| | To identify the movements of the Spirit in our lives, I have found it helpful to use four words: "taken," "blessed," "broken," and "given."
There you have it. The words I've been hearing as I make sense of what I'm experiencing couched in the language of the Eucharist. In addition to Scripture I think this is going to be a season of drinking deeply from the writings of Nouwen, Merton, and Lewis. Perhaps a foray into the world of Russian literature will finally take place as well. The American brand of "evangelical" faith doesn't offer much when it comes to a theology of suffering and thus I am forced to search elsewhere. One doesn't like to generalize about an entire group all at once, so I am happy to be corrected if anyone can point me toward the exceptions.
It won't always feel like this and of that I am very conscious. I liken it to the inevitable two to three weeks scattered throughout any given year when my sinuses are attacked. I usually complain for days about not being able to breathe and I worry that I've forgotten how to do so properly and I suspect that I'm not likely to ever experience that freedom again.
Except within a week it passes, my sinuses clear, and I can breathe easy.
Don't get me wrong: this sensation will not dissipate so quickly and I am not even attempting to find a shorter path. Instead I hear my instructions - Bear this well, Daughter of Eve.
And so I sigh, tighten my belt, and remove the excess baggage from my pack. The call to press on is clear and I am compelled to follow because I know before whom I stand.
I know that He has seen fit to invite me to flourish as one of His dearly beloved.
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| | Posted 7/5/2009 2:32 PM - 28 Views - 2 eProps - 2 comments
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