A while back in my trauma release class, someone asked me, 

How do we take care of ourselves when world events are so heart-wrenching? 

What can we do when we feel overwhelmed by the darkness, like our light is not enough to overcome it?

How do we nourish ourselves so we are better able to show up thoughtfully and compassionately in the world?

I often share how we can use simple techniques to resource the nervous system, drawing the body out of sympathetic activation or dorsal vagal shutdown into connection and compassion. These techniques are valuable, both empowering and effective. 

But even more important than these techniques is remembering that the nervous system is, above all, relational.

It is created by Love, for love.

And so my very first step, when I feel overcome by the pain in the world, is to find shelter in God’s Love — to let myself be held by the God who is, in ways beyond our comprehension, present and at work in the world. 

This week, I’ve been drawing both my body and soul into the shelter of God’s Love with breath prayer. 

Breath prayer is an ancient form of prayer that invites us to engage our whole person, body and soul, in prayer.

To practice, simply meditate on a short prayer, inhaling and exhaling deeply and slowly as you do. 

You might choose a verse to pray, or a couple of simple lines that express a need, desire, or praise.

In the midst of this heavy week, my focus has been The Jesus Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. 

Shall we breathe through this prayer together right now, pausing to meditate on its words as we go?

Let’s start with a deep inhalation and the first line:

INHALE: Lord Jesus Christ,

I focus on the word “Lord” in this phrase.

A God who is Lord is a God in complete control. A God of power and might, who is before all things and in whom all things hold together (Colossians 1:17).

The stars in the Milky Way are in place because Christ holds them there.

The sun rises each morning because Christ makes it rise.

The pine trees stand tall, the spring flowers unfurl, and the mountain streams wander because Christ makes it so.

There is no corner of creation that does not have life and breath in Him.

EXHALE: Son of God,

These words remind us that our God is triune: one being consisting of three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have been giving and receiving love within their union for all of time (this is what makes a Triune God truly LOVE Itself), and faith in Jesus permanently grafts us into this circle of love.

It is a kind of gravity, this Love, binding us to God’s heart forever. 

We are held, swaddled in the delight of the Father, Son, and Spirit.

INHALE: have mercy on me,

“Have mercy” is another way of saying, “Heal me!” 

Heal the parts of my heart that pace in fear; heal the parts of my nervous system that default to panic; heal my heart where it struggles to believe that you are good. Jesus, make me new.

And Jesus, heal us. Heal our broken, weary world. Let your light overcome the darkness. 

EXHALE: a sinner.

Some of my favorite words of Jesus are often taken out of context: 

“Truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

Jesus isn’t suggesting that we need blind faith marked by naive, unquestioning belief. His following words clarify His meaning:

“So whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”*

Humility enables us to see the door to the Kingdom of Heaven. 

It opens our eyes to Jesus standing before us, welcoming us with open arms, inviting us into His rest. 

It’s how we know that even though we are sinners, failing in a thousand different ways, we are beloved.

In this way, humility helps me understand my proper place in God's world: I am in need of Him.

And awareness of my need is the prerequisite to astounding grace. In the same way that my understanding of my need for human connection draws me into friendship, my understanding of my need for God draws me into His embrace.

Without an understanding of my need, I’d never know the joy of being held and sustained by God, forever safe and beloved. 

And when the world is heavy with hardship, this brings me deepest reassurance.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. 

Let it be so today.

I'm sending you love and gentleness. 

Further up and further in,

Sarah

_{*Emphasis mine}

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