First Morning Meditation of a New Year

 

The first week of a 2022.  For the first morning meditation of the New Year, I invite you first to breathe in deeply and slowly exhale.  This one act, repeated thousands of times, taking a breath is so central to life. 

 

Breathe in God’s grace and love for every day this coming year; breathe out any frustrations you have.

 

In fact, I encourage you to be very specific with the above invitation.  When you breathe in God’s grace, do so recalling a specific meeting or event or experience on your calendar. 

 

Breathe in God’s love for your doctor’s appointment today; breathe out the weight of worry.

 

Breathe in God’s love for a relationship that is changing; breathe out compassion that we cannot control others.

 

Breathe in God’s love for yourself – you beautifully and wonderfully still-being created in God’s image – breathe out those New Year’s resolutions that pointed out all your foibles and flaws.

 

Keep going with this exercise.  I want you to breathe in God’s love for things on your calendar.  It might be God’s love for a meal and that you would slow down to savor the flavors.  You might breathe out God’s love for a relationship that feels tangled and twists.  You might breathe in God’s love for our church.  You might breathe out God’s love for racial justice, LGBTQ community, creation to be treated as holy-made by God, Sarasota United for Responsibility and Equity (SURE), our monthly community meal, our Christmas love recipients, or the people in a small group you participate in at church (you might breathe in God’s love and name each person in the small group aloud).

 

Most of all, dear reader, breathe in God’s love for you.  I know there is much in the world that battered, bruised, and broken.  I know there is much within each of us that doesn’t always feel like it is well with our soul.  It is my prayer that in the moments of being in the prayer posture of breathing on this first Monday of a New Year, this might bless every day in the coming year.  By the way, this is a wonderful way to start every day this year. 

 

Now, I breathe in God’s love for every person who is reading these words; slowly exhale God’s blessing for the coming three hundred sixty-three days before us.  With God’s blessings and love to you.  Amen.