Last Sunday, Rev. Meg shared the acronym B-R-A-V-I-N-G coined by Brené Brown to describe seven elements of trust. Brown created this checklist because, as she writes, “it reminds me that trusting myself or other people is a vulnerable and courageous process.”
(Here’s a handy PDF of the acoynym that we can reference throughout the month as we deepen into the theme of trust.)
It can be hard to trust our own selves with the truths we bury deep inside. Creating spaces that open doorways into those truths is part of the work of this faith community. We do this in worship, through words, music, silence, images, ritual. We do this by building relationships, through our presence to each other during the joys and the sorrows of life, and by bearing witness to the injustices all around. We open doorways when we practice listening and practice sharing, when we ask questions, and when we strive for curiosity and openness.
Part of why I love small group ministry so much is how it can offer a beautiful container of trust — a space that can give us the strength, support and courage to go deeper within. There is something profound and, well, magical that happens when a small group of people gather from a place of heart … when we come together with great intention and care to create a particular kind of space.
I hope you’ll join one of our Soul Matters or Beloved Conversation groups. I hope you’ll join this UUCM community in creating these kinds of spaces. Please reach out to me with your thoughts and questions. How can UUCM be a place for you to be brave, for you to give and receive trust? I’ll close by sharing lyrics from one of my favorite songs — Woyaya:
We are going,
Heaven knows where we are going,
But we know within.
And we will get there,
Heaven knows how we will get there,
But we know we will.
It will be hard, we know,
And the road will be muddy and rough,
But we’ll get there,
Heaven knows how we will get there,
But we know we will.
—Terri
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