Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Tuesday, February 28th

During a recent time of reflection on retreat, I wrote the following psalm:

Creator God, ruler of the universe -
     along the shores of life, 
I seek your presence
               I long for the light
                                of your campfire in the darkness.
Around every bend in the river
    I hope to find you calling me from a distant shore.
The rapids have often overtaken me - 
                                    breathless I find myself on the other side.
Are you aware of my journey?
       Are you aware there are days 
                         when the sun beats down upon me 
      and I desire shade and a place of rest?
My friends taunt me from the shore - 
                     waving banners and cheering
       unaware of where I've been 
                                   or where I'm going.
When the river consumes me
      and beats me against the rocks -
Will you be there?
                                    
River maker - 
            bring calm to the waters ahead. 
And when I face the rapids 
            help me to see you on the other side.
Help me to remember when you tossed me a line
    and pulled me to shore
             and I found rest in you.
Creator God - ruler of the universe -
You are my guide and comfort,
                       in you I find peace and rest.

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand." 
- Henri J. M. Nouwen

1 comment:

  1. From Nothing Special, Living Zen, by Charlotte Joko Beck: "We are rather like whirlpools in the river of life. In flowing forward, a river or stream may hit rocks, branches or irregularities in the ground, causing whirlpools to spring up spontaneously here and there. Water entering one whirlpool quickly passes through and rejoins the river, eventually joining another whirlpool and moving on. Though for short periods it seems to be distinguishable as a separate event, the water in the whirlpools is just the river itself. The stability of a whirlpool is only temporary. The energy of the river of life forms living things -- a human being, a cat or dog, trees and plants -- then what held the whirlpool in place is itself altered, and the whirlpool is swept away, reentering the larger flow. The energy that was a particular whirlpool fades out and the water passes on, perhaps to be caught again and turned for a moment into another whirlpool. . . "

    My takeaway from this reflection is that we often enjoy being caught up in our whirlpools -- our chaos -- forgetting that we are always and will forever be part of the ongoing, ever flowing living stream. And when we let go and rejoin that rush of life, we recognize that we are part of the pulse of creation. This is grace.

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