Know There is a Bigger Story
“There is a bigger story here.”
I was once asked, “What or where is your refuge?” when stressed. The above quote came to mind. When I become attached, or averse to, a particular situation in my life, I try to widen the view. I try to remember that whatever I am seeing, feeling, or reacting to is not the whole story…there is more.
Friday night, I watched Nuremberg, a film that explores the post WWII trials. I saw how unacknowledged pain, suffering, fear, and distortion can influence the present when grief is not acknowledged (shadow). Saturday morning, I listened to podcast with Wouter Hanegraaff on rejected knowledge, idolatry, and the ways we ignore or exile parts of ourselves. I can see how easily my awareness can narrow; it’s a common pattern of our humanity. When my awareness narrows, my wisdom often narrows with it.
There are many moments when I become attached to a particular view of things. I get caught in “wrong view” rather than “right view,” and I begin to believe my immediate thoughts are the whole truth. I forget there is a larger story, a wider context, another possibility.
Mindfulness does not remove the pain of life, but it helps me honor what is present without becoming completely identified with it. It helps me stay open to what else may be true.
I find mindfulness supports my intention to know there is a bigger story….if only for a moment.
Mondays & Thursdays
2:15 – 12:45 pm
Room 407 @ Second Presbyterian Church
7700 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46260
or
Zoom! - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83998337582
Meeting ID: 839 9833 7582 - Password: 672891
Join others in Mindfulness Meditation on Mondays and Thursdays at 12:15 pm. Brief discussion, followed by silent practice and concluding with observations, comments, or wonderings.
Take refuge in the present moment. Mindfulness Meditation is the opportunity to rest in Presence in a supportive environment with others. No experience, fee or registration is necessary.
P. Scott Sweet, LCSW, LCAC
Executive Director
CenterPoint Counseling