Security. We all want it. But rarely do we find it amidst change, challenge, or when blindsided by chaos.
The foundational piece in Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” suggests that we physically can’t live without a sense of security. Many of us are not predisposed to feeling peaceful, either psychologically or emotionally, if we haven’t a secure domicile, a secure job, and are blessed by others care and support.
This is not true, however, for everyone. For example, those who are disenfranchised through mental/physical challenges, the homeless, and the hundreds of thousands of folks who find themselves striving to survive day to day, or even moment to moment. Do they have a secret?
I propose that this secret is available to us all, yet rarely accessed. This secret helps us to initialize an indomitable conviction in, and receptivity to, the All Good and Infinite Potential of Life Itself. The secret? Faith.
Faith connects us immediately to that something that is alive and well in the very belly of our soul. That Thing called Life, that when called upon through faith, assuages even the most horrific imagination, the most painful of circumstance, to set us on the path of a new possibility and choice.
Dr. Holmes reminds us that it is easy to know the Truth when things are going well, but when things are upside down, we forget.
When things go awry in my life, I know that I have the opportunity to emerge with a greater sense of security within myself. I feel an inner security as I let go of the material world as my Source. It is here that I claim God’s Presence and Power as my power, and each time I do that, I am shifted. I am shifted because I am reminded that being secure isn’t about being protected against something – keeping life out – it is about letting the Truth of Life in, in all its possibility. This shift becomes my new norm.
I have always wondered why I live as an extremist. Perhaps it is the shaky and questionable early childhood experiences I moved through. I have told myself many things such as: I get bored easily; I am insatiably curious; I am a creative visionary and I need to keep creating newness; I love a good challenge, it sharpens my mind; and, I love the feeling of achievement. Bottom line: I trust that there is a Power for Good in this Universe and I am guided, guarded, and protected when I align with this Power.
I always know that things will work out. Perhaps I was given a pass given that the root of my name, Nadene, means ‘hope’ in the French language.
However, in my earlier days. I didn’t have healthy role models. I fell into substance abuse and had no sense of self-worth. I didn’t know the power I wielded in mind to co- create my reality and I was not a devout person, in the traditional sense. I only knew that I was strong, connected to something of great mystical proportions, and that I wasn’t working alone.
One of the lowest points in my life was at the height of my substances abuse when I demonstrated frequent and destructive displays of anger. My unspeakable disregard for my life was no longer something I could mask, and I became unraveled. I was 33 years of age at the time, and for a self-proclaimed atheist, I amused myself with the thought: “Well, at least I am in good company as that was the age Jesus died on the cross.”
Without faith, I would not have seen the gifts and opportunities that were extended to me by others. This was a time in my life when I really became aware of the power of my faith, and in that, a feeling of self-connection, self-regard, and a feeling of security was born.
Through faith all things are possible! We are poised in faith to access and activate our primary Source of all good and sustenance. When we hunger and thirst, the banquet is served, and not just for satiating our immediate needs, but for the conscious evolution of a life filled with meaning, richness, and abiding joy.
Security. We all have it. It lives inside our decision to commune and walk with the One Power and Presence, most especially in times when we find ourselves separate and struggling.
Join us this Sunday when our guest speaker, Rev. Cassandra Rae explores the topic of Dauntless Faith! Rev. Nadene Rogers