Saturday After Ash Wednesday
I woke Saturday to a fresh snow; layers of white wrapped the early morning in stillness. I thought of the Lord's words in Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, let us reason together, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
On this journey in Lent would we be willing to talk to Our Father and reason with Him? Could we ask Him about our sin and see what He has to say? We might be surprised; I see the scarlet of my sin, He sees snow.
Medicine from Sacred Writings:
"Blessed be God who has comforted our sorrowing souls and stayed our agitate spirits."
St. John Chrysostom Homily IV Concerning the Statues NPNF1 vol 9, 364
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
SPRING THAW
Sun poured down yesterday in the White Mountains as I watched our boys race. The late winter snow yielded to the warmth of the day. Last week's blizzard dumped plenty of powder for their skiing, but Mother Nature was melting all she had made.
There is so much in my heart that needs a good spring thaw:
~ resentments piling up like ice jams causing structural havoc on the roof of my soul
~daily frustrations settling like a cold snap causing frigidness in my relationships
~fresh onslaughts of cares, concerns and worries which toss me about like a nor'easter
~doubts and fears acting like black ice tripping me up when I least expect it
A winter walk under a dazzling blue sky touched the frozen places in me. What was it that lifted my soul? It was the light. I can choose to lift my face and feel the sunshine warm me and let God's creation remind me: Someone is watching over me.
Medicine from Sacred Scripture:
"I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip- He who watches over you will never slumber." Psalm 121:1-3
There is so much in my heart that needs a good spring thaw:
~ resentments piling up like ice jams causing structural havoc on the roof of my soul
~daily frustrations settling like a cold snap causing frigidness in my relationships
~fresh onslaughts of cares, concerns and worries which toss me about like a nor'easter
~doubts and fears acting like black ice tripping me up when I least expect it
A winter walk under a dazzling blue sky touched the frozen places in me. What was it that lifted my soul? It was the light. I can choose to lift my face and feel the sunshine warm me and let God's creation remind me: Someone is watching over me.
Medicine from Sacred Scripture:
"I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip- He who watches over you will never slumber." Psalm 121:1-3
WALKING IN THE LIGHT OF LENT
A friend of mine goes into the depths of despair during Lent- so much focus on sin and repentance and purifying ourselves can be overwhelming as we look within ourselves and find so little that is holy. So, I decided I would write the forty days of Lent- you may want to follow along if you struggle with the how and why of Lent.
On Ash Wednesday I was marked with ashes that signified I was Christ's own.
"Do my words and actions tell others I am His? The call of Lent is the call to die to our old way of living," Fr. Don said. I cried through the service as I realized just how much had to die in me to be holy and His. I don't need to stumble around in the darkness of my old ways- anger and frustration and resentment; I can let them go in the light of Lent. I can embrace the One who is called the Light of the world and ask Him to take my hand this Lenten season and lead me in holiness.
So every day of Lent I will write a little thought, snippet or post something from Sacred writing or Scripture that might light your path.
Medicine from Holy Scripture:
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:5-7
On Ash Wednesday I was marked with ashes that signified I was Christ's own.
"Do my words and actions tell others I am His? The call of Lent is the call to die to our old way of living," Fr. Don said. I cried through the service as I realized just how much had to die in me to be holy and His. I don't need to stumble around in the darkness of my old ways- anger and frustration and resentment; I can let them go in the light of Lent. I can embrace the One who is called the Light of the world and ask Him to take my hand this Lenten season and lead me in holiness.
So every day of Lent I will write a little thought, snippet or post something from Sacred writing or Scripture that might light your path.
Medicine from Holy Scripture:
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:5-7
Thursday, January 24, 2013
BUBBLE WRAP
I threw the few scattered belongings I had grabbed into the backseat of my Volvo XC90 and descended the steep snowy road and headed home; selling our mountain house fully furnished left very little to be packed up, but still, I needed bubble wrap. My beautiful blue pitcher and bowl broke with my hurried handling.
How like my life. I try to rush through every move, even the natural rhythm of moving through each day. I am impatient and harsh and my fragile heart breaks with my rough handling of myself. Kneeling in prayer the other day I saw the little things wounding me: words that hurt, days that are too cold, a need for direction, feelings I can't understand. God whispered, "Let Me wrap you in Divine love and embrace and give you the protection you need. I want My love of you to inform all your actions and reactions. Move and live and have your being from a sense of My Holy handling of you and those in your life, then the words, the hurts, the trials, the misunderstandings won't hurt you so deeply."
Who's handling your heart and hurts? Trust the One who longs to wrap you in love
Medicine from Sacred Scripture:
"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you." Psalm 143:8
How like my life. I try to rush through every move, even the natural rhythm of moving through each day. I am impatient and harsh and my fragile heart breaks with my rough handling of myself. Kneeling in prayer the other day I saw the little things wounding me: words that hurt, days that are too cold, a need for direction, feelings I can't understand. God whispered, "Let Me wrap you in Divine love and embrace and give you the protection you need. I want My love of you to inform all your actions and reactions. Move and live and have your being from a sense of My Holy handling of you and those in your life, then the words, the hurts, the trials, the misunderstandings won't hurt you so deeply."
Who's handling your heart and hurts? Trust the One who longs to wrap you in love
Medicine from Sacred Scripture:
"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you." Psalm 143:8
Thursday, January 17, 2013
SHELTERED PLACES
My thoughts are back in Ireland- maybe because New England is covered in fresh snow and I miss the green pastures and fluffy sheep, maybe I miss being alone with my husband and I have spent five fast weeks with a house crammed full of our children, or maybe I felt sheltered there?
In my mind I'm drawn to the protective walls of Kell's Priory. When we walked the grounds there was a sense of enclosure, you were wrapped around with these thick walls to keep you safe. I need safety. Thoughts swirl, life flies, children leave, friends move, we change. Where will we find our sense of security? Perhaps in the One who makes the snow, the pastures, the sheep, the children, the friends, the One who gives us our very lives? He promises, "For in the day of trouble the Lord will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle." Psalm 27:5
Medicine from Ancient Writing:
"If any by the wayside is trodden down by all kinds of thoughts, let him enter into more sheltered places, and not lie exposed for those who will invade for plunder."
St John Chrysostom Homilies on St. John Homily II NPNF:11; 14.9
In my mind I'm drawn to the protective walls of Kell's Priory. When we walked the grounds there was a sense of enclosure, you were wrapped around with these thick walls to keep you safe. I need safety. Thoughts swirl, life flies, children leave, friends move, we change. Where will we find our sense of security? Perhaps in the One who makes the snow, the pastures, the sheep, the children, the friends, the One who gives us our very lives? He promises, "For in the day of trouble the Lord will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle." Psalm 27:5
Medicine from Ancient Writing:
"If any by the wayside is trodden down by all kinds of thoughts, let him enter into more sheltered places, and not lie exposed for those who will invade for plunder."
St John Chrysostom Homilies on St. John Homily II NPNF:11; 14.9
Saturday, January 12, 2013
TIES OF LOVE
I wonder what has broken your heart recently? Not everyone is walking around with their heart bleeding on their sleeve, but how many of us carry pain over our loved ones, their choices, their anguish, or even our own suffering? I don't have an answer, but I have a question.
What if God wants to bind up your broken heart? What if you sat still in His Presence and told Him everything that hurts inside of you and around you? I did this recently and I wept in God's arms. Not literally, of course, but as I spoke of my pain in prayer tears fell as He showed me it was time for heart surgery. With cords of kindness He gently sewed together the broken parts of my heart and life with the ties of His love; He tied up the loose ends- sorrow, expectation, disappointment and grief. Letting Him so close to my heartache doesn't change the circumstances, it changes me; some pain I surrendered to Him and what remains doesn't cut to the core of who I am, doesn't define me. My questions about suffering don't unravel me now, they still me and cause me to look up, not in, for the grace, truth and courage to face another day.
Medicine from Holy Scripture:
"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted..."
Isaiah 61:1
"It was I who healed them, I led them with cords of human kindness with ties of love." Hosea 11:3, 4
What if God wants to bind up your broken heart? What if you sat still in His Presence and told Him everything that hurts inside of you and around you? I did this recently and I wept in God's arms. Not literally, of course, but as I spoke of my pain in prayer tears fell as He showed me it was time for heart surgery. With cords of kindness He gently sewed together the broken parts of my heart and life with the ties of His love; He tied up the loose ends- sorrow, expectation, disappointment and grief. Letting Him so close to my heartache doesn't change the circumstances, it changes me; some pain I surrendered to Him and what remains doesn't cut to the core of who I am, doesn't define me. My questions about suffering don't unravel me now, they still me and cause me to look up, not in, for the grace, truth and courage to face another day.
Medicine from Holy Scripture:
"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted..."
Isaiah 61:1
"It was I who healed them, I led them with cords of human kindness with ties of love." Hosea 11:3, 4
Monday, January 7, 2013
THE TYPEWRITER
How we perceive things that happen in our daily life and the way we frame our own history affects how we live. I woke this morning with a challenge ringing in my heart: what if my story isn't just my story, what if what happens to me isn't just about me?What if we have been given the job of recording and remembering and living in a way that tells God's story?
It sounds so trite and religious and unimportant, but it is a huge shift to live as if I have always been loved and always will be, as if I am enough and don't need to keep on striving and achieving, as if God has been and always will be with me. If I could place a typewriter in my soul with the words, "Good News" in bold ink it might help me change my perspective on so many experiences. The good news which brings comfort, joy and peace is, "Immanuel, God with us." He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His love never changes, but our hearts and lives might if we believed this.
Medicine from Ancient Writings:
"Let him come continually to this house of healing, let him hear at all times the laws of the Spirit; for when the devil sees the law of God written in the soul, and the heart become tablets to write it on, he will not approach anymore. (let) the King's writing be stamped by the Holy Ghost on a mind loving God, and bright with abundant grace."
St. John Chrysostom Homilies on St. John Homily III.1 NPNF14.10
It sounds so trite and religious and unimportant, but it is a huge shift to live as if I have always been loved and always will be, as if I am enough and don't need to keep on striving and achieving, as if God has been and always will be with me. If I could place a typewriter in my soul with the words, "Good News" in bold ink it might help me change my perspective on so many experiences. The good news which brings comfort, joy and peace is, "Immanuel, God with us." He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His love never changes, but our hearts and lives might if we believed this.
Medicine from Ancient Writings:
"Let him come continually to this house of healing, let him hear at all times the laws of the Spirit; for when the devil sees the law of God written in the soul, and the heart become tablets to write it on, he will not approach anymore. (let) the King's writing be stamped by the Holy Ghost on a mind loving God, and bright with abundant grace."
St. John Chrysostom Homilies on St. John Homily III.1 NPNF14.10
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