Pause and connect with a higher power

What do you do in the face of challenges?

The college financial aid award letter seems to be in error. What do you do?

Your partner confesses to being unhappy in the relationship. What do you do?

Tornadoes tear through your distant hometown, and you hear reports of devastation. What do you do?

You read of a Black trans woman beaten and killed outside of a club as an act of hatred. What do you do?

You see students protesting the U.S.-funded Israeli military killing thousands of children in Gaza, and you also are aware of a rise in antisemitism around the world. What do you do?

Your doctor calls to tell you that the cancer has progressed, and it is time to move into treatment. What do you do?

I received that doctor’s phone call just before the beginning of a time called “Holy Week” in the Christian tradition leading up to Easter. I was working on more worship services than usual, preparing to talk about hope and new life, and then I was suddenly and personally confronted with the long-time association of the words “cancer” and “death.”

What do you do?

I imagine most of us want to immediately do something in the face of anticipated challenges, chaos, trouble or pain. Sometimes, we try to quickly take care of or fix the challenge. Sometimes, we actively push away the challenge, at least in our minds, with entertainment, booze or by getting busy with easier things. All of these are typical responses to something we might perceive as a threat: fight or flight. Either way, it is natural to want to do something.

The Psalmist quoted above has experienced a challenge. He knows the usual responses, however, his words reveal another option. Instead of automatically fighting or fleeing, the Psalmist stops to awaken to the truth that God is the ultimate basis of life, of his being and his identity. As he is grounded in the Spirit, he is immersed in love that transcends the judgment of others, and this brings peace and strength.

To be so grounded, the Psalmist likely has had some time to practice and has been immersed in the stories, prayer and other reminders that help him trust his belonging in God; a belonging that cannot be lost or destroyed, even as the challenges are steep.

When I received the phone call from my doctor, setting my heart racing, I wanted to quickly look up all the treatments and possibilities, make another phone call to set up an appointment for a second opinion, or somehow (ideally) make it all go away. But I stopped. I took some breaths. I prayed. I got quiet. I cried some. And I called a loved one for support. I did not do anything immediately to attempt to fix the cancer. I did not do anything immediately to try to escape the cancer. On some level, it was helpful that the challenge was cancer; I knew there was nowhere to flee (it was in me) and there was no way to fix it (I do not have that kind of power on my own).

And in the stopping, in the pause, I connected with my Higher Power, I was reminded that I am beloved, and I trusted (at least a little more) that there are possibilities I cannot yet see. And then I had a better sense of how to go forward, greater clarity in knowing what to research, a stronger sense to ask for what I need.

The fear was not gone. And it is still not gone. But I keep stopping to listen as I move into whatever next phase of cancer tests and waiting (so much waiting) for treatment possibilities. I schedule time to stop before appointments to breathe deeply, meditate and listen for God’s direction and peace. I accept offers of rides and notetaking assistance as physicians speak of test results and side effects. I let myself be loved.

The cancer is still within me. The trouble is not over. But each time I stop, as I open myself to the Divine, I am grounded in power that brings some peace, wisdom and strength to go forward, to keep living and sharing as best I can the gift of life that God has granted.

Whatever challenges come, it can be helpful first to pause, open to God/Higher Power, and receive gifts that help us move forward and embody more fully hope, healing and love in a world that needs such gifts. Stop. Then go.

Tucson faith leaders, we would like to include your original sermon or scriptures of encouragement. Sermons must be written by the person submitting them, not borrowed from another source or writer. If you are a faith leader from any religion or denomination, please contact Sara Brown at sbbrown@tucson.com.