Week 4: Mid-Afternoon Pause

Reflecting on Motivations & Boundaries: Practice of Contemplative Pauses

Thanks for joining me on this journey! Here’s a playlist of the songs I’ve been sharing:

Opening Meditation

God of boundaries,

Remind us that sometimes we need to walk away from people and situations for our own rest and survival. That when the demands of the world grow loud, we have full agency to choose silence and peace. The stories we tell ourselves about why we cannot do so are often grounded in guilt—a guilt that has been carefully implanted by a society that believes we are products to be used and consumed.

We have been pushed and pulled out of ourselves and our own desires. Grant us the courage to say "no" without apology, that we would meet the demands of this world with truth-telling and self-charity, knowing that our boundaries are holy ground. We will not survive by inching further and further away from safety. Show us that sometimes the boundary we fear setting marks the border between freedom and bondage. Be with us on the journey back to a solid voice. When we speak no, let it shatter chains.”

Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies

Breath Prayer

Inhale: God of boundaries

Exhale: I need courage

Inhale: Be with me

Exhale: Give me a Solid Voice

Silence

Be still and aware of God’s presence within and all around.

(from John Phillip Newell, Celtic Benediction).

Photo by Premkumar Masilamani on Unsplash