You got going before any of us could say a word. Not a
terrible thing, by any means, but a little preparation is usually of some
value. If at no other time than when we look back and miss it. Easier to say,
“I did all that I could” when we know it is true. But since when is peace in
the efforts? Heaven help us if it is.
There was once a woman who had five husbands.
Impressive. In the sort of way that we don’t really want to be ourselves. She
was thirsty. Sometimes in the getting, we believe we need more, I suppose. He asked her for water and she asked Him who
on earth He was. She had heard One would come to tell them all things. He told
her, “I who speak to you am He.” There is a knowing that cannot be returned
from. And when she went running off without her empty waterpot, she cried,
“Come, see a Man who told me all things…” There is a finding that saves us from
lostness. What a gift, to be able to trade in empty pots for such saving. Never
to thirst again. [1]
You didn’t figure you’d be here now. I know. But it is good. Say it, until you believe it.
The nice thing is that the dawn comes whether we are
ready for it or not, and whether it feels nice or not, it just happens, and we
can depend on it. Steadfastness, a quality so rarely found in any of us, is all
around in the things we don’t control. And there is great gratitude to be had
for that.
We cannot tell you, disheartened one, where you will
end up. So sorry. But that absence of certainty is your very hope. He who tells
all things would have you come. Bring the waterpot if you want—we all know it’s
empty—but leave it there when you return. You won’t want it by the end.
If you wrap your arms around yourself it feels a
little like someone is holding you. Almost. Not sure if that is nice, or
lonely. But it is true. And maybe it is up to us how much comfort we get from
it. There is, if we’ll admit it, an ongoing tug-of-war in our minds, and even
in our hearts. Who will win? You or you? Losing is okay as well. Just so long
as you know the fight is happening, strength needs to be exerted in it, and
lessons learned from it. Don’t walk away ignorant.
Run. Knowing that you know someone who knows all
things.
"Since when is peace in the efforts?"
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding us about true peace during this blessed Christmas season:
"Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;" Isaiah 53:4