Come, Sit Awhile
15 Oct 2012 Leave a comment
in Uncategorized Tags: ABBA, Child, compassion, Creator deity, Family, Home, Hug, Parenting, peace, shalom
Cuddle: The sniffles come and along with it are the chills, the sore throat, the runny nose, and the body aches. If we are lucky, it is also a rainy and windy period in late fall or early winter, where the weather cooperates with the body in mass conspiracy to make us feel even worse. No matter the age or the independent streak we possess, there is one thought that rises to the surface. “I wan…
t my mom.” Sometimes, in the law of events, a trio of watershed moments crash in to claim us. Many comment that heart breaking situations tend to happen in three’s. They seem to snowball, collecting more momentum and energy as time continues. While we try to avert it’s hurtling avalanche and keep ourselves centered, sometimes the impact threatens more impact than we would like. Our blankets, loving arms, and the chance to simply let go rank higher than anything else in those times, and again the same response rings clear, “I want my mom.” That desire we have to climb into safe and secure arms, to rest our heads on strong shoulders, to be held in a way that tells us that we are taken care of is more valuable than any amount of money. We yearn to be cuddled and kept close to those who chose to love us no matter the circumstance. When we are low or sick, exhausted, spent, and overwhelmed—we want our mommies. We want to be wrapped tight, with a light hand on the side of our face, running through our hair, or rubbing our backs. We want to sink into the loving cuddle of someone who wants nothing from us. What a relief that that provides. There are some, unfortunately, who do not have that chance. There are children who go through their childhood not able to climb into those laps and rest their head. There are adults who miss that chance as well, or chose to section themselves from warm embrace, a kind word or a moment to let go and cuddle and be cuddled. Yet, the desire for that human connection does not wane the older we become, in fact, it increases. A loving smile, knowing that someone will grasp our hand in welcome or empathy, the arm about the shoulders, all of it is necessary if we are to grow as the children we are. We are beloved children, whose Abba parent begs us to climb into a loving lap and let go. This Creator knows that we need physical contact which fills us and somehow makes the crazy wind and rain of life seem a little less ominous. Our eternal parent wants to smooth back the worried brows and cuddle us close, letting us know that no matter how tired, exhausted, and overwhelmed we feel, there is One who remains ready to embrace us. That is a legacy of love that has been in place before any of us drew our first breath and remains a promise that envelops us, even when we breathe our last. It is a promise that One bigger than all of humanity stands ready to embrace all that we are, all that we become, and all that we encounter. This Creator understands and hears the heart cry, “I just want my mom,” and wants desperately to provide that safe place of refuge. If only we will cry aloud what we need and what we want. If only. I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. Psalm 31:6-
Pomp Your Circumstance
13 Oct 2012 1 Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: community, compassion, Dream, grace, Mary, Moses, peace, Pomp and Circumstance Marches
Begin: Looking out amongst the crowded gymnasium one can sense the excitement of a generation about to take their first steps into the world. Clad in caps and gowns, with messages lovingly taped to the top, making sure the tassel is in the right place, we can feel their anticipation. Young ladies cast an eye down to the single flower given them by a loved one. The boys jostle one another, …
too much pent up energy to vocalize what they are thinking. It’s easier to punch each other than to tell someone how they feel. Questions loom in the air, “will we see each other again? Is this really it? Where do we go from here? Did we really make it? What do we do now?” Can you hear them? The nervous laughter, the louder than normal jokes about home room giving way to their lining up one last time. The music swells, the Pomp and Circumstance we know so well. It is the end of an era; the beginning of another. The beginning, what is that? How do we begin? What is the beginning if this moment is the end? We watch as the next generation of young dreamers’ file down the aisle, some choking back tears, others stifling a laugh or two. They learned to line up this way years ago when kindergarten meant tying shoes and nap time. Today they line up and take the walk one last time, journeying into their unknown, to begin again. Our thoughts and dreams give way to action; a new era ushers in a chance to begin and to lean into a state of reinvention. Watershed moments bring us to the ends of ourselves, to the foot of the cross, to the end, and a chance to begin again. There are many who can relate to being called to begin. Moses was commissioned to lead a people to freedom, to be the voice of redemption, to begin a movement. Joseph saw visions in dreams, suffered terrible scrutiny from family members, lived through the betrayal of his brothers, and was called to begin a legacy. Mary began a relationship with a carpenter, brought forth a child, thus beginning a new covenant of grace and peace. We are also asked to begin, to initiate goodness, peace, and compassion for one another. The means in which we start the process does not and cannot look the same. The beauty of the process of beginning is that is must look different because the road we journey is as individual as snowflakes that fall. Being a people who can introduce one another to love and kindness is perhaps one of the highest callings we undertake. Sometimes it is scary to begin a journey towards something unknown. The voices of reason scream at us, questioning our resolve, the talent we possess, the practicality of a dream so dear. Yet, we can begin that journey with a small step, knowing that if done with a pure heart and honest motivation, there is little we cannot accomplish. Our Creator knows this and wants our success more than we can imagine. This benevolent Maker infuses us with all the means necessary to entertain those dreams and desires, the desire is there for us to take the steps in faith, to begin the task of being. With the excitement of a young graduate we can embrace the exhilaration of another new journey and a moment steeped in beginning. “‘I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.’ Acts 26:16-18
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