To start our time,
I invite you to breathe in through your nose,
Out through your mouth,
Noticing how the air feels as it enters and leaves your body,
Tracing it from the point of entry down to your lungs,
And then its exit,
Continuing those breaths,
Helping the entirety of your embodied being to slow down and anchor in this moment.
If your mind wanders,
You can gently bring yourself back to your breath,
And if there's anything really swirling around in your mind,
Maybe some anxious thoughts,
Some worries,
Some things you need to do that you don't want to forget,
You can imagine placing those things on a shelf or in a cabinet,
Maybe in a jar,
Even imagining them on a to-do list,
Setting those things aside to be present and anchor in this space.
As you continue those nice,
Deep breaths,
I invite you to place both hands over your heart,
Noticing what varying degrees of pressure might feel like if you gently press against your chest,
Releasing that,
Pressing again,
Offering yourself a little bit of a self-soothe as we enter into a time with a verse from Psalm 54.
As I read from this verse,
I invite you to be curious about how you receive these words,
Not putting any pressure on yourself to receive these words in a certain way,
And simply noticing if there are any parts of you that are eager and excited to hear these words,
Along with any parts of you that might be hesitant or even frustrated by these words.
Holding space for different perspectives,
Different reactions,
And asking any judgmental or critical voices or perspectives that might pop in to take a step back for you to engage in this space.
So with a nice,
Deep breath,
I'm going to read from Psalm 54,
Verse 4.
Behold,
God is my helper.
The Lord is the upholder of my life.
You can breathe with this if you would like,
Breathing in as I read the first line,
Breathing out as I read the second line,
Or any other rhythm that works for you.
Behold,
God is my helper.
The Lord is the upholder of my life.
Behold,
God is my helper.
The Lord is the upholder of my life.
Behold,
God is my helper.
The Lord is the upholder of my life.
As you continue those nice,
Deep breaths,
If you've moved your hands,
I invite you to place them back over your heart.
You can even shift them into a bit of what might feel like butterfly hands over your chest,
Or even further,
You might cross your hands and arms so that it becomes a bit of a self-wrapping or a self-hug here.
Anything that feels comforting or soothing,
Simply noticing how these words are sitting with the depths of your soul,
Different facets of your embodied being.
Maybe there's a part of you that needs to hear these words to know that they are not alone,
That they have a helper,
Someone to uphold them.
Maybe there's a part of you that desperately longs for a helper and feels like God has not been there to help or uphold them.
Whatever you're noticing,
I invite you to simply be with those parts of you,
Those perspectives.
Consider what it might be like to invite God to be with those parts of you,
Letting those parts of you know that they have the option to be in God's presence,
Not forcing any part of you into a space that they're not ready for or not comfortable with just yet.
Simply offering an invitation,
Letting your mind be curious about any mental imagery that might pop up as you're noticing different parts of you or how you're feeling about these words.
Before we close,
I'm going to read this again three times,
End with a prayer.
You can invite any or all parts of you to drink up these words,
To receive them,
Being mindful not to force or shame any parts of you,
To feel a certain way that just might not ring true,
Being curious about the pain,
The wounds that might inform that.
The nice deep breath,
Behold,
God is my helper.
The Lord is the upholder of my life.
Behold,
God is my helper.
The Lord is the upholder of my life.
Behold,
God is my helper.
The Lord is the upholder of my life.
God,
I ask that you would let the tired,
Weary,
Hurting depths of our soul know that you are our helper.
I pray that beyond words,
Before words,
You would make your help,
Your comfort,
Your presence known.
Would you help us to rest in your presence,
In your help,
In the ways that you uphold us and give us faith and grace and mercy to do that,
Especially the parts of us that might feel too scared to do that.
I pray this all in your name.
Amen.
