Bread for the Journey

The frosty wind was moaning this morning. Snow two days in a row! Today we celebrated Jesus’ birth in worship and song. The choir sang a beautiful arrangement of this hymn with harp. I paid close attention to the words and thought, “What can I give to Jesus?” I can give him my heart.

What God most wants from me is my love. I can give him my love by spending time with him. The only way to deepen a relationship is by spending time with one another. How will I spend time with God today? More later…

I love snow! I anticipate it every season and was so excited to see a beautiful snowy landscape when I woke up this morning. By afternoon most of the heavy wet snow had melted from the trees, but I still remember its beauty.

I also remember playing in the snow as a child. I remember staying up late at night anticipating a pending snowstorm (and snow day from school) and I remember waking our teenage son in the middle of the night inviting him to hike and make snow angels with me in the newly fallen snow.

Christmas is almost here. It’s easy to forget the season of Advent when it’s past and there are no more lights to remind me of this special time of year. If I am attentive to God, I am filled with wonder and joy. When Christmas is over, I can still remember and keep this wonder and joy in my heart all year long. For God is with us always.

We desire. What we desire differs from others because each of us was created in the image of God to be the unique person God intended us to be. Although we may not be aware of this, I think we all desire connection with others.

I met with some friends this evening and we shared stories of how God is working in our lives. We also shared stories of family, challenges, and joy. We spoke of how so many people seem to be in a hurry these days and how annoyed we can get at those who are rude or cut us off. Yet we don’t know what each person struggles with inside since we all walk different paths in life.

We confirmed how important it is to have relationships where we can share our deep stories. By sharing these pieces of ourselves we become more connected and embrace others as family.

Kathleen Norris says, “We honor the Incarnation best by honoring God’s image in all people, and seeking to make this world into a place of welcome for the Prince of Peace.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning during twilight my eyes were drawn toward the window. A diffused purple glow from the rising sun filled the sky with radiance. It certainly seemed as if God was in our midst. This morning’s beautiful creation is all I needed to fill my day with hope.

Many times when words don’t suffice I realize that I can become numb to too many words. Gazing on the beauty of creation, God prays through us. No words are needed.

I have entered many doors in my life. Some were easy to open and others not so much. Doors I’ve walked through have given me opportunities to meet new people and learn new things.

I have chosen not to walk through certain doors due to fear of what’s on the other side. Doors have thresholds; narrow strips that must be crossed before entering another space. To thresh something is to separate grains from husks and chaff. “Thresh” originally meant “to trample or stomp” because the earliest method of separating grains from chaff was to stomp on them. I can only imagine how dusty threshing rooms must have been.

When I choose to leave parts of my dusty self behind, Jesus has the key to unlock a new door and helps me cross the threshold into new life.

On occasion, when a plant of mine looks to be dead, a new shoot eventually springs forth. This message of hope always amazes me!

There are parts of me that have died over the years, sometimes even by choice. These are usually pieces not needed or in need of transformation. The parts I have allowed to die do not belong to my true self.

I haven’t always been aware of my true self. I continue to discover my authentic self by listening to God, experiencing his work in my life and acting on his word. I have also learned much about myself by listening to stories of my ancestors. This leads me to discovering God’s will and doing so gives birth to hope and joy.

I am thankful for strong roots of faith which allow my life to be transformed according to God’s will.

I am in awe of God. In August, I drove through thick fog in the North Carolina mountains. I was leaving Montreat early in the morning on the way to St. Vincent Archabbey in western PA. “God spoke to them in a pillar of clouds” resonated from the evening psalm I read the night before. God’s message is not always clear, but that day his presence in the clouds was certain.

When I’m in need of clarity, many times I turn to scripture. I used to pray, “Give me strength,” but one day while ruminating on a phrase from the psalms, “Be my strength,” it dawned on me that God has already given me strength. I just need to “tap into” it by entrusting my burdens and fears to God, allowing myself to be vulnerable, making sure I’m not too lofty, and choosing to turn the controls over to God.

I have the power within to face my fears; the Lord will “be my strength”.

Today I ran into someone who helped me out ten years ago. During that wilderness time in my life I had been searching for something and, although we had never met before, she knew where to find it. Part of what she offered was her own talent, not expecting anything in return.

When I saw her today I was able to express how much her generosity meant to me. A gift I will never forget; unexpectedly given by a stranger. The piece of herself given graciously became a fragment of my journey and helped me to discover the way led by God.

I continue to grow in wisdom while traveling this narrow path. Looking back it amazes me how many people touch my life without my knowledge at the time. I don’t know how my actions affect others, but I am grateful I had this opportunity to tell someone how they impacted my life so many years ago.

Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. ~Psalm 25:4

I write my story every day intending it to be my evening prayer. Sometimes my ideas of God and the Holy Spirit have gotten in the way of actually praying. When I see God during the day, many times, I think about how I might capture that insight in my blog post that evening.

Henry Nouwen said, “When I think about prayer, I can talk about it with moving words and write about it with conviction, but in both situations I am not really praying but reflecting on it with a certain distance.” Something in my heart told me this is true for me, too. What I read today, and quoted above, solidified that feeling of separation from God.

So now it’s up to me to act. With a convicted spirit I will make sure I include that important time with God as part of my evening writings.

A water line broke on our street and we’ve been without water much of the day. I expect water to be available for daily tasks and am so disappointed when it’s not. It’s amazing how something mindlessly expected can disrupt our daily lives when it’s not there.

Sometimes I expect more from my family and friends than they can provide and I become disappointed. Sometimes I don’t live up to my own expectations. But that’s alright, we are not perfect. And this is something I must remember in order to forgive.

It is comforting to know that God forgives me and carries my burdens, and I can expect Christ to abide with me forever.

Come, thou long-expected Jesus.