Requiem is Latin for REST. But you ALREADY knew that, didn’t you? You were always so well read, so smart, and so articulate. Are you resting now? Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine. ‘Eternal rest grant them, O Lord’ – has eternal rest been granted to YOU? You were forty-four when your otherworldly quest for peace began. It was your birthday this week. I thought of you. You would’ve been fifty-six. You’ve missed 11 earthly birthdays. Still life rolls forward even though there are many things left unsaid.
Do you know that ALL I ever wanted from you was approval? A smile, a nod, a kind word. I understand that you were deeply troubled. I’ve become QUITE familiar with mental health derailment. When you and I were kids the labels and the help DIDN’T exist. Eleven years ago it wasn’t much better. Today it seems EVERYBODY wants a piece and it makes it difficult to get proper care – until you REALLY lose your mind or cause harm. There are no neat categories. No definitive diagnosis or prognosis. But if you are willing to jump through the hoops, endure all the chaos, allow the endless poking and prodding, eventually, if you are lucky – perhaps only by God’s grace, someone FINALLY stamps your hand and gives you passage into the shakey world of treatment and accommodations.
The medical and psychological powers never did nail down YOUR disease. Granted, from what I understand, the process of your personal detangling didn’t start until you were well into adulthood. Nevertheless, bi-polar or whatever you were, I ALWAYS sensed it. My angry, hurtful, terrifying big brother. Although you just could NOT like me, I adored you. Even when you screamed in my face, threatened me, thwarted me, squashed the caterpillar I was admiring, and said vile, hateful things to me, I loved you and I wanted you to care. But you couldn’t.
You were so kind and so funny, and obliging to EVERYONE else, even to my silly friends who thought you were the coolest. I thought you were the coolest – but you left me in the shadows. You didn’t know it, but I watched you from a distance, longing to sit close. Even so, I peeked out to marvel at your radiance.
I built a wall around myself once. It protected me. I needed SOMETHING to guard me, to buffer the insults – to muffle the direct and horrible hits to my self-worth, to block out the overwhelming question about whether I DESERVED to draw air, to be in YOUR presence. EVERYDAY you were alive, I clung to the hope that ONE DAY YOU WOULD CHANGE YOUR MIND. You’d LET ME be a part of YOUR amazing life. You’d show me the art you created and let me listen with you to your favorite music, you’d tell me about the best books you’d read, about your wilderness adventures, you’d laugh and tease and appreciate me – your reverent little sister.
When you died that hope was LOST. Our children would never benefit from the carefree days of cousinhood and you and I would never enjoy a comfortable, unspoken, unconditional bond, as many siblings do. There would be NO camping trips, NO Christmas dinners, NO friendly check ins, NO growing relationship. To this day, I am reinventing myself as someone who doesn’t NEED your APPROVAL, or anyone else’s for that matter. It’s funny how much of my identity was threatened when the wall became IRRELEVANT. I kept it, out of habit, I suppose. My perception of myself broke into a thousand bits that I’m STILL struggling to put back together. The wall looks different now – parts of it have crumbled and fallen, but
I still hide behind it sometimes.
You had your 10 year chip. A HUGE accomplishment. The autopsy confirmed you were not drinking. You were working SO hard on yourself. I’m proud of your valiant efforts. I’m not sure who you chose to make amends with when you did your ninth step. Did you DO your ninth step? It’s none of my business…but I can’t help but wonder, WAS IT TOO MUCH for me to wish that you’d acknowledge the damage you’d inflicted upon ME? DIDN’T YOU KNOW THAT YOU HURT ME over and over and over again? Did you have any faith, REALLY? The AA steps are steeped in God language – regardless of changing the words to ‘higher power’ and ‘making amends’ – faith in something bigger and benevolent is the undertone. [that’s my uninformed impression – I don’t really know anything – just that it confuses me] Anyway, it doesn’t seem to fit with who I THOUGHT you were. Well, YOU didn’t know ME EITHER. So here we are.
I sound angry. I AM angry. I can be angry and still love you. I can be hurt and still forgive you. I forgive you. I love you.
Were you scared, big brother? Did you have second thoughts? Were you sad? Did you make your peace? Were you anxious for whatever would come next? You should know that you highly UNDERESTIMATED the IMPACT your death would have on all of us still left to this life. Thank you for including my name in your final note, listed with the people you loved. It provided great comfort. I understand liking and loving are different. I can accept that. I’m so sorry that you were just SO exhausted by the WORK of living that relief, even death, was a welcome companion. I hope that in your last moments you didn’t feel alone. I hope LOVE held you and holds you STILL.
30 Again [Jesus] said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” Mark 4:30-32
My side lawn used to house three ENORMOUS trees that stood in a perfect row. Two flanked the driveway and the other stood by the little parking spot next to the garage. I agreed to have them TAKEN DOWN because they had signs of rot and were encroaching on the buildings.
Many people in my congregation thought they were walnut trees but NONE produced nuts and one had thorny branches and enormous white sprays that attracted SWARMS of bees in the spring. I was curious so I did some research. Whoever planted those trees in our yard either didn’t think it through or they had a twisted sense of humour. If I’m right [I’M RIGHT], one tree was a honey locust and the others were a ‘tree of heaven’ pair. HILARIOUS. I’ll tell you why. All three trees created prolific seedlings not only in our lawn and flower beds but also in those of our neighbours and, in fact, the whole village. They were invasive and grew with great speed. The roots went DEEP and held FAST. It took A LOT of work to dig up their roots and pull them up from the ground. There were SO MANY little saplings springing up that it felt like a PLAGUE. It was IRRITATING and NO amount of hard work could STOP them from growing.
Once someone told me that it was a pastor who did the planting. The house has always been owned by the church I serve and their pastors traditionally take up residence in it. I guess the pastor responsible thought AFFLICTING the parsonage with a tree named after the promise of honey and the plague of locusts from the Bible was FUNNY. At any rate, the whole tree thing seemed clearly PLANNED. The honey locust dripped sticky, messy sap on the roof of the garage and the sidewalk and, although the other two trees were tall and appeared to reach HIGH into the heavens, they were a stubborn, HELLISH nuisance. Amusing, right? I was pretty sure I hated those trees.
The scripture I preached a couple Sundays ago was Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed. I couldn’t help but think of THESE trees. A mustard plant begins as a small, inconsequential seed, hidden in the ground. Some varieties can RISE up to be a very LARGE bush. They aren’t REGAL looking or anything, just very ORDINARY, naturally occurring plants that grow like WEEDS. I’m no farmer but I know that the LAST thing a crop needs is tree-like weeds that steal sunshine and invite a bunch of birds and pests to pick around. Yet Jesus compares the mysterious in-breaking, sweeping [firmament- dimension-precinct-dominion-realm-‘kin’dom] Kingdom OF GOD to a mustard seed. An IRRITANT.
Those trees had grown like weeds. Even though they were uprooted, SOMEHOW through the miracle of nature, their offspring always continued, and, TO THIS DAY, pop up EVERYWHERE – through the boards of our deck, pushing into the bottom of our trailer, lodging tightly between the walls of the house and the steps. Those trees left a LEGACY of irritants, seeds with aggressive SWARMING behaviour and the ability to TRANSFORM landscapes by sprouting and spreading despite our best efforts to STOP them.
Jesus teaches that the kingdom of God is LIKE THIS. It pops up everywhere and spreads like weeds whether we TRY to stop it or not.
What does this mean for us who CHOOSE to put our energy towards the growth of GOD’S hopes and dreams for humanity and creation? How do we nurture the growth of human decency, justice and love? How do WE teach the way of humility and welcome diversity rather than stifle or silence voices that are difficult to hear?
I consulted several dictionaries and thesauri to inform my understanding of weeds. I was DELIGHTED to discover that the same concepts can be directly applied to our Christian concept of God’s in-breaking kingdom within us and among us. Jesus knew what he was talking about.
The kingdom of God is like ‘a plant out of place.’ It is like a plant ‘that interferes with human activities.’ It is like a plant ‘whose perceived negative characteristics might appear to outweigh its positive characteristics’, OR a plant ‘whose positive characteristics have not yet been discovered’!!!
The Kingdom of heaven is like a weed. It produces large numbers of seeds. These seeds ‘might remain dormant, but are viable in the soil for long periods of time.’ Perhaps the way of truth and love that we find demonstrated by Jesus IS undesirable in particular situations. Maybe THAT way of living conflicts with our preferences, needs, and goals. Surely a life lived speaking truth to power CAN be hazardous, unappealing, and difficult to control and simply unwanted in certain societal ‘environments’, but STILL the realm of God grows forth from our hearts, from the earth, and from the ever-blooming fruit of the Holy Spirit that animates EVERYTHING.
Did you know that some seeds of weeds have unique, God-given structures that ENABLE them to be transported and be easily spread? For example, like burrs to CLING to animals? The Holy Spirit is like a burr that clings to the seed, or even the seeds themselves that are consumed and SHAT OUT with ABANDON – ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE so that God’s love spreads and propagates EVEN in unexpected and difficult places without us so much as lifting a finger to help it move along? SHAT OUT! I LOVE THIS VULGAR, EARTHY, ORDINARY TRUTH!
Soon after the parsonage trees were taken down we started to MISS them. The inside of our parked vehicles became HOTTER. Our deck and backyard had NO shade. We LONGED for the visual of their branches waving and the sound of the breeze through their leaves. NO more robins or squirrels nested in our front yard. We MISSED the extra birdsong and the chatter. In the spring when things started blooming, we missed the sweet locust tree and were grieved knowing we had DESTROYED a HAVEN for the bees that used to collect pollen from its blossoms’ and nestle into its bark for rest. Those trees had grown like weeds. The municipality said a new tree would be planted to replace them, a promise yet unfulfilled. If I so-desired, I could simply allow the weeds to grow back. I’m seriously considering this!
The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, a weed, an irritant – like the honey locust and the tree of heaven – a real and present tangible LIFE that is ALWAYS open to us to experience and SHARE. Following Jesus can be HIGHLY disruptive to our comfort and our entrenchment in the status quo. Asking questions, seeking justice, taking risks for the sake of others – is HARD. It’s NECESSARY. The world needs US to be like that mustard seed – relentless in our mission to invite others into God’s love, into the way of humility, peace, and belonging.
A weed will grow without our help, even if untended – gradually, mysteriously, even unnoticed until – WHOOPS, there it is. Likewise, the realm of God is always expanding. It grows not just to look nice – but to BENEFIT creation with shelter and security. Perhaps it is an univited, unmajestic, nuisance to some, but to so many OTHERS it is a much needed reality providing shelter, safety, and happiness.
Jesus says that seeds sprout and grow even though the farmer really has NO clue how this miracle happens. The earth produces from itself. The earth has the power of TRANSFORMATION. Farmers have to trust the soil, the earth, the ground, the mystery. The kingdom of God is the same. The seeds grow on their own REGARDLESS of what we do. The purpose of sharing the fruit of God’s metaphorical garden is simply to ENCOURAGE this love and growth in our tired world. We are invited to sow the seeds God provides. Carry the burrs and spread the shit. This is GOOD news. We don’t know how it all works. The mustard seed doesn’t push up out of the ground as a full bush and neither does the kingdom of God! We have hope because the new life of the kingdom is already growing here and will carry us through to the harvest of eternal life when the kingdom is realized in its FULLNESS. It’s IMPOSSIBLE to mess THIS up! The kingdom will keep on growing even amidst our mistakes, the growth of God’s kingdom CANNOT be uprooted.
Sometimes the irritants will get our goat – and sometimes we ourselves must be the irritant for justice and love to grow. Maybe nobody WISHES for big old weeds – but I can’t deny that the pesky honey locust and the trees of heaven – in their fullness – provided sanctuary and a place for life to FLOURISH in HARMONY. Let’s look at the seeds that have already been planted and recognize what they have done over time and will continue to grow in the future and let’s accept with CONFIDENCE, the invitation to continue sowing and our INCLUSION in the spreading of God’s expansive and unbidden love.
My psychiatrist thinks Thursday is my day OFF, but it’s not. I like how happy it makes HIM to think I follow such a healthy routine, so I don’t correct him. Truthfully, I don’t have a consistent day set ASIDE to rest. There is NO time to rest, even if I’m NOT working.
Keeping up with all my mindfulness tasks is a JOB in and of itself – yoga, meditation, listening to music and podcasts, reading, dog walking, fresh air, sunshine, volunteering with ponies, seeing friends and extended family, or even just calling them, writing, crocheting, playing guitar, drawing, EVEN praying – crammed all together in a day or two ARE work. Add housekeeping and family management to that and I’m DONE. Actual work at my JOB can be a welcome distraction from my self-improvement schedule and home life.
Sometimes I fall prey to the jaws of my own anxiety and feelings of guilt. The SHOULDS begin to PROD at me even when I’m trying so hard to ignore them. You should be working, they nag. You SHOULD be at the office, there’s so much to organize, so much to prepare, so many calls you COULD make. It’s a nice day, you SHOULD walk around the village and visit ALL your parishioners. They’d appreciate it. You should go NOW. Isn’t so and so due for surgery? Didn’t somebody just have a bad fall? What about checking in with so and so’s recent widow? Isn’t there a get together, an event, a cause you SHOULD be supporting? You should be MORE involved in the community. There’s still half a day left – GO to the coffee shop, the community center, the park. Be visible. Be AVAILABLE. It’s good for you. People need YOU, Nadine! They are hard pressed for SOMEONE to minister to them. Get off your self-absorbed butt and get to work!
No? Well then, at LEAST mow the lawn, weed the flowerbeds, sweep the deck, do the dishes, do the laundry, prepare the recycling, take out the garbage, get the mail, scrub the floor, clean out the fridge. I never dust. My conscience has NOTHING to say about dust.
I’m dialing back on one of my antidepressant medications. It’s going great. Gosh I’m edgy. EVERY feeling is augmented. Shame is ugly. I COULD blame my meds. That’s what I’ll tell my therapist. Oh- those meds! They wreak havoc on everything ‘MINE’.
Rosie KNOWS the truth. She’s the pony who listened to ALL my bull yesterday. She could tell I was uncomfortable in my own skin – getting too close to touching my OWN rawness. Deep in a pit of self-judgement and loathing. Her eyes held me. I got lost in her gaze. She trained me up ‘real good’. It wasn’t a calm day at the farm and the horses were startling easily.
But Rosie overcame that. I can’t take ANY credit because I was a mess. First, as per usual, she gave me a hassle on our promenade to the arena. She didn’t WANT to stand where I asked. She KNOWS that she can easily OUT LEAD me. But something shifted. After rubbing her itchy bum on the support beam, she urged ME to groom her. She let ME lean in, scratch her ears and murmur at her. She was STILL. She was PATIENT (she’s usually sassy). When I turned away SHE stepped toward me, put HER nose on my shoulder, she coaxed me to ENJOY her contact, she nuzzled and listened to me breathe out. She was so EMPATHETIC and KIND. Thank God for her.
Today the SHOULDS are still bugging me. I’m mostly ready for Sunday. I’m procrastinating though. This is PRIME sermon writing time. The scripture readings are about taking time for rest, for Sabbath restoration and healing. Jesus says the commandment about keeping the Sabbath is a gift for US. GOD DOESN’T NEED REST. But God knows that WE DO.
In a few days my edginess will dissipate. I’ll settle down. The shoulds won’t be so LOUD. Let the Spirit fill your troubled heart with the same empathy and kindness I found in my pony friend. Medication or not, it WILL see you through the rough patches and bolster your tender heart for every tomorrow.
[Jesus answered them…,] “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
John 12:24-25
Since you’re reading this, you probably ALREADY know that I suffer from anxiety, depression, etcetera. If not, THEN, WELCOME! Thanks for coming. FYI – I reference my own mental health and that of my loved ones alot.
Above, I have quoted a bit of scripture from the Gospel attributed to the apostle named John. HIS version of Jesus is VERY SURE of his own divinity, his mission to gather in the whole world, and his coming fate on the Cross. I guess this isn’t my FAVORITE picture of Jesus. I prefer the human, SUFFERING servant, the ‘learn as you go’ kind of Jesus, found particularly in the Gospels of Mark and Luke. Anyway, this bit from John is PART of what I preached (I’m a pastor) about to my congregation this past Sunday.
When MY heart HURTS, when I am awash with grief, when I feel empty or like I am sinking, I HIDE behind my academia. I lean on my brain INSTEAD of squeezing what I CAN out of my heart. The result? Well, I have some lingering thoughts that I need to lay down.
I have read this scripture passage aloud at the interment of EVERY person I have ever buried. I listened to my father read it over the grave of my brother who succumbed TOO SOON to his mental illness. It is always a struggle to read these words.
I don’t HATE my life. That’s one of the first things people in helping professions ask – ‘do you consider harming yourself? Do you have thoughts of ending it?’ Thankfully, so far my answer has always been a solid NO. Sometimes I manage my mental and physical illnesses better than at OTHER times, however, I have always been able to see HOPE blossoming in my life even when I am suffering. But, like SO MANY others with mental illness, my brother could NOT.
My 20 year old daughter who LIVES WITH mental illness IS considered cognitively and developmentally neurodiverse. She IS generally happy and stable, but, I HAVE heard her TOO MANY times say that she hates her life. When she was very young, her tiny body would flail out violently in extended episodes of frustration and her sweet voice would cry out with disturbing AGONY. Medication changed that – but we sacrificed some of her spirit for the sake of her peace. It still troubles me. Some choices for good, SMART.
My brother respected the church but I don’t really know if HE considered himself Christian. My daughter says she believes in God but NOT in the resurrection of Jesus. How do my brother and daughter FIT into this ‘dying for life’ teaching? I have a hard time seeing the fruit that has resulted from my brother’s death OR from my daughter’s hardships, let alone from the death of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus the Christ. It’s not easy for anyone to find good fruit in the rubble of pain.
Even though I am discerning, I emotionally shrink back from these confusing words and maybe you do too. Read them again: “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” What does this mean for my brother, my daughter, and ALL of our loved ones who are at-arms-length believers? What about those who have NEVER heard the good news? What about those whose suffering overwhelms them into lifelong misery UNTO death?
How DO we reconcile HARD loss or the death of people we love with the bearing of God’s good fruit? How can we possibly understand what it means that Jesus endured what he did for OUR sake and that it was necessary for OUR salvation? It’s a lot to process. How can anyone see positive fruit amidst the terrible rubble?
DON’T PANIC. Let’s focus on LOVE. How do WE share love WITH and FOR our neighbours? Do we approach ALL people with the spirit of equality, esteem and worthiness? How I understand it, adhering to the Christian commandments and the doctrines of the church has a place and CAN be very GOOD, but love is best when it takes center stage in our lives. Each one of us is created from the same STUFF – earth, stars, recycled butterflies (I read this in a poem) – you know, all the ELEMENTAL particles of life. Christians believe that ALL people are created in God’s image out of divine love. It is a free and holy GIFT. Love is meant for goodness and for sharing HOWEVER that translates for us as individuals.
Many people serve the purpose of love without EVER associating it with God. God sees the goodness of our hearts and the service we do EVEN when WE think nothing of it. Love is God’s gift to us regardless of whether WE are conscious of it. Our works come from the love we feel and justice we serve for the sake of our neighbours whether we say it’s in the name of Christ OR NOT.
Andy (my husband) and I have four ‘young ADULT’ children (ages 16-20). They are each unique and we parent each of them according to THEIR needs. One might be super independent. One might not be. One might be outgoing. Another is not. Their comfort zones and abilities are ALL different. We fiercely love EACH and every ONE of them with our WHOLE hearts. We adjust our parenting to best suit their INDIVIDUAL needs. If WE can do that, and God created us, can’t we trust that God parents us in this SAME way? God loves each one of us and God relates to us each individually – SOME are ALREADY folded into the ULTIMATE Source of EVERYTHING’s’ embrace, OTHERS, God is patiently and gently DRAWING IN. Some will not realize the fullness of God’s love until their physical life ENDS. But God is always, always, ALWAYS evolving and adjusting and working, over and OVER to bring us into a cosmic relationship with the divine mystery and with each other.
Even I (not a green thumb) CAN understand the agricultural reference that a seed is useless until it is BURIED in soil where it will sprout and reproduce, it will burst with life, multiply and GROW. If it is never planted it will remain just an individual seed. The stuff about hating and loving our lives is not as cryptic as my weary heart sometimes hears it. I looked it up. In the original GREEK the translation for “love and hate” is a sentiment that sounds MORE like ‘favouring OR rejecting’ the ways of worldly living or ‘favouring OR rejecting’ the ways of our eternal and holy purpose, our souls. The word ‘Life,’ you see, in Greek, suggests MORE than the physical reality but also the BREATH, the spiritual and the eternal life force. Jesus is speaking about OUR Godsparks! (my word)
The physical world feeds our material wants and desires. Jesus is NOT suggesting that we seek out a life of poverty or abuse. Rather, when we accept even small sacrifices for the sake of what is holy, for God’s love of ALL people and ALL of creation, then we reject what humanity has made of the world and embrace the inbreaking realm of God with our WHOLE SELVES, with our whole heart, with our Godsparky soul. When we hold on to the things of this world, of our lives just as they are, when we would rather maintain the status quo than RISK something new, we will remain JUST as we are. When we let go of the things of this world right now, when we let love loose and share it abundantly – that’s when we TRULY live and find love forever abiding in God. We can choose to live in the in-breaking and everlasting realm of God TODAY, rather than WAIT for death and heaven – There’s STILL promise for those unplanted grains though!- I’ve read about seeds sprouting BUMPER crops after many many MANY years of lying DORMANT. Hope springs eternal. It’s NEVER too late for new life to grow – even if we DIE first.
My daughter (also 20 – twins!) and I were walking our OLD puppy girl, Tessa, the day after the EARLY warmth in March gave way BACK to wintery weather. The birds who’d all come back were visibly TICKED. Many robins took cover under our trailer, all PUFFED and angry. The bit of snow was melting rapidly as the sun came out. Our Tessa dog walks slowly and meanders. Following her lead, we had ample time to look around. My daughter and I saw MANY signs of spring even though the birds were on a singing STRIKE. Trees and bushes full of BUDS, some beginning to PEEK out from their protective casings, new GREEN growth on the coniferous hedges, and sprouts POKING out of the earth, some already beginning to open despite the cold and snow.
The natural world is full of resurrection on repeat. Dying and rising with the seasons. Nourishing and growing for new life over and over and over AND OVER.
There is more to death than endings. Sharing love, sharing the spirit of love that dwells within us, sharing our Godspark – draws ALL people IN TOGETHER. We are bonded by a mystical union. We will know ultimate love when we endeavor to understand that life belongs with death and death is a natural part of living. We need both death and resurrection for the world to turn. For our souls to blossom. For our goodness to continue on through the ages.
Jesus says – Hey, you want to see me? I’ll tell you how you’ll see me after I’ve been lifted up in death, in resurrection, in my ascension. You’ll SEE ME IN EACH OTHER. I’m going to die – like the planted seed. Don’t look for me in the ground, in the seed in the tomb. Look for me IN the GROWING plant, – in the full ears of grain. That’s where you’ll find me. Look at yourself and the fruit YOU are bearing.
The fruit is meant to be good. We are meant to live in love and I am CONVINCED you WILL see Jesus there. Jesus says he dies so that we can bear even better fruit. Love lives on, in and through the generations. Pass it on.
Which brings us back to the loving and hating our lives conundrum. Dying to this life is an invitation into new life TODAY. Not the life WE orchestrate but the abundant life of living in God’s eternal and transcendent presence right NOW. This death has nothing to do with the length of our physical life, but with the QUALITY of life. It’s about living in LOVE. Dying to our life to bear fruit and abiding within God’s FOREVER love NOW. Our lives can be a glorious proclamation of love for God. Even so, don’t forget that God loves everyone and everything in all of Creation NO MATTER WHAT.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus explains that seeking him, seeing him, does NOT mean avoiding pain and death. INSTEAD, we can choose to trust that God WILL bring about LIFE. We may not be able to avoid suffering, but we can cling to Jesus’ promise that he WILL light our paths toward LIFE. Jesus describes the CROSS as the gathering place for agony, glory, unity, and communion: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” Jesus willingly took the violence, the contempt, and the hatred of THIS world into HIS body, his sacrifice. He held on to his message of UNIVERSAL love, grace, and liberation, knowing full well that the message would cost him his life. He loved and he loved and he LOVED, all the way to his physical, bodily end and continues to LOVE US – IN, WITH, and THROUGH US. The SPIRIT of Jesus DWELLS in each one of us. We’ve ALL got that mysterious Godspark that love ignites in our souls.
Jesus loves me whether I love or NOT. Jesus loves you too, and Jesus loves my late brother and Jesus loves my daughter. It’s challenging sometimes, especially on those low days where depression grips HARD – but I choose to use my wavering trust to REMEMBER that Jesus wishes to see me — to see ALL of us — far more urgently than we’ll EVER long to see him. This is my REFUGE and the promise I clutch to myself through the HURT. We love because he loves first. The cross pulls us toward God and toward each other whether we KNOW it or WANT it because, in the end- we ALL belong to God, the Creator, the ultimate source of everything, and WE are ALL a part of the mystery of the vastness of the COSMOS within God’s ever-EXPANDING circle of life and LOVE.
So, I’m writing about my mental health AGAIN. Not to worry, please. I AM OKAY. I forgot about the Family Day holiday and failed to refill my medications – so I’m NAKED (figuratively). For some reason, the pharmacy DOES NOT give out medical narcotics in large quantities (I know, right?) so it’s easy to suddenly run out if I get distracted. I’m off kilter TODAY but I know THIS, at least, is temporary.
It’s too bad that I am currently in the middle of an EXTENDED mood episode. Depression is a strange beast. I shut off and fly on autopilot through my necessary working hours – a hollow puppet of myself entertaining my audience with laughter and fabricated presence. People are cared for, sermons get written. I am thankful for every POSITIVE moment. When I’m like this, my whole self is not required to get it done. But, without my WHOLE self, tasks and interpersonal work are lacklustre.
This depressive state bleeds into ALL the nooks and crannies of my life – my family sees the worst of IT.
All it takes is one little stressor – a WORD. A LOOK. A THOUGHT. A BAD DREAM. A DISAPPOINTMENT. A REJECTION. A reaction from someone else I CAN’T control. My mood plummets.
It starts as a sweeping SADNESS that pushes behind my eyes, threatening tears. My chest becomes FULL with melancholy. In the pit of my BEING, grows a feeling of DREAD. My stomach reacts with nausea. Terrible mournfulness reaches up to SQUEEZE at my lungs, shortens my breaths, makes me gasp in the air, and the tears escape. My head becomes a pressure pot and my body dejected, my spirit broken. What begins as a quick change in mood SITS for hours, days, weeks, months. Immovable depression.
But LIFE moves on. I take on the semblance of myself and ride it out. There’s NOTHING I can do to appease the monsters of anxiety, shame, guilt, and anger.
I’ve learned to hide it. To smile. To DO the THINGS. But when I’m in their grip, I know they are just waiting to launch another direct attack when I’m ALONE.
Before I knew about mood disorders, I thought I was just weird. I’m STILL weird, but now it has nothing to do with my mental illness. I don’t know if that’s positive or negative.
Several weeks ago I saw a beautiful rainbow over Lake Huron while I was driving to a meeting. I was already into this bout of depression. There had been DAYS upon days of sunless, drab and dreary, rainy weather. The bow in the sky came with the first SUNSHINE in a long time. Everyone at the meeting was commenting on it.
Later I read multiple social media posts and saw a number of pictures of that SAME rainbow, a sign in the sky pointing to our intrinsic connection to each other and the planet. Images were shared from ALL OVER the county of Huron. It was remarkable to see the excitement and the relief found in a SHARED experience of beauty. Its profundity wasn’t lost on my depression.
We were talking about it that night as I was tucking my neurodivergent, now 20 year old daughter into bed. I ACCIDENTALLY leaned in to kiss her and quickly pulled away when I realized my mistake. She HASN’T allowed that kind of touch since she was a small child. But she said, “It’s okay, Mommy, you can kiss me”. RAINBOW MAGIC. The holiest of moments come UNBIDDEN.
I think this depression is beginning to lift. I wanted to write about the rainbow almost a month ago. Last night a friend told me she’d seen a picture of me on Facebook and she thought I looked powerful. POWERFUL. Her words SHOOK my tired bones. The image was from Sunday’s video. I was preaching about our solidarity as God’s children, Christ dwelling in us and through us at our best moments AND in our dejection. So many people, so much hurting, and so much LOVE to share. A thousand years are like one day in eternity. Perspective is everything. In a world full of ALL the things, rainbow connections are still beautiful and sacred. Thanks be to God.
The Friday before the New 2024 Year celebration was the twelfth and FINAL day of Christmas. The following Sunday was the Epiphany, commemorating the arrival of distinguished foreigners from the East, who were WISE in watching the sky and attuned to ancient prophecy. They made it to Bethlehem, where they finally set eyes on the child whose birth was signaled by the appearance of a PECULIAR star. The star remained and burned brightly above the infant Jesus. A sign of wonder to behold.
Although Christmastide has ended it is still the season after Epiphany – a season of revelation and discovery before we delve into observing Christ’s road to a cross, a story of suffering and salvation through him.
For a while now, I’ve been reflecting on the entirety of the yuletide season. As I’ve gotten a LITTLE older, I am learning to accept that nothing EVER goes exactly as planned. Personally, Christmas has never really been the same since my brother’s 2012, November passing.
Each year, as I begin to pull out our Christmas decorations, I think about HIS funeral because it corresponds with THAT TIME. We were in Orleans, Ontario at the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection. The WHOLE chancel area behind the altar, the focal point of the worship service, is surrounded by floor to ceiling clear WINDOWS. It felt like we were sitting outside among the trees.
As my Pastor father preached it began to snow the FIRST snow of the season. It wasn’t a gentle, slow, large flaked, magical snowfall, rather, it blew VIOLENTLY, harder and harder as my father spoke, as if God was making a nod to my brother’s adventurous and turbulent spirit, a final, gusty and powerful leave- taking. It FELT like my brother’s spirit was WITH us. It STILL FEELS LIKE his spirit is WITH us. I’ve heard countless stories of felt presence of loved ones passed – butterflies, cardinals, feathers, unexpected items reappearing from nowhere. And WHY NOT? The spirit that dwells in each of us is ETERNAL. Signs and wonders to behold.
The STAR at Jesus’ birth was a sign pointing to the wonder of God’s PRESENCE born among us. This SAME presence is ALWAYS with us. That’s what Jesus promises. We are never alone. The Holy Spirit fills us, teaches us, accompanies us, and guides us. The spirit dwells IN us. Christmas tends to heighten my awareness of Christ’s indwelling, the Holy Spirit that fans the flame of my soul, and is part of my Christ-mind, my inner Godspark.
Two thousand years ago, John the Baptist, who was renowned for his preaching, and later for preparing the world for the expected Messiah, baptized people with WATER a sign of REPENTANCE. John encouraged people to look their sin in the eye and make the CHOICE to grow past it.
To repent, in Christian terms, means to intentionally change your mind and turn around, to head in a NEW direction that contributes to an ever better and more intimate relationship with God. For me, this suggests choosing to notice the voice of the Holy Spirit calling to me from WITHIN myself.
Christians believe that during baptism the extraordinary Holy Spirit enters into ordinary water and washes all our sins away with a promise that we are God’s children, adopted to continue the work of Christ in God’s ongoing creation, and that we will be forgiven whenever we repent and turn to God in truth and hope.
We consider baptism a divine gift. Not everyone has the OPPORTUNITY or the WILL to receive this gift. Not everyone who IS baptized recognizes or chooses to unwrap and embrace the indwelling quality of the Holy Spirit. Life itself comes from being FILLED with the breath, the holy wind, the Spirit of God. It’s what ANIMATES us at the moment of our creation. The presence of the Holy Spirit is NATURALLY in ALL of us, baptized or not. Baptism can give us the special ability and the will to seek and perpetuate our own sacred origins.
What animates YOU? What do you equate with signs of divine sparks dwelling in you? The Spirit burns from within. Sometimes we feel the urgency. Sometimes we simply see the glow and feel the WARMTH.
In spite of all the things that didn’t happen the way they were planned this Christmas- Jesus’ paradise approaches. It GLIMMERS. The Holy Spirit keeps on showing up. That warm, loving, energized feeling of hope BURSTING forth from our own inner depths – awakened countless times in me over the last month or so.
When sharing a meal, my son carefully cut a piece of lemon meringue pie for my neurodiverse daughter, who lives with MANY challenges. He gently invited her to try to pick it up and put it on her plate because, “I really think you can do it yourself. It’s all lined up. Give it a try. Here’s a good fork. I’ll standby in case you need help.” And she DID IT! My son empowered her with KINDNESS. The magnitude of this moment may escape you but it overwhelms ME with spiritual glimmers of gratitude, hope, love and even joy. Into THIS mother’s arguing, disappointed, shame filled and exhausted heart, the Spirit WELLS up and whispers something new. A NEW dawn on a familiar journey. The WILL to keep going. It changes everything from the inside out.
At my church, it was the first time since Christmas 2019 that Christmas Eve service was in person or not stormed out. A flush of gladness swept through me at the sight of a full church, families united, children now grown, and hushed Candlelight.
These moments of CONNECTION, belonging, familiarity – that’s the Spirit pulling us together HEART to HEART. When we see the dignity of one another- that IS divine recognition from within. Signs of wonder. They refresh us.
In the year ahead, we can embrace a little bit of the freshness of something new. We are gathered together and brooded over in HOLY ways we cannot understand. The sacred moves US to create hope in ways we cannot understand.
We are the holy undivided family that encommpasses the whole of creation. We come from the same source, we BELONG to one another. How will we reach out to help others move away from lives of falseness, hate, and hurt and be restored to the way of truth and love? How will we invite them into repentance, reparation, and reconciliation? How will we work together to create a future based on mutual care, liberty and justice? Can we listen to one another with LOVE this year? I think that renewal, the opening of hearts to the divine, IS the WAY to restore ALL parts of the Creator’s beloved community. Can we remember that we are still washed in STARSHINE, born from unfathomable POWER and filled with holy light that SHINES ever brighter as we SHARE it? I hope this year that YOU will behold the signs and wonders of divine love that shine brightly and eternally. Check out the night sky and watch the hidden tenderness of humanity. Signs and wonders ARE everywhere.
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:13-14
My Dad used to say I was happiest when I was miserable. I’m NOT saying he was right, but maybe I am MORE comfortable in the FAMILIAR terrain of misery than I am in unfettered happiness. It IS a TASK to ALWAYS be on guard, trying to present an acceptable picture of myself and my family – ESPECIALLY during the holidays. The inner struggle to appear conventional and meet social standards is MORE exhausting than surrender. But it’s how I roll.
I’ve already hoisted the drawbridge and covered the peek holes. I’m determined to balk the barrage of uninvited speculation that I already IMAGINE is heading my way. This is a classic defense mechanism. WALL UP. My counter attack is being RESENTFUL and DEFENSIVE. Isn’t that precious?
It’s NOT what some may think. I do LOVE and cherish connecting with family, friends, and my parishioners during the Holy weeks of Christmastide. It’s my OWN preconception that I’m being judged, being deemed unacceptable or somehow insufficient, that DOES ME IN.
I hope I don’t come off as being full of myself or conceited – I NEED others to LIKE me and AFFIRM me CONSTANTLY. But are people REALLY looking THAT closely? I am mortified by any HINT of disapproval that I expect from others as they survey the chaos of my life, my parenting, my marriage. I cross my fingers and hope they know that we are UNIQUE. There’s nothing wrong with being unique! You can’t equate apples to oranges or sugar plums to lemons, right?
Stopping the bombardment of GUILT and negativity is difficult territory, especially for people like me who have just ENOUGH self doubt to REALLY engage in a battle between personal truth and conjecture.
The ANNUAL Christmas FAILURES began a couple Sundays ago. I forgot to charge the phone used to record our church services and WILDLY ran home in a panic (across the street) to rip the charger away from my unsuspecting daughter in order to give the device 15 minutes of JUICE before the ushers would come looking for it.
I’d totally forgotten about flowers that had been tucked into the fridge. DEAD funeral flowers are NO JOKE. Especially since they were saved to honour a church matriarch one last time. ALL the FEELINGS. I gave the ushers the WRONG hymn numbers to post, causing mayhem.
I forgot to remind someone to light the altar candles, so they were lit WELL into the service. One child asked if she could be EXCUSED from MY children’s message. How cute.
My sermon was long-winded and I could see people drifting. The stole I wear, symbolizing the heavy yoke of Christ as he carried the cross kept slipping off my shoulders until I got SO annoyed that I whipped it OFF and threw it on my chair. I was out of breath. After service, when the robe came off and I was walking through the hallway, I found that my fly was UNDONE.
At coffee hour I noticed the unwoven ends of my sweater HANGING out. It was a sweater I made – screaming out a message of my CLEAR incompetency. Hmm. Unwoven ends. I like that as a metaphor.
Later that day the local churches were having a live Nativity with REAL animals and costumed kids acting out the Christmas story. I was in charge. My help couldn’t make it. LOTS of people dropped out sick. SO – LAST minute EVERYTHING. Me and my new volunteer helper ended up as part of the costumed troupe. We were standing next to our little holy family, she an angel and me a shepherd, directly BEHIND the rear end of a cow. We were in REAL danger of getting pooed on the WHOLE time. I swore under my breath hoping no one could hear me and I wouldn’t be struck down. That day required extra anxiety pills and MULTIPLE pep talks.
Shortly after this I became ill (SURPRISE!) and had no choice but to ASK for help to finish up pre-Christmas visits and cheer basket deliveries. I didn’t JUST feel judged. I felt GUILTY and ANGRY at myself and anyone who dared say a word about it.
Shame, Shame, SHAME.
It continues at home.
We spend a small FORTUNE on vet bills – so what’s happening? What am I doing WRONG? In a matter of days, the cat started puking, UNNATURALLY, and repeatedly and our old dog started to veer OFF the tracks and was acting FUNNY. Is that ICH disease on the angel fish? WHY is there blood in the guinea pig cage? The gerbils attacked and wounded each other AGAIN. The giant snail retracted into its shell, is it dying? Is it dead? I dunno. It really looks kinda dead…
Everyday I fight with myself about all the ‘SHOULDS’ my teens would need to meet in order to fit into the social norm of their age groups. For instance, they should
-be done school by now
-drive
-socialize
-know life skills
-be practicing life skills
-be working
-be cleaning, helping, doing little things for themselves
-wear typical clothing, or at least something more than pajamas
-go to church (mine)
-be confirmed (me again)
-have FAITH (again, this one is my hang up)
-understand the value of money – everything is NOT disposable
-see doctors, dentists, hairdressers by their OWN volition
Although I DON’T necessarily AGREE with everything on this list, being AWARE this list exists is a crushing blow to my mothering skills.
SPEAKING of SHAME, my children Should NOT
-See my husband and I fighting or hear us shouting
-Know our debt, or our problems
-Parent us
-Mediate between us
HUMILIATING.
I have plenty of reasons to stay AWAY from family gatherings.
Our kids DON’T have proper attire for church, sleep, winter, or even daytime. We can’t afford it (due to our insane pet related bills! They eat BETTER and have better health care than we do!)
The animals are impossible to care for when traveling. I have FEELINGS about asking anyone to pet sit for us.
Our Truck is too SMALL for us. But it’s what we have.
We can’t take the Trailer because it is STILL in disrepair.
We can’t have people OVER because we CAN’T hire a housekeeper, because we CAN’T get the house in order WELL enough to let someone ELSE try.
Everything is broken or garbage. Our refrigerator and pantry are gambles I suggest you DON’T take.
Andy and I don’t get enough sleep or enough time alone.
All this self-assumed inadequacy wreaks havoc on our family’s
Mental health. Anxiety, Anger. Impatience. Poor communication. It all LEADS to feeling belittled and unheard, blaming and resentment. A TOXIC cocktail of pain and disgust. I dissociate. I binge. I shut down and shut out. We ALL have our own crutches.
Tis’ the season. I read somewhere that animals NEED winter in order to rejuvenate, heal, and grow, many in the darkness of hibernation or brumation. It said something about how people could EMBRACE this time too. To dismiss the distractions of the bright light. We winter by hunkering down. We are drawn to warm blankets, hot drinks and cozy fires. It CAN be a time to dig deep. To REFLECT on the past and look forward to the potential of the future. It is a time for REST and for waiting.
Sometimes I wonder what God was up to ordaining the likes of me to share the good news of God’s new and growing creation. To preach about the goodness of life and the power of humility and love. To take YOUR hand, give it a squeeze and remind YOU that you are NOT alone.
God is with us NOW just as God has ALWAYS been. We remember the dark, dank, messy birth of Jesus, Mary’s resolve, strength, and resilience, Joseph’s humility, patience and love of God.
In the midst of guilt, shame, and complicated human relationships, Jesus was born. Our brains and bodies belong to God who KNOWS us and LOVES us and CELEBRATES our UNIQUENESS and our SACREDNESS. No problem is TOO big, no hurt TOO overwhelming that God will abandon you. I know this to be TRUE because God has walked beside me through all the corners of HELL.
I hope that this year we will walk together somewhere more pleasant.
Misery loves company because the company of misery is God.
“Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another.”
Romans 14:13 NRSV Bible
Yesterday morning I chased after my cat yelling, “WAIT, IT’s ALIVE!” The tiny victim of her recent hunting was still literally kicking before I aided its dispatch and put it out into the flower bed. Now, you probably have an opinion about allowing pet cats outdoors. Domestic cats don’t disturb the natural order of things when they are kept INSIDE. I’m of a mind now, that perhaps humankind was cruel to adopt anything wild as a pet in the first place.
Life confined indoors certainly does NOT suit my cat and keeping her indoors ALL the time certainly does NOT suit me. Letting her out has saved me years of her relentless spraying. As a youngster, she ruined everything from our shoes to the kids’ stuffed toys. I spent time cleaning up after her with alcohol or vinegar and a variety of deterrents, but NO, that DID NOT stop her. I carefully followed instructions about where to locate and how often to clean her litter but she didn’t follow the RULES. Besides the filthy mess, Daisy was destroying all of our wooden and upholstered furniture with her claws. (I’m AGAINST declawing, by the way.) I’m MUCH happier seeing her use the clothesline post to sharpen her nails rather than my chair!
As a last resort, our veterinarian TOLD US, “for the love of all that is good, LET THAT CAT OUTSIDE!” And so we did and, she continues to do some nasty, wild, catty things indoors but letting her out LESSENS the impact inside. She Does bring in her catches from time to time, but I’m okay with this compromise.
Does everyone agree with my decision? NO, and I don’t expect you to. I know that in some places cats are forbidden by law to be outside and for good reason. Perhaps I should NOT HAVE a cat since I’m not willing to accept whatever sacrifices that means for my household. But I do. I DO have a cat. And SINCE I have a cat, I have decisions to make and those decisions will NOT necessarily jive with YOUR decisions and opinions. Are you going to chastise me? Maybe. Surely someone will pass negative judgment on me. Unfriend me. CANCEL ME.
Whether or not I should let my cat outdoors is MY decision and dependent upon MY personal, unique set of circumstances. I understand the risk and the cons for myself and OTHERS. God, the Higher Power, the Source of everything, KNOWS what I am up to and I’ve made my peace with that. I am prepared to answer to God, the Eternal One, for how I’ve chosen to accommodate my cat into MY life.
This sounds RIDICULOUSLY trivial, doesn’t it? Personally held opinions can SO easily become obstacles that STOP us from getting along. We easily cast judgment on anything or anyone that doesn’t match up with our OWN views. Even faith practices are not left untouched. In Christian scriptures we can read a letter from Paul (a prominent Jewish Christian around 30 years after Jesus) written to a mixed Roman/Jewish church in Rome which shows that the faithful followers of Jesus engaged in HEATED arguments about what they ATE and which days they marked as HOLY. It’s clear that it has ALWAYS been very hard NOT to pass judgment. So, how do we STOP bickering about personal preferences and focus instead on WORKING TOGETHER to help each other steer away from moral failure?
MORAL FAILURE, that’s right. Moral failure is a scary idea, isn’t it? To live JUSTLY with one another, it’s necessary to be mindful of what we, ETHICALLY, are WILLING to NEGOTIATE. Sometimes it isn’t possible for us to flourish with others because, well – sometimes we hurt each other in ways that are DIFFICULT, if not IMPOSSIBLE to reconcile. It is helpful to remember that at our CORE we are the same. We come from the same Source. Christians maintain that we are created in God’s image and are loved EQUALLY by the Creator of Everything with NO exception.
Across many faiths, WISDOM invites us to LOVE and pray for our enemies and those who hate and persecute us. White supremacy, hate speech and hateful actions, racism – these are CHOICES beyond what those who follow the way of love are WILLING to negotiate. These sins, these immoralities, are UNDENIABLE. These hurtful actions and abuses of power NEED to be dealt with. The community of love NEEDS to call out and expose these destructive lies and those who continue to accept and perpetuate them.
In the ETERNAL realm of love, the wrongdoer still needs to be held ACCOUNTABLE. When we are living in LOVE, forgiveness isn’t necessarily FAIR or DESERVED. Can you imagine if it was? I hope the Great Creator is NOT modeling divine forgiveness on human choices. I believe that the DIVINE invites US to forgive others out of deep, enduring LOVE – over and over and over to infinity and beyond.
It’s important to note that reconciliation requires BOTH the offer of forgiveness and the NAMING and acceptance of RESPONSIBILITY for wrongful, hurtful, or abusive behaviour. Biblically speaking, our moral model is Jesus who is always showing us how to prioritize GRACE and MERCY as well as ACCOUNTABILITY to one another and to our Source, to God. Jesus tells us to forgive our neighbours from our HEARTS.
Whenever an issue of the heart arises I put on my SOUL glasses. Through these lenses – the view of eternity is clear. My inner spirit says, “Hey, Nadine, NO ONE is perfect.” It’s true, isn’t it? I don’t know WHY this is true or WHY it is so comforting- but IT IS. We all fall short, some fall further and harder than others. But my heart always reminds me about grace. The Eternal Wisdom Keeper who dwells in us, through us and with us IS MERCIFUL. It’s time to stop keeping a tally of how much or how many wrongs you, yourself have already forgiven. Love and compassionate mercy are the character of our Creator. As REFLECTIONS of our GOOD SOURCE, we are invited to reciprocate – by loving and forgiving and keeping JUSTICE in our communities of faith and in the world.
Just so you know, I forgive my cat. She’s just being a CAT. I feel bad for the mice, I really do. They are tiny and adorable innocents. Creatures of the Creator. I also forgive myself for making a decision in favour of MY own comfort. You know what – it’s okay. Nobody is perfect. This is the driving fact behind our ABILITY to forgive each other. We make selfish, messy and complicated decisions that are not always ideal. In quick order, we tear ourselves down and we puff ourselves up in judgy self-righteousness.
But when we CHOOSE to walk in the Spirit of love, it means that we let go of our insistence on being right and dedicate ourselves to making ROOM at the table. We can WELCOME ALL people, as we have been welcomed and encourage ALL to celebrate and give thanks to our Maker in their OWN Spirit-inspired creativity, and DIVERSITY. We CHOOSE to love one another. We CHOOSE to work toward healing relationships. We CHOOSE to move toward a beautiful, indescribable UNITY of the physical, spiritual, and communal realm of LOVE that is available to us right now in part, and will one day come in the true fullness of eternity. We can embrace the way of LOVE, everyday.
We can bless our decisions to MAKE them the RIGHT decisions for ourselves by committing them to the Creator. In terms of our multi-faith reality, our varied practices, however grand or routine, are done for the SAME PURPOSE. The motives are the same. We do what we do because we believe it is the right thing to do in order to HONOUR the ONE who made us, sustains us and loves us. If this is GOOD ENOUGH for the Divine, then why can’t everyone be accepted as ENOUGH and GOOD?
Whenever we let go of the hate, the desire for revenge, anger, and retribution – EVEN WHEN it is completely understandable to FEEL and WANT these things, we take a chance that there is a POSSIBILITY for a wonderfully RENEWED relationship or a RELEASE from the oppression of anger and resentment that BINDS us. Either way, we are loved and we are FREE to love. The rhythm of the universe and the light in our hearts work together to SHINE an eternal energy of LOVE and connection day by day and age after age. SHINE ON.
“Forgiveness is a powerful expression of the love within our soul.”
Well, maybe you haven’t heard (why would you?) but it’s true. I have lived exactly FIVE decades plus one year. Today, I am 51. According to the mostly white-haired congregation I serve, I’m still a BABY. They’re right, of course. BUT, this year, I am more aware and feel a little unsettled knowing that I’m closer to being a SENIOR than I am to my YOUTH. It means my parents are actually old and my children are almost grown. (But not yet!)
It’s okay, though, really. A few of my dearest friends have at LEAST a decade on me. Some even have decadeS – PLURAL. Not everyone is so lucky. Aging is a gift. If we are willing, it gives us more time to learn HOW to love. To LEARN to be ourselves.
Since I’m (a bit) of a Bible nerd, I can pair this thought with an appropriate verse. I’m not a fan of cherry-picking Bible verses to prove a point. HOWEVER, I love the Psalms, and this particular verse just happens to bring comfort to my personal struggle with time FLEETING away.
So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
Psalm 90:12
Moses (yes, THE MOSES who parts the Red Sea) is the ascribed author. He is PROBABLY inspired while leading a caravan of Israelites through the desert to the promised land (Canaan – roughly modern day Palestine and Israel) AFTER being liberated from CENTURIES of slavery in Egypt. The people have grown restless and distracted. Like PETULANT toddlers, Moses can’t stop them from getting into trouble. For instance, when he turns his back (to receive the 10 Commandments – no less) their babysitter (Aaron) CAN’T keep them from being consumed by sin. They make and begin worshiping a golden calf. Pesky buggers. Their repeated rebellion against Moses and their lack of trust in his and their God added years, GENERATIONS, to their time of wandering. Different people from those who BEGAN the journey actually FINISHED it. The old people died. Babies were born. An altogether NEW people emerged.
This Psalm is for them and for anyone who is tired and restless like you and me. Old Moses reminds us that the one he, I, and many call GOD and just as many describe as our one SOURCE, The CREATOR, the GREAT SPIRIT, is ETERNAL. God is beyond time and the universe; our Source has no origin or creation. The Creator, the Great Spirit simply “IS.” Human beings, on the other hand, die and return to the dust from which they are made (Psalm 90:1–4). (Even Moses didn’t make it to the promised land on earth). To begin to understand our Source is to realize our own MORTALITY.
Moses introduces God as both a refuge and the Creator for we – whose days are numbered.
If I count my days, it has been 18627 days since my birth. I feel that in this time, I’ve SURELY accumulated SOME wisdom. My heart is informed by many instances of joy and pain. It’s brought me this far. I’m still learning and relearning, uncovering and embracing my TRUEST me. Sounds easy enough. Nope. Not easy.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried or that I’m ready for tomorrow. I AM worried and I’m NOT ready. I admit that this is NOT where I thought I’d be at 51. Life takes us through so many unforeseeable twists and turns, doesn’t it? What I expected of myself and where I’m at simply DON’T match up.
By 51 I had thought that I’d be out of debt and own a house, that my family and I would be healthy and well adjusted, that I’d always get along with my husband, enjoy my work, have time for fun, and that I’d be a ROCK STAR. Alas, it is not so.
It’s OKAY. Although it is super hard to stop beating ourselves up about the way things ARE, the gift of GROWING wisdom is always there. Waiting. Ready for us. Life is beautiful. Some of that beauty comes from recognizing that it is REALLY SHORT. Because of this, we are more apt to savour the moments we share and make the best of our relationships. LOVE through the pain. Find STRENGTH in the joy.
This week, I’ve been setting up an RDSP (disability savings) for my 19 year old daughter. I never dreamed I’d make retirement plans for one of my children. Yesterday (it feels like only yesterday) when she was free to swirl and twirl with ferocity and creativity, we loved her spunk and assumed she’d grow out of her more troublesome emotional and mental conditions. We THOUGHT we had all the time in the world. We love her quirkiness. Now we understand that there is more to it than expected. It’s all a part of how she is wonderfully and mysteriously made and LOVED. We don’t know what her life will be like when she is sixty, but there is comfort in knowing she’ll ALWAYS have her siblings and have a modest income EVEN when I’m long gone.
I like to think I won’t be gone. Not REALLY. I hope that the energy that animates my body, the vibrations of my soul will LINGER – perhaps as electricity and spirit. ‘Is that light bulb flickering, or is it auntie so and so?’ I don’t know, but I do believe in the connection the living and the dead SHARE in what Christians call the Communion of Saints. Others may be familiar with the phrase, ‘the great cloud of witnesses’. Different faiths turn to the spirits of their ancestors for wisdom and guidance. Somehow, we continue to EXIST and experience each other’s presence in life and in death. Signs, dreams, and feelings that loved ones are near are common across the boundaries of time and space.
It makes me think of Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio (Rose & Jack) in the movie ‘Titanic’ and Celine Dione’s sappy song, “My heart will go on”. Our time as human beings is limited. Our hearts/souls/godsparks WILL GO ON. It makes me weep and smile at the same time. What we do in this life is temporary. We have ETERNITY to figure things out together. We are NEVER alone.
51 years is pretty cool. I’ll take it. Today and every day, I hope you will join me in counting our blessings as well as our days. Learn, grow, LIVE. Embrace the season. Time will hold us. Our hearts belong to the ETERNAL ONE.
God has made everything beautiful in its time. God has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9
I’ve felt a real SHIFT recently. It didn’t come all at once but I could sense my heart moving DIFFERENTLY. Is this something that comes with age? No – it is NOT age! I prefer to call it an increase in the collection of LIVED experience. This coming weekend I will be celebrating another year added to my maturation of KNOWING.
The last year has been a personal push and pull but, after some much needed self reflection and trusted feedback, I have made some quiet decisions that make me feel a LITTLE more settled. I don’t feel AS lost.
Personal PEACE has always been hard to maintain. For a time, I was totally and completely OBSESSED with exercising. Yoga, weightlifting, walking, sit ups, squats stretches – EVERY single day. My muscles had no time to heal. I also cycled through eating less, eating more, eating healthier, and fasting (AKA STARVING myself). This left me with too little protein to support the high activity so I was CONSTANTLY dizzy. My body shape morphed rapidly and accordingly, as did my personality.
Meditation, mood tracking apps and journaling didn’t last long. I’m all disordered and couldn’t sufficiently rein them in. I committed myself to going outside and standing with my face to the sun for 10 minutes a day – even in the deep crispness of winter. I committed to SHOWERING. SERIOUSLY. If you get it, if you relate to ANY of THIS, you are my kindred. WELCOME. Pull up a chair. I KNOW, RIGHT?
I kept up with the yoga during my sick leave, four years ago, and I read 142 books. I expected to return to work rejuvenated. Instead I was EXHAUSTED and have remained so through Covid right to THIS moment.
Breathe in. 1-2-3-4-5-6.
Hold. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8.
Breathe out. 1-2-3-4-5-6.
I think, I HOPE, I’m finally starting to TOUCH it. INNER PEACE. I’m still working on all the ‘forgive yourself for not knowing then, what you know now.’ There’s A LOT to wade through there.
I didn’t know the venom my oldest brother directed at me EVERY moment of my childhood was traumatizing. Since his death 10 years ago, I’m only now deciphering how my relationship with him impacted my whole life. My relationships. My choices.
When I get trapped by the SELF WORTH devil, it IS hard to escape unscathed. It’s way too easy to list all the things I’ve done wrong in my life and worse, all I’ve failed to do as a parent. It’s truly something to be able to sort out the blessings from the pain of our lives because the blessing often roots in the hurt. It ain’t so easy to just ‘turn that frown upside down’. So much baggage hangs from the sad lines on my face.
The only thing that has really kept me from sinking is my desire for God. Does that sound weird? Yup. It sounds weird, doesn’t it? Desiring God.
I saw a Meme somewhere recently that took me by surprise. It said,
“What a great joy it is to laugh with someone and consciously notice how much their existence means to you.” It drew out tears. Maybe I’m just an emotional jellyfish, but they were real and beautiful, a salty wet ocean that reminded me again of my faith. My constant yearning for God.
In the moments I despise myself most, I most clearly realize how much I need to depend on God to LOVE me for who I AM. I am NOT the perfect daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, pastor, or friend. Imperfections and weakness seethe through me, they battle with me to be let out. When my most hated parts wear me down, I am reckless, snappy, snarky, hateful, and so very angry. But you see, when I come back to myself, shake it off, straighten my blouse, God is still loving me like crazy. ‘Good job, kid. You made it through. What will you do now?’
My answer will always be, ‘Well Almighty One, I will share love.’ God’s love is the constant, stable reality that even accepts us at our worst, when we feel like failures, when we feel sinful. Our weakness pulls us closer to God. I can feel my godspark soul shine brightly through the shroud of self-disgust and radiate outward, guiding me (AND YOU, TOO) to be empathetic, and to embrace others in their weakness too. We can pause, breathe, and wonder at the gravity of human worth, the simple joy that comes in accepting one another as God does.
Our imperfections can bring us closer to God and to others, especially to those we might look down on. Our flaws help us grow compassion and the ability to give and receive love.
This is the PEACE I feel I’ve been shifting toward. God is perfect. We are perfectly designed to be what God created us to BE. The divine Spirit dwells within OUR bodys, which are still full of sin. God has chosen, for now, that we, the forgiven, still be imperfect. It’s the now and not yet of God’s realm within us. You are a Spirit-filled ‘work in progress’. We are not yet what we will someday be.
There is strength in weakness and joy is at the ready in your divinely held heart. 💖
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own” Philippians 3:12
Nuanced Niddy 