Thanks to Beth Kanter and her tireless work to promote effective uses of Social Media I’m aware that today is Blog Action Day, where over 11,000 bloggers are using their blogs to promote thoughtful action to help reduce / end poverty.
In reading about the efforts folks are blogging about, I could feel the mental momentum and asked myself, “Tre, what are you going to do to bring some kind of healing resolution to this issue of global poverty?”
So I began to pray. And for me that means not starting with the problem, but starting with a sense of the cause and creator of all, the “sustaining infinite” as Mary Baker Eddy refers to the divine. As I wrap my mental arms around getting extremely calm and very much aware of this all present power, I then affirm what this power is doing.
I defend that this present, tangible love is supporting, helping, nurturing, nourishing, comforting, protecting each and all of its creation. And I affirm that this sustaining influence is actively engaging all thoughts to know, have compassion and tangibly address the needs of all. And that as a result of this constant care, every precious life is seen and known as worthy, valued, needed, and important…and every precious life is being cared for.
Defending that this is going on, I take my prayer further and insist that tangibly, every one is sensitive to the needs of others and can act out of that true sense of human kindness to help those within his or her sphere most able to influence and support.
This sustaining infinite is seen and felt in that tender nudge of a passerby reaching his arm out to help a senior cross the street, or that child who bounds up to you unintimidated and happily grins and waives hello…to that meal a neighbor prepares for another…to all the massive ways that tens of thousands of people help and give to others every day of our lives.
But outside of prayer, I do get overwhelmed at times. I live part of the year a short flight from one of the most impoverished nations in the world and at times it feels like the entire globe ignores the needs of this and so many other nations. And at times I feel pretty little and helpless like ‘how on earth can I make a difference with those nations?” And I get frustrated too that several of these areas seem repeatedly neglected.
But then I turn right back to prayer and I let my awareness of truth calm me down and give me ideas of how to move forward and help in practical ways if need be.
Time and again, I’m finding that awareness of a sustaining infinite handles any sense of fear that someone or some population or some country can ever be neglected at any moment. And hands down, I do not believe that this sustaining infinite ever never neglects anyone, not for a single solitary moment.
It’s this presence that is impelling borders and other material barriers between people to come down and for nations to help one another.
So in considering how I can impact poverty today and every day, I can surely commit to prayer and to what all human footsteps this prayer nudges.
How are you addressing poverty—in your life, in others’?
Have you found prayer as a resource?