There is a lot happening in the world around us that might distract, terrify, or enrage us. We might feel like we have to respond with urgency, or we might just react. Sometimes, in moments that feel urgent, our values become lower priority. “I can’t worry about interdependence right now! There’s too much at risk!”  

That’s one reason our spiritual practices are so important. They invite us to root ourselves in good soil. Which is another way of saying that our responses to the world around us can grow from our values rather than a sense of anxiety or panic. That isn’t to say we block off or ignore our anger or anxiety. Engaging honestly with our whole selves in reflective practices, we give direction and meaning to the parts of ourselves that feel overwhelmed or afraid or even ashamed. 

For instance, we may feel afraid that we won’t see our friend again because of an increase in deportations. Or we may feel outrage that efforts to restore and safeguard the environment are being defunded or minimized. Or our strong feelings might be more locally focused, about things in our own neighborhood or community. Our spiritual practices invite us to ask why we feel what we feel (maybe five or six times with some breath), and to clarify what our values call us to do and be.

Why do I care enough to have strong feelings about this? And how does that connect with my personal vision for my life and the world? Can I create space for all my feelings as parts of a 

whole, complete self? Is there a way that my values guide me to tend and respond to my feelings with integrity? In this way, our spiritual practices help us cultivate good soil for the actions we take. And it begins with caring for all of what’s going on inside us.

Our spiritual practices show us not only how to be with the outer world, but how to tend to our inner selves. And in spiritual community, we can be good soil for one another as well, asking the same kinds of questions and inviting the same kind of rootedness. Our personal reflective practices and our congregational relationships act in harmony with one another to guide meaningful action based in our shared values. 

It’s easy to just share in one another’s outrage, fear, or helplessness. In a way, it can feel validating that someone else is reacting to the world in a way that mirrors our own. Determining what to do with those feelings, though, is spiritual work. And it might not always seem like easy or appealing work, but it’s easier (and maybe more satisfying) when we engage in that work together. 

Our values, our individual faith identities, our personal scriptures—all of these things form the good soil that allow our emotions and feelings to be transformed into purposeful action. May we spend time cultivating that soil, for ourselves and for one another.

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