From Headline to Holy Pause
Jan 28, 2026How do we meet events we cannot fix?
A massive winter storm swept across the continental United States this weekend. I read that nearly 40 states were under winter weather alerts. Here in Nashville, TN, we have snow and ice.
So far, news reports indicate that tens of thousands of customers across multiple states have lost power. The most recent update I heard was that roughly oneā€‘third of Nashville is currently without electricity.
There have been extensive travel disruptions. According to one source, more than 10,000 flights were grounded in a single day. The highest number since the Covid pandemic.
These are not simply statistics. They represent lives interrupted, plans undone, grief borne quietly, and vulnerability made visible.
In moments like this, spiritual direction does not rush to explanation or meaning-making. Instead, it asks a quieter question: What happens in us when the world feels out of control?
So, with all this in mind, what happens within you when the world feels out of control?
Feel free to sit with this question for a moment.
Do we tighten our bodies? Do we strive to regain a sense of order?
Do we grow anxious or numb? Do we use escapism to avoid the world?
Do we feel compassion, fear, gratitude, or a mix of all three?
Rather than searching for answers, we are invited into presence. We take time to lean into prayer. We don’t look to resolve but simply hold space.
We take the time to notice what is stirring within us, emotionally, spiritually, bodily, without judgment or urgency.
This, too, is a form of faithfulness: staying present to what is, trusting that God meets us not only in clarity and calm, but also in disruption, uncertainty, and waiting.
A gentle invitation:
Pause for a moment today. Notice your breath. Notice what you are carrying as you take in the news of the world. Offer it—just as it is—into the care of God.
Katie Rea, WTC Writing Coach
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