• Email Sign Up
  • Following me around the web…
  • Liturgies for the “Be the Church” Series
  • Quarantine/Pandemic Prayers & Liturgies
  • Sermons on Video
  • Single in the Sanctuary
  • Vocational Prayers
  • Want to know about me?

Michelle L. Torigian

~ God Goes Pop Culture

Michelle L. Torigian

Category Archives: Health

A Lament in Times of Covid Anger

19 Thursday Nov 2020

Posted by mictori in COVID Prayers, Health, Pop

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

anger, Coronavirus, COVID-19, grief prayers, lament, Prayer, Prayers, progressive Christianity

God who abides with us in times of lament…

Oh how could we be here! How can our neighbors care so little about us, focusing on freedom instead of compassion?

Despair and resentment grow within my heart. At some point I’ll reflect on forgiveness, but right now I rage.

It was more important for some to hold big parties which created more cases instead of imagining how their actions would ripple into the world.

It was more important for some people to make a point of not wearing masks for the sake of their “freedom” instead of embracing the beauty of connection and sacrifice for the greater good.

It was more important for people to defy recommendations based on ideology instead of seeking science and reason.

And so our medical professionals worry each day if they are next. Because some wanted to out to dinner, our schools must close. Because of ego, gatherings commence when they should be placed on hold.

Dear God, I’m angry. I’m furious because our loved ones can’t gather with us for holidays. Some are sick. Others are dying. I’m angry at our fierce independence because it creates barriers to achieve a healthy society.

I’m angry because they don’t care about my health.

So with my neighbors, we scream in anger at where we are today, knowing that some turn their backs on justice and mercy, on interconnectedness and love.

I’m not ready to forgive. I’m not ready to forget.

Amen.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Coronavirus is in the Body of Christ

15 Sunday Mar 2020

Posted by mictori in Current Events, Health, Pop

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

1 Corinthians 12, Body of Christ, Corona, Coronavirus, Current Events, Pandemic, Social Distancing, virus

brain-3168269_1920

One of the most memorable sermons I remembered was (I believe) from my friend Rev. Jack Lewis.  He delivered the sermon as his senior sermon around the early part of December.  The title was something like “The Body of Christ has AIDS.”

When the Body of Christ has a virus or an illness, the entire body has it.  Viruses aren’t exactly like breaking a foot or straining a wrist – which still impacts other parts of the body to an extent.  Rather, viruses impact the entire system.

Which is why I have to say this: Coronavirus is in the Body of Christ.

Paul gave us a magnificent illustration back in the first century CE.  1 Corinthians 12:14-26 states this:

Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot were to say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body.  And if the ear were to say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?  But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.  If all were a single member, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many members, yet one body.  The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’  On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,  and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

When a virus attacks the body, we can’t isolate it from other parts of the body.  When we have a stomach virus, we can’t remove our stomach from the rest of our body.  When we had the chicken pox years ago, the entire body would suffer with the red, itchy spots.  Viruses attacks the full system.  “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it.”

Likewise, when the Coronavirus entered the Body of Christ – just one person – it entered the full human body.  It meant that the Body was going to have to work to rid itself of the disease – new ways of living and caring for one another – even in our isolation or if it’s impacting the world away from here.  As it grows closer, even if it doesn’t impact us directly, we are still impacted by what is going on in our communities and world today.

We can’t spiritually isolate ourselves from what is going on by calling it a hoax, or that people of one party want this or caused this. This dangerous rhetoric needs to change. Coronavirus/COVID-19 is real. It’s impacting people in China who are part of our Body. It’s impacting people in Italy – also part of our Body. It’s impacting people in all corners of the world. It’s impacting poor people with less than the best insurance, notable people like Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. It’s impacting leaders and their spouses – like Sophie Trudeau. It’s impacting older people through illness and younger people through grief.

And it’s going to take ALL of us to “flatten the curve.”  It will take all of us to change the way we are living to slow this virus to the point in which it is manageable for our medical professionals to treat.

If you say that this doesn’t impact you, then you forget about the child who has had an organ transplant or the person with COPD.  If you decide to keep living life the exact same way you’ve been living, then you risk transmitting the virus to someone over the age of 60 or the person going through chemotherapy.

The Body of Christ is already impacted by this disease.  And the Body of Christ will need a long period of healing even after it is “well.”

It will impact our economy.

It will impact the people we love.

It will impact our social connections.

It’s too late to expel it. The Coronavirus is now part of the body of Christ.

So now that it’s infected the communal Body of Christ/human body, what do we do?

First and foremost, we are required to realize that we are all connected. Each decision we make impacts everyone else – even the people who we have never met or the ones we pass by in stores and doctors offices.

Second, we share our resources of time, talent, and treasures when we can.  We brainstorm and become creative when it comes to allowing people to work or finding pay for them.  We design worship for streaming platforms.  We share.  We begin to trust God and love neighbor instead of hoarding for ourselves.

Third, we reach out to our neighbors as more and more events are being canceled.  We may be physically social distancing, but we are not emotionally and spiritually social distancing.  Canceling events may upset us, but it’s keeping someone else alive.  Even in our grief, let’s reach out to someone else who is grieving the loss of socialization or who may be going through a deep patch of depression or anxiety.  We give thanks for the many ways we can keep connected – from phone calls to emails, from FaceTime to hand-written notes.

Fourth, believe that this is real and advocate for/share love with those who are most vulnerable: people with weakened immune systems, people with lack of housing and food, people with depression and anxiety, people who are over 60, people who do not have adequate child care, and people without decent health care.

This extra effort is required because they are part of the same Body of Christ in which you are and I am.  And this Body is infected.

The Body of Christ has the Coronavirus.  Whether you are the foot or the hand or the stomach or the kidneys or the heart – you are affected.

We are a system.  We are the Body of Christ.  Let us heal together.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Mental Health Litany of Wholeness

29 Saturday Feb 2020

Posted by mictori in Church Life, Health, Liturgy, Pop

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Addiction, anxiety, depression, Health, John 14, Litany, Liturgy, Mental health, Mental Health Issues, mental health worship, Panic disorder, PTSD, wellness

1B383ED3-3164-4422-AD6B-07D5C0BCAA57
Scripture
John 14:26-27

One: “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

Entry into Healing

One: When the world is topsy turvy around me, and I can’t see reality clearly.  When the medications haven’t clicked in, and I find myself in a manic state, or when depression is weighing me down.  Is this a panic attack coming on?!?

(Sets a medicine bottle on altar/table)

All: Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

One: This substance helps me avoid the discomfort of life.  And now, it’s tough to set it down. I need it to function. I need it so I don’t feel everything.  It brings relief… and it’s a weight.

(Sets a weight on altar/table)

All: Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

One: Trauma from war has clouded my brain.  All of a sudden mental pictures flash in my mind.  Will these visions ever leave?

(Sets a photo from veterans’ memorial on altar/table)

All: Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

One: My dad can’t remember what he had for lunch earlier today.  And he no longer knows my name.

(Takes off name tag from neck and sets it on altar/table)

All: Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

One: When you lose a spouse, you lose a part of yourself.  I haven’t been able to sleep as well. I’m not like I was before their death.

(Sets a box of tissues on altar/table)

All: Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

One: So many in my pews are hurting – grief and depression, anxiety and trauma, addictions, caregiving.  Where do I go next?

(Sets a stole on altar/table)

All: Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

Scripture Isaiah 41:10

One: “Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”

The candle is lit.

Prayer of Healing

Gracious God, Divine Travel Companion,

On this journey filled with worry and grief, our souls feel unsettled.  Our hearts rattle with the notion that something about our bodies and minds will fail.  Will illness and death surround us? Will the ones we love desert us?

Such anxiety sometimes needs additional help, God.  We thank you for counselors, therapists, psychologists, and others who offer a listening ear and constructive feedback.  With their help, we may begin to understand ourselves in new ways.

Bless the medications that we take each day which keeps our minds and our bodies in balance.  Bless the doctors who prescribe and consult and the pharmacists who care for our safety.

Bless the clergy who offer prayers when life crumbles and who will rush to bedsides when illness has overtaken us.  We give gratitude for their words of comfort when grief rolls in like storm clouds.

Through our trauma and our mourning, our anxiety and depression, when substances take the place of healthy living, and as our bodies begin to fail us, comfort us on this journey.  May your peace strengthen us. May your warmth give us hope for the future. Through your gifts and your presence, we see a future with hope.

Amen.

(c) Michelle L. Torigian 2020 – – Permission to use with attribution

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

A Prayer When I Feel Like I’m Getting Sick

25 Saturday Jan 2020

Posted by mictori in Health, Pop, Prayers

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

cold season, feeling sick, fever, flu season, getting sick, influenza, Prayer, Prayers

woman-699001_1920
God of the Handkerchiefs, Spirit of the Humidifers,
As my throat increases in scratchiness,
And the chills and aches invade my space,
May your strength fill my cells with health.

Hear my lament: “Nooooooooooooo!  Achoo!”
*Cough Cough*
“UGH!”

If this is, indeed, an illness,
May this be brief, and my I gain my strength back soon.
Give me the patience to rest.
May my schedule be light this week
And my tasks few
So that I can nurse myself back to health.

If this happens to be a false alarm,
May I pay attention to my body
And avoid the plague like the plague.

Amen.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

A Prayer Upon Receiving a Diagnosis

24 Saturday Aug 2019

Posted by mictori in Health, Pop, Prayers

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

autoimmune illness, chronic illness, grief, illness, pain, Prayer, Prayers, sick

Molecular God who abides in my veins,
As the words spill from the doctor’s mouth
Of a new diagnosis,
Of a new reality,
Of a new normal,
Hold steady my shaking soul.

There are words now for the pain I’ve been feeling,
And I’m happy that it’s finally not “all in my head.”
Yet now it’s real.
Now I really must face this.
Now I must see that this body of mine is finite
And admit I will not live forever.

May good days be good, and may they be plentiful.
May bad days be few and far between.
May medicines work.
May side effects be rare.
And may the aches not distract me from your presence.

Amen.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

A Prayer for Doctors, Nurses, and All Medical Professionals

20 Wednesday Mar 2019

Posted by mictori in Health, Lent Prayers, Pop, Vocation Prayers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

careers, doctors, Lent, Lenten Prayers, medical professionals, nurses, Prayer, prayer for doctors, prayer for nurses, Prayers, progressive Christianity, vocational prayers, vocations

Holy Winds of Healing-

As you encircle us with your love, surround us with healing energies. Your voice perpetually calls our bodies, our minds, our souls to wellness and wholeness.

For the doctors who examine us, diagnose us, and treat us, we give much gratitude. Gift them with clear minds and overflowing wisdom. May they embrace the continuous unfolding of medical knowledge. May surgeons hands be steady, and may they look towards your healing spirit as they listen for you calling.

For the nurses who journey with us as we continue the healing process, we speak our thanks. May they find fulfillment in their vocations. Point them to your presence as they work towards the health of their patients.

We ask for blessings upon all of those who work in doctor’s offices, on surgical floors, and in hospital rooms. Help them experience patience in their trying moments, and may they see the positive impact they make.

May all medical professionals speak words of love and embrace grace as they work to bring your healing to an injured world.

Amen.

*****

This is part of a series of Lenten daily prayers for various careers. The list was determined by St. Paul UCC, Belleville, IL.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

A Prayer for Dentists

19 Tuesday Mar 2019

Posted by mictori in Health, Lent Prayers, Pop, Vocation Prayers

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

careers, dental hygienists, dentist, dentists, Lent, Lenten Prayers, orthodontists, periodontist, Prayer, prayer for dentists, Prayers, progressive Christianity, vocational prayers, vocations

God of the Smiles and Smirks-

For our dentists and dental hygienists, we share our gratitude. Through their encouragement of better hygiene health, we become stronger people.

Bless them with patience as so many of us hold much anxiety of drills and needles. May they show much peace when our nerves flare. May their hands be steady as they hold delicate tools which care for our teeth and gums. Through their knowledge, we find dental wellness.

Bless their learning through continuing education. Bless all who work in their office, and bless their leadership of their staff.

Amen.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

RevGalBlogPals Post- The Dangerous Theology of Women, Bodies and Pain

29 Monday Jan 2018

Posted by mictori in Health, Life, Pop, Religion

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Esther, Eve, Health, pain, progressive Christianity, RevGalBlogPals, The Pastoral Is Political, Vashti, women, Women's Bodies

Recently, I read The Week’s article “The female price of male pleasure” by Lili Loofbourow. The article speaks of the pain many women endure as collateral for men’s gratification. Loofbourow states “Women are enculturated to be uncomfortable most of the time. And to ignore their discomfort.” She continues by noting “The real problem isn’t that we – as a culture – don’t sufficiently consider men’s biological reality. The problem is rather that theirs is literally the only biological reality we ever bother to consider.”

Many of us women have adapted to a culture of pain. In exercise, terms like “No pain, no gain” become mottos by which we live. Like the article mentioned, many of us become accustomed to beauty regiments that require some discomfort. From waxing and plucking to wearing high heels and waist trainers, becoming conditioned to wear these items in order to become attractive and find a partner is common.

From the time we were young women, a number of us have endured physical anguish each month with our periods. When this pain became excruciating through diseases like endometriosis, some doctors would just dismiss the woman and tell her that it’s normal. And like The Week article notes, numerous women endure pain with sex. Yet only 393 clinical trials study women’s painful sex, seeming extremely sparse compared to the 1,943 studies which exist for erectile dysfunction.

In the article, Loofbourow said “Women have spent decades politely ignoring their own discomfort and pain to give men maximal pleasure.” Except that this goes beyond one or two generations and a few decades.

Pieces of scripture have allowed for this narrative throughout the past two or three millennia. Some of our Christian narratives do not help our efforts to live a low-pain existence. Our faith tradition is rooted in an origin story in which the first female human is cursed to moments of pain for the choice she made.

To read the rest of the article, visit  The Pastoral Is Political: The Dangerous Theology of Women, Bodies and Pain

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

I Am the Woman With the Hemorrhage: Identifying With Biblical Healing Stories

25 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by mictori in Current Events, Health, Life, Pop, Social Justice

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

ACA, ACHA, Affordable Care Act, health care, healthcare, House, interfaith, Medicaid, Medicare, Obamacare, progressive Christianity, rally, Senate, Social Justice, Syrophoenician woman, Votes, White House, woman with hemorrhage

medc

On June 29, 2017, I stood on the lawn of the US Capitol and spoke for approximately 15 minutes as part of a 24-hour interfaith vigil for healthcare.  Below are my remarks.

*****

I am the New Testament woman with the hemorrhage.

Over 13 years ago, I was diagnosed with endometriosis, a health issue of migrating tissue, imbalances of hormones, and pain.  While I dealt with pain for years prior to my diagnosis in 2003, much of the time I’ve dealt with the issue the best I can since sometimes it’s just an hour or two of rough pain with mild to moderate pain on and off during the other hours of the day.

But occasionally, the health issue will flare up like it did earlier this year.  I’ll try various methods to try to control it.  Physicians will say to me: Let’s try this pill.  How about another ultrasound?  What about trying birth control to manage the disease.  Maybe it’s time to have another minimally invasive procedure.

Over and over I’ve tried different medications and procedures to manage this disease.  More money spent here and there to see if this will be the magic formula to keep the disease at bay.   The time spent at the doctor’s office or waiting.  The costs of other health struggles that result from these issues – like low iron. 

When my endometriosis flared up this year, it was adhesions causing the extreme pain.  While many gynecologists treat it, only a few in our country know a special technique that will help the issue from coming back – at least for a number of years.  But I checked with the doctor, and they are out of network, so after insurance, the doctor’s bill alone would have been around $15,000.  I couldn’t go to the specialist who knew the special techniques of removing deeper tissue.  Fortunately, I do have insurance, so I was able to go to my own doctor, and she helped remove some of the tissue.   But even being on the top tier insurance, I still have nearly two thousand dollars I need to pay for deductibles and co-pays. 

I am the woman with the hemorrhage – the one who spent time, energy, money to heal.  But I’m not the only woman dealing with this issue.  Many other women with endometriosis do not have health insurance.  Even though my copays are costly, most of the costs are taken care of by insurance.  Others with endometriosis can’t afford the birth control pills to attempt to control the disease, or the IUD that is known to help, and with cuts to Planned Parenthood proposed as well they will have one less outlet to find the help they need with this health care issue.  They can’t afford surgeries.  And then there are the women who have insurance who are being denied hysterectomies and other procedures by their insurance company.  Some will take their funding issues into their own hands and create a Gofundme page.  

They too are the woman with the hemorrhage – spending all of the time and money that they have to find a cure for this disease.

This is just one illness in a sea of so many illnesses that our neighbors, family and friends face.  Each one of us at some point of our lives will find ourselves lacking in health and will need to see doctors about serious issues.  Most of us can identify with one or more of the people who Jesus healed or the people who advocated for them.

Some identify with the Syrophoenician women from Mark 7.  They will press with everything they have to make sure that they can afford treatments for their children.  They will call doctors offices and hospitals to negotiate prices.  They will contact their insurance company again and again to fight for a treatment to be covered.

Some identify with Peter concerned for his mother-in-law or the men who cut a hole in the ceiling so that they could lower their friend down in order to be healed.  It takes advocates like children of elderly parents making sure they can afford home health care or nursing home care for a parent who is not able to care for themselves.  It takes advocates like friends or family of people with severe mental or physical illnesses to ensure their loved one has exactly what they need.

Some identify with the child in Mark 9, then considered demon possessed but it sounded like he was having seizures.  How did the father in the story react?  He yelled “show us compassion!”  Don’t many here want to shout that out loud to the powers that be, the men and women who work at the building behind me?  Show us compassion.

When I read these stories, I think of so many of the people I know and have known with all sorts of health issues.  I think of all the people I know – the people in my congregation and hope they will always have the care they need.  I think about my dad.  He has Parkinson’s.  One of his medicines would cost him $19,000 per month if he didn’t have care.  I think of my mom who advocates for him, calling up companies to make sure that he is covered.  I think about both of them, hoping that laws don’t change and they will have to pay more for their medications.  

Just like I identify with the woman with the hemorrhage, other people might relate to other women and men who Jesus healed.

And yet Jesus had compassion on them.  He didn’t ask them over and over again to qualify themselves for care.  Even the one person who he did question – the woman from Syrophoenicia – he began to understand her through their common humanity.  He understood that he had no right to question the validity of healing her daughter.  And instead of criticizing the woman or her daughter any more, he went ahead and healed them.  

To our neighbors who serve our country in the United States Senate and House of Representatives as well as the executive branch: we are humans with dreams often cut short because our health care system allows our bodies to fail.  We are humans wanting to live not just a long life, but a long AND healthy life.  We are humans who want to see our children grow in body, mind, and soul.  We are humans that want our elderly parents to decent care when they can no longer care for themselves.  We want our siblings to have mental health care because we do not want to lose one more person to suicide.  And we want you to look in our eyes and open yourselves to our stories.  We want you not only to read Jesus’ healing stories in the Bible but listen to the stories of the people who struggle with health insurance and their diseases.  Jesus listened to them, and if you are a follower of Jesus, we ask that you follow the life of Jesus and create a system of affordable healing.  Do not cut what is there; expand to ensure that all people have one less worry in their lives.

We are humans who don’t want to worry that if we lose a job or our jobs are cut to part time hours, we can still afford health insurance.  And if we find ourselves without insurance, we will find a way to get back on it again.  We don’t want to base our vocational choices on whether the job has insurance or not but rather base it on the question “is God calling me to this particular vocation”?  We don’t want to avoid doctors because being diagnosed with something gives us a preexisting condition, and we don’t want to avoid doctors because we can’t afford to go.  Prevention is the key to longer and healthier lives.  Many of the people in the building behind us profess to be pro-life, but are they willing to prioritize tax cuts for the few instead of affordable care and quality of life for the many?

Anything could happen to us at any point.  God wants us to make sure that when it’s our turn to get sick that we aren’t forgotten.  So now is the time for us to speak.  And call.  And write. 

All of this reminds me of when I was entering seminary: since I quit my full time job, I worked at getting health insurance.  There was only so much I could afford, but I was able to get on a plan.  I had to justify a couple of the health issues I had – one being my endometriosis.  And the only insurance I could afford was without maternity.  If I had gotten pregnant during this time, I would not have had maternity covered.  If I wanted to plan to have a baby, I would have to add maternity on one year before I got pregnant, or else it would be a preexisting condition.  

Maternity.… A preexisting condition.

But so many of my other seminary friends were forced without it. Some couldn’t afford it at all.  Others were denied insurance for issues like allergies or being over or under weight.  Whether they had insurance or not, some got sick.  One had an appendicitis without insurance and another two hernia surgeries before they started a full-time call.  The costs were high.

I’m not sure of the number of seminary students who can now afford insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act.  But we ask that you don’t take this away from them.  Or our next door neighbors.  Or the part-time worker.  Or the single parent working three part-time jobs.  Or the person on disability.  Or the elderly person needing Medicaid to stay in long-term care.  Or the small business owner.

The Body of Christ is in pain because it can’t get the help it needs.  It must suffer with ailments.  It must put off medical tests.  It must deal with the fatigue of pain.  It’s time for the Body of Christ as well as our sisters and brothers of other faiths and who profess no faith to be well alongside of us. In order for that to happen, we need affordable health care for all. 

And just like the stories of the people who Jesus healed have been told, it’s time for us to claim our stories too, our health care struggles, our worries about being able to afford healthcare whether we are on insurance or not, whether we are well or not, whether we are working or not.  It’s time for our leaders to listen to our stories, to know that we are all broken and beautifully human, that we are made in the image of God.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Today, I Persisted

08 Wednesday Mar 2017

Posted by mictori in Current Events, Health, Pop, Religion, Social Justice

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Coretta Scott King, Elizabeth Warren, Endometriosis, Esther, Feminism, International Women's Day, intersectionality, Malala Yousafsai, persistence, progressive Christianity, sexism, Syrophoenician woman, Vashti, woman with hemorrhage

img_7961About a month ago, in the midst of my horrific pain, I wrote most of this blog post.

Today, bits of the pain still linger, but I feel much better already. Yet reading this which I wrote when I felt so much less hopeless makes me realize how far I’ve come and reminds me of my persistence and resilience.

And so, on this International Women’s Day, I share with you.

At this point of my life, I needed to hear he word “persist” over and over and over again.

Thanks to the resilience of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, words written by Corretta Scott King were brought alive again in order to protect our Union.

Of course, like most women even in the twenty-first century, we are shushed, told our opinion does not matter, or ignored altogether.

I try to acknowledge this over and over. But sometimes, I’m not privileged. Sometimes, I’m muddling through life with a belly full of ache and a energy system that is zapped. My skin color is privileged, but my insides ache and hold me back.

Once again, I’m struggling with endometriosis.

I’ve learned well how to push through the pain to achieve what I need to. But sometimes it’s just not enough to barely make it through to survive. I work, but I’m not fully living.

When I read all of the sexism and misogyny that’s happening in our country and world, and I see what friends have and do experience, it’s time to claim that we deserve more than the crumbs under the table. We deserve to have health and food and equality. We deserve for our voices to be heard.

And at a time when my pelvis aches and my aggravation increases daily with the dismissal and silencing of women, hearing the word “persistence” and the stories to go along with the word is refreshing.

We need to hear the stories of our sisters who worked for suffrage. We need not only to listen to the stories of our sisters of color, transgender sisters, and lesbian sister, but acknowledge the additional hurdles they have overcome. We need to tell each other our tales and not dismiss what another woman says because we haven’t experienced the same.

I needed the tenacity of Elizabeth Warren today. I need the enduring words of Corretta Scott King. I need to see Malala Yousafzai rising from her injuries and advocating for women all over the world. I still need to see the presence of Hillary in public and private because- even after all of the criticisms and losses, she still continues on. I need the stories of the women in Scripture who persisted: the Syrophoenician woman, the woman with the hemorrhage, Tamar, Vashti, Esther, and more. And I need to hear the stories of my endosisters who continue on one procedure to the next but never giving up.

The more we see women pushing and pushing beyond the boundaries of “no” and “maybe later” to “yes” and rising from the ashes of pain and failure and sexism, the faster we will heal in body, mind, and soul.

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...
← Older posts

CCblogs Network

CCblogs Network

RevGalBlogPals

RevGalBlogPals
Follow Michelle L. Torigian on WordPress.com

Michelle L. Torigian

Michelle L. Torigian

Rev. Michelle Torigian's Instagram

No Instagram images were found.

Archives

  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • September 2011
  • December 2010

Blogroll

  • A Southern Pastor's Life in the North
  • Ancient/Future Faith
  • Associated Luke
  • Coffeehouse Contemplative
  • Emily C. Heath
  • For the Someday Book
  • Go and Tell with Grace
  • Katie Steedly
  • Liturgy Geek
  • musings about liturgical adventures, poetic journeys and such
  • One Whole Step
  • Reflections of Ryberg
  • Scattered Graces

Tags

Advent advent prayer Advent prayers anxiety Armenian Genocide Body of Christ careers child-free Childless Childlessness Christianity Christmas Church Communion Communion Liturgy Coronavirus COVID-19 death depression divorce domestic violence Easter Endometriosis Epiphany Feminism God Grace Grey's Anatomy grief grief prayers grieving Healing Holy Week Hope Infertility Jesus Justice Lent Lenten Prayers LGBT Life Liturgy loss of loved one loss of parent Love Mental health Mother's Day motherhood mourning occupy advent pain Prayer Prayers privilege progressive Christian progressive Christianity Progressive Christianty Quarantine racism rape Resurrection sexism sexual assault Single Singlehood single in the sanctuary Social Justice Syrophoenician woman UCC United Church of Christ Vashti vocational prayers vocations widows worship

Categories

  • Advent prayers
  • Be the Church
  • Church Life
  • Communion Liturgy
  • COVID Prayers
  • Current Events
  • Epiphany Liturgy/Prayers
  • grief
  • Health
  • Holidays
  • Lent Prayers
  • Life
  • Liturgy
  • Movies
  • Music
  • National Day Prayers
  • Poetry
  • Pop
  • Pop Culture
  • Prayers
  • Quarantine Liturgy and Prayers
  • Religion
  • Single in the Sanctuary
  • Social Justice
  • Social Media
  • Sports
  • Television
  • Vocation Prayers
  • Wordpress Blogger University

RSS Michelle L. Torigian

  • Zeitgeist and the Church: The Lessons Learned from the “Blow-Off” Class I Took in College
  • A Lament in Times of Covid Anger
  • A Prayer for Veterans Day
  • Liturgy for the Great Commandment
  • Anniversaries and Grief
  • A Prayer for Grandparents on Grandparents’ Day
  • A Prayer for Students Starting School, COVID-19 Style
  • A Prayer for Sad Days of the Pandemic
  • International Cat Day Blessings of the Cats
  • A Prayer for Purple Heart Day
January 2021
S M T W T F S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31  
« Dec    

Category Cloud

Advent prayers Be the Church Church Life Communion Liturgy COVID Prayers Current Events Epiphany Liturgy/Prayers grief Health Holidays Lent Prayers Life Liturgy Movies Music National Day Prayers Poetry Pop Pop Culture Prayers Quarantine Liturgy and Prayers Religion Single in the Sanctuary Social Justice Social Media Sports Television Vocation Prayers Wordpress Blogger University

Recent Posts

  • Zeitgeist and the Church: The Lessons Learned from the “Blow-Off” Class I Took in College
  • A Lament in Times of Covid Anger
  • A Prayer for Veterans Day
  • Liturgy for the Great Commandment
  • Anniversaries and Grief

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
%d bloggers like this: