Midweek Faith Lift
September 17, 2025
Courage and the Power of Strength
Rev. Deb Hill-Davis
Spiritual Passages
September 2, 2025
Satellite Beams Solar Power to Earth
It sounds like the stuff of sci-fi novels, but solar power has been harvested in space and beamed to Earth for the first time. The 200 milliwatts transmitted wirelessly from space couldn’t even boil a kettle, but scientists say it’s proof of concept and brings us one step closer to the ultimate goal of beaming non-stop solar energy down to Earth. The experiment was conducted by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), which harvested electricity from a solar panel fixed to a satellite, and then transmitted it to the rooftop of a lab in California. Caltech president Thomas Rosenbaum said, “Beaming solar power from space is an elegant solution that has moved one step closer to realization.”
Spiritual Reflection
From the stillness of space, a stream of energy found its way to Earth. This is how the movement of Spirit arrives: as a beam of possibility, shimmering with promise. In prayer, even the smallest shift in thought can be a "proof of concept" - that we have dominion - evidence that our alignment with divine energy is real and active. What begins as a quiet affirmation can grow into a steady, unstoppable flow of good, of courage. The Caltech experiment illustrates that every proof of concept, whether in science or in the soul, is a seed of the Infinite, affirming that greater good is unfolding.
And for a little humor
My husband and sons and I had stopped to take in a spectacular sunset and were on our way back to our car when four Buddhist monks dressed in orange robes walked by. Our sons asked about them. "Their life is a quest for enlightenment." I explained. "I wonder what kind of car they drive," my husband said, and jokingly suggested, "A Ford Focus?" I smiled and said, "Or a Honda Odyssey." The monks got into a Pathfinder.
Affirmative Prayer for today: Infinite Spirit in us and all around us, we open to Divine energy flowing through us as seeds of courage. We take heart and know our strength in every moment of courage each and every day. Amen
We live in a time that requires us to be strong hearted and to welcome the courage of spiritual strength however it shows up. How delightful that the monks are driving a Pathfinder! We climb aboard with them because this quest for the courage of spiritual Strength is a continuous journey and is not easy or quick. We find our path of courage in each moment of challenge and sometimes we succeed and sometimes we don’t. When we don’t speak up or stand up for what we know is Truth, we feel like the cowardly lion and somewhat ashamed of ourselves. We can feel like courage is evident in people like Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., or Gandhi or Nelson Mandela, Desmund Tutu, the Dalai Lama or Mother Theresa, Ruth Bader Ginsberg but not us!
But take a breath and pause for a moment and remember that every challenge we face that calls for courage is a moment of possible human/spiritual growth and maturity. And we can be assured that if we miss the moment, it will come around again and again, as often as needed. While it is not really pleasant, we learn much more from our failures and lapses than we do from our successes. We usually remember our missteps, don’t we? Think about that for a moment! We learn our courage limits when we are triggered by fear, anger and when we experience knee-jerk resistance. These emotions rob us of our human/spiritual power of courage. We feel them, but we don’t want to stay stuck there, for sure. It is courage that helps us move beyond them.
It takes great courage to admit fear, to admit we are wrong and take responsibility for our part of a conflict. It takes courage, a lot of it, to show up with love in the face of unfair accusations and untrue statements. We activate the spiritual power of courage one muscle at a time. None of those we named started out as pillars of faith and courage. Each of these ideal models of courage drove their own very human pathfinders to answer their call of service and their extraordinary courage was demonstrated over time, not all at once. They were empowered to find the “proof of concept” of courage, and so are we.
Let’s pause and consider how we, as everyday ordinary people have “proof of concept” of the power of courage deeply embedded in both our human and spiritual nature. Strength is paired with Faith and the two are represented in the disciples Peter and Andrew, who were in fact brothers. These two powers, Faith and Strength, grow together in our consciousness. If Faith is about our convictions, then Strength is about having the courage of our convictions. The center of Strength in the body is in the small of the back and when we activate strength, stability, courage and tenacity we put our attention there, developing our spiritual backbone!
Rev. Linda speaks of this spiritual backbone when she explores courage as part of spiritual Strength. She writes the following about Strength in Divine Audacity,
Stable, centered, calm, balanced, rooted, anchored, secure, safe, sturdy yet flexible, strong in character- these are the marks of the stabilizing power of strength. (p.152)
When we find this place of faith and strength, then we are able to embrace life with true courage, or audacity, as she likes to call it. We dare to go beyond apparent limits or expectations to find how strong hearted and courageous we really are. And the courage of ordinary people is amazing, jaw dropping, deeply moving and inspiring.
I want to share a story about incredible courage and strength. This past week, on Monday, as usual we prayed for the 4-5 people who are on the Prayer Circle call list who have Parkinson’s. Jim Trenberth then mentioned a story he had seen about people with Parkinson’s doing rock climbing as a type of therapy or treatment. He sent me the link to a 12-15 video minute segment from the CBS Sunday Morning show. The people with Parkinson’s were learning rock climbing, first in a gym on a wall and then outdoors climbing an actual rock wall of a sizeable hill. They were tethered and safe, but it took great courage to actually scale the wall, it was truly inspiring!
The beaming smiles and grins on their faces as they each reached the top told the true story of courage that each one embodied as they scaled the rock wall. Many of these folks could climb the rocks better than they could walk, speak, type on a keyboard or do other simple motor skills. It was a skill that required the very deliberate movement that each of these folks now had to practice in everyday life. Climbing the rock wall gave each one a sense of dignity and empowerment, a claim to a sense of worth and value that had been eroded by the Parkinson’s. And it was a joy to see family members cheer them on in support, understanding and love.
As I reflected on it, I realized that the courage they were realizing was not in facing a fear of heights or of falling as you might typically expect. They were facing the disease and with great courage making an actually physical statement that the Parkinson’s was not going to define or limit them. It was a courageous statement of wholeness of mind, body and spirit, despite outer appearances. Clearly the strength and courage came from within the heart of each one of these determined climbers.
It is the same energy of courage that we demonstrate every time we take a stand or speak up for truth in our own everyday lives. It is the courage that is evident every time we climb our own rock wall of self-determined obstacles. When we do that, when we face our fears or respond without anger or side-step our knee-jerk resistance, we are demonstrating the “proof of concept” that the power of love, the power of faith and the courage of spiritual strength is greater than anything that seems to oppose it. It is a “proof of concept” of courage that opens us from within to infinite possibilities for how we show up to life.
The word courage is derived from the Latin root word cour, which means heart. When we connect with the energy of the heart, of our spiritual center, we are truly connecting with that Divine pattern embedded within each of us that is the “proof of pattern.” When we demonstrate courage, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, we are in fact planting seeds of Strength in our own hearts and in the collective consciousness. When we respond to the energy of hate and fear with the light of love and strength, then we too are beaming back to earth that faint signal of solar power that ultimately lights the path for all. We are in reality, “proof of pattern” of the perfect power of the Christ, of love and strength.
In the words of first Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 2:9-11
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart has dreamed, there is good waiting in the mind of God for us.”
May we find blessings on the Path as we climb into our own Pathfinder!
Rev. Deb