The View From Here
January 18, 2024
by Peregrine Morkal-Williams, Seminary Intern
On December 31, when congregants picked “star words” for the new year, I was still back east visiting family. But the next week, I closed my eyes, fished around in the basket, and pulled out the word “strength.”
What does strength mean? In our Western patriarchal culture, a lot of us think of strength as the ability to exert our will over a situation or another being while remaining unaffected ourselves. In Aikido, though, we think about strength differently. My sensei (Aikido teacher) has said, “A strong body opens.” At that moment, he was talking about a person’s literal body, but it’s also true of other facets of a person. A strong mind opens. A strong heart opens. A strong community opens. To close or contract is to become rigid and stuck, whether it’s a body or a community that closes. A closed entity cannot feel the life around it, cannot respond, cannot adapt, cannot move.
Strength in Aikido is fluid, not rigid. To be strong is to both center oneself and respond to what is happening—to have both principles and flexibility. The more I practice developing this kind of strength (and to be clear, I have a long way to go), the more I can recognize it in other contexts. I see it in the Bible: in Rahab’s leveraging of her assets (Joshua 2:1-21, 6:22-25), in Job’s transformed attitude after his encounter with God (Job 40:3-5, 42:1-6), in Mary’s faithful “yes” (Luke 1:26-38), and many more stories. I see this strength in everyday life: when people compromise, adjust to changing circumstances, or forgive. I see us cultivating this kind of strength as we dive deeper into discerning and creating the future of our church—the strength of water.
Have any reflections arisen from your star word? If your star word doesn’t resonate so strongly, are there other words that the Spirit has suggested for your consideration? And remember—if you didn’t get a star word, it’s not too late! The basket is in the office; feel free to drop in next time you’re at church.
