STAND

My friend Jenna and I were out for happy hour last week, catching up on an array of topics over fancy drinks and tempura avocado. Whenever we get together, we cover a lot of ground, from the sacred to the profane, and everything in between. There’s plenty of laughter and levity, but inevitably we also end up spiraling into the Meaning of It All — personal transformation, life purpose, and the soul’s journey… It tends to go deep.

At some point in the conversation, I asked my friend, “What do you stand for?” Jenna thought that was an excellent question, so we ordered another round and delved into the topic.

She told me about a book she’s reading, a sort of Kabbalah primer, through which she’s learning the esoteric meaning of the Hebrew alphabet, among other interesting things. This book contained a discussion of the Hebrew word: HINENI.

HINENI is translated (in Jenna’s book) both as “Here I stand” and “Here I am.” When God calls upon Moses or Abraham, for example, in the Torah, they respond: “Hineni.” It’s more than a check in, more than simply saying “I’m here” — it’s an affirmation of both presence and identity.

I find this idea kind of intense and pretty wonderful: “Here I am” as a declaration of being, of purpose, of commitment, of faith, of readiness… “Here I am” meaning “Here’s what I stand for…” There’s also real power in recognizing that this statement is endowed with the fullness and freedom of choice. Because certainly each of us gets to decide and create for ourselves that for which we stand.

Then this got me thinking about the fact that it’s only after such a personal declaration that things get really interesting. “Here I am, here I stand” just gets the ball rolling. Once we answer Life’s call with our wholehearted selves, then the Universe-Everything-God gets to tell us why It was calling in the first place.

And that’s when we begin to discover more deeply what we really believe in, what we really want, and the blooming miracle of who we truly are.

I can’t wait to be with you this Sunday, September 8. Service at 10 am. XO, Drew