Some days are easier than others. Some mornings we
want to get up on “right side” of the bed but that
“side” is nowhere to be found. Some psalms can be
annoying, with the psalmist giving thanks for just
about everything, while we spill our coffee on the
bed. Some walks are full of uneven pavement that
causes us more trouble than tranquility. Some cups
of tea are too hot, leaving our tongue as rough as a
cat’s.
Yea, some days are just hard.
Today was one of those days. The coffee didn’t take,
the poems I read in the morning bounced off of me
like a tennis ball to a wall, and my pen couldn’t
fill the lines in my journal. So, I decided to take
a stroll through the church and some how I ended up
downstairs, the place where, well, only brave souls
venture. I’m glad I walked down there because I
unearthed from the dirt and debris a photo of Jesus
that inspired the lines below.
Behind the veil of dust, his eyes caught mine. And
these words came to mind:
28 ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are
carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am
gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest
for your souls.30For my yoke is easy, and my burden
is light.’ ~Matthew 11.28-30
So I returned to my study and wrote:
Troubled?
Then stay with me, for I am not.
Lonely?
Then remain here with me, for I will keep watch.
Sad?
Then sit with me, for I will illumine you.
Angry?
Then walk with me, for I will show you peace.
Tired?
Then relax with me, for I will teach you to breathe.
Joyful?
Then smile with me, for I will listen to felicity.
Happy?
Then share with me, for I will delight.
Anxious?
Then grab onto me, for I will ease your mind.
|
Unsure?
Then listen with me, for I will reveal.
Thirsty?
Then drink with me, for I will refresh.
Worried?
Then stop with me, for I will slow you down.
Excited?
Then run with me, for I will be elated.
Hopeful?
Then create with me, for I will be awed.
Desperate?
Then breathe with me, for I will return you.
Hungry?
Then dine with me, for I will prepare for you.
Lost?
Then stand with me, for I will embrace you.
Concerned?
Then lean into me, for I will give you my Wisdom.
“The sun hears the fields talking about effort
and the sun smiles,
and whispers to me,
‘Why don’t the fields just rest, for
I am willing to do
Everything
to help them
grow?’
Rest, my dears, in prayer.”
~St. Catherine of Siena
May you find hope knowing you travel not alone today, but
many, near and far, travel with you. May your faith grow
stronger as God walks with you no matter the season. May you revel
in love embracing the good news that God welcomes you
exactly
as
you
are.
[Adam Quine, First Presbyterian Church in Lincoln]
|
