Guidance
Document Actions
by Carole Crumley
"Give them guidance .... Jah Jah guidance."When I was visiting the Taize community in France last spring, a young man told me he had come there because he noticed that the Taize chants were repeating themselves in his mind and heart during the day and into his sleep at night. His spiritual practice had for years been a mindfulness meditation in the Buddhist tradition but he wanted to know more about this community of prayer because their songs were becoming his way of praying.
I'm also paying attention to the songs that take up residence in my heart. They often give me clues to the prayer that God is praying in me and to my own prayer that is seeking to rise in my awareness.
At a recent family wedding held in a one-hundred-year-old Methodist church on the banks of the Holstein River in Tennessee, the music featured two Appalachian Reggae singers. Their songs brought together two worlds-- the beat of reggae music and the pleading/yearning words of mountain soul singing--an unusual but wonderfully compatible combination. The nuptial song was "Guidance." "Everyone needs guidance," the singers declared, and when a brother or sister, a mama or papa or when the children come seeking guidance, "give them guidance." The message, carried along by reggae rhythms, brought smiles, toe-tapping and nods of agreement from those gathered.
Since then, I've noticed that both the reggae beat and the words of this song continue to resonate in my heart. Guidance--give me guidance, give them guidance, I find myself singing/praying throughout the day. Everyone--not just newlyweds--needs guidance. I'm thinking of nieces and nephews seeking jobs in a depressed economy, friends whose newborn baby faces difficult medical challenges, Rose Mary as she moves through a season of transition, Jerry struggling with health concerns. Guidance, I pray, give them guidance.
As the circle of my praying expands, I remember political leaders crafting public policy, world leaders shaping global communities, medical professionals seeking to understand diseases that confound them. Guidance, I pray, give them guidance. As my heart turns to Shalem, my prayer for guidance deepens. Give me, give us guidance.
It is a very humble prayer reminding me of all that I don't know. I don't know the right direction or the right actions or even the right words. Life is complicated, complex. The way isn't clear. The prayer for guidance strengthens both my sense of dependency on God and my deep respect for not-knowing.
Yet, it also reminds me of what I deeply do know-- that there is guidance. God is present and active everywhere, always willing and wanting to guide our steps. This knowing invites me to trust that God is guiding even when I cannot see where or understand what is happening. As I am present in this moment, not wandering in the distant past, or worrying about the future, God's guidance is present.
The great contemplatives speak of God's guiding presence that is known most exquisitely in the darkest times. Spiritual directors encourage us to listen for holy guidance that reveals itself in daily experiences and companion us in prayer as we do that. Wisdom figures call us to trust what our hearts deeply know. This season, a song is helping me live into this vibrant truth. With a reggae beat, God guides me towards an ever-deepening love.
Note: Taize is an ecumenical community in the south of France dedicated to a ministry of reconciliation with young adults and known especially for its chants and worship music.
© 2008 The Shalem Institute.