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Transcript

A Problem Can Just Be a Problem · Still, Here

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: This is still here.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: A quiet moment to remember what is true.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: A problem can become much larger inside us than it is in front of us.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: A message goes unanswered.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: A plan changes.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Someone says we need to talk.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: An unexpected expense appears.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: And before we know what has actually happened, the mind begins building the rest of the story.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe they are angry.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe I failed.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe this is the beginning of something worse.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe everything is about to change.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: The first problem may be real.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: The next five problems may exist only in imagination.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Still, the body can respond to all of them as though they have already happened.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Notice that without criticizing yourself.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: The mind is often trying to protect you.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: It wants to see danger early.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Experience may even have taught you that small changes sometimes do signal larger trouble.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: But when every uncertainty becomes a threat,
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: it becomes difficult to see the actual size of the problem.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: The book of Proverbs chapter 14 verse 15 says,
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: The prudent person carefully considers the way ahead.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: That kind of wisdom does not minimize reality.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: It simply refuses to let the first fearful interpretation become the final one.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: You can slow the story down.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes those questions reveal that there really is a problem that needs attention.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: Good.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: Now you can address the problem that is actually there.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: A mistake can be corrected.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: A disagreement can be discussed.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: An expense can be evaluated.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: A difficult conversation can be entered.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: But you do not have to solve an imagined future at the same time.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: There is a difference between taking something seriously and making it catastrophic.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: And there is a difference between saying this matters
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: and saying this proves something terrible about me.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe today you are carrying one difficulty that has collected several meanings around it.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Separate them for a moment.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Name the fact first.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Then name the story you have attached to the fact.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: Then ask, what is the next proportionate action?
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: Not the action that would fix every possibility.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Just the action that belongs to what is real now.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps you need to ask a question,
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: make a phone call,
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: wait for more information,
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: apologize,
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: clarify, make a plan, or simply give yourself permission not to decide yet.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: The Spirit can give you enough inner room to care clearly.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: Take a moment for this prayer of presence.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: God of Wisdom, when one problem becomes many imagined dangers, help me to see what is real.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Give me patience with what I do not yet know and courage for what truly needs attention.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: Keep fear from turning every difficulty into a judgment about my life.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: As you step back into the rhythm of your day, carry this prayer with you.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: Show me what is real.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Guide my next step.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Show me what is real.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Guide my next step.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Show me what is real.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: Guide my next step.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: Show me what is real.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: Guide my next step.
• 4:47
  [music]
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, stay steady, stay open, stay present.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: You are still here.