do the small things: This week, I fold the brochures, put on my yellow T-shirt, and show up for the first Free Produce Distribution event at UUCG. I know that even in these small ways, moving with others guided by Love, we are bending the arc of the universe toward justice. We are transforming the world.
Well! With renewed hope and courage, I can now say: I guess we ministers really should always practice what we preach!
(By the way, if you’d like to read the March 17sermon, please send me a note at revnpj@uucg.orgwith “March 17 Message” in the subject line.)
Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones
