Tag Archives: Healing

Reflections on well-being.

Classifieds for Christ

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My mom was a crafter of words, for twenty years, she worked at the local newspaper and wrote all the classified ads.  When she retired, it wasn’t the number of sales she made that her co-workers remembered but it was my mother’s way with words. Mom had a way of speaking about things that exposed the interest point. My mom spent her time exposing in ads;
that one mans junk was another’s treasure,
that  a good deal  could always be found and
that a new life could always be given to someone’s throw aways.

That sounds kind of like the gospel to me. The differences are that the object that may be considered junk for one and treasure to another is the cross of Jesus Christ. The throw aways that are given new life in the church are usually human beings and the good deal you get in church is always free, the love and grace of God is free for everyone.

Think about the classified ad that you might write that would invite others toward a relationship with God and your community of faith.  When you come up with yours, please share them here in comments.

Bottom of the Barrel

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The bottom of the barrel is where the food rots. It’s smelly. The bottom of the barrel appears more empty than full. The bottom of the barrel is dark. No one wants whatever is in the bottom of the barrel.

Why is it that it seems that the bottom of the barrel, the most illogical place to find riches, is where we find God?

Sometimes we have to move toward the illogical in order to find the riches there. The labyrinth is a pathway of prayer. In Chartres, France, there is a well-known labyrinth. This labyrinth was created with a mathematical formula that uses the human body to teach the soul. It causes you to turn left when you think you should be turning right, it takes you far from the center when you think you are closest to the center. It is a learning experience for our bodies to do the work of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit moves in unpredictable ways. Jesus taught, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.” (John 3:8a) To align our bodies with the movement of the Spirit will take us to places we never expected to go. When walking the labyrinth, an openness to possibility is essential. That means moving toward something we are not attracted to, it means moving toward places that don’t seem familiar. Our souls learn important truths as our bodies move in alignment with the Spirit.

Are we open to taking the thing that is at the bottom of the barrel and making our lives about that? Maybe the thing that is at the bottom of the barrel is the thing that counts the most. It might be the bottom of the barrel that takes us to the riches God intends for our lives, and my friends, we don’t want to miss that!

 

Blessed are the Distracted

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I remember when our first son was born. I would get up in the morning with a list of  20 things that needed to be done that day and when 11pm rolled around, I had accomplished one or two. He is 27 years old now with three younger brothers. I look back and treasure those early years. There is nothing better than being interrupted. God’s ways are always so much better than our own.

A new baby is a relatively pleasant distraction for most of us. Parenting, for me, has been a rich source of grace. My children were and still are reflections of truth for me, and I meet Christ in and through them. More mundane distractions that require our attention are annoyances like the broken washer machine, the computer crash or a mean neighbor. When they are resolved we have usually learned a new skill, or made a new friend.  More difficult things that take our full time and energy like an illness, a job loss, or a broken relationship, are problematic in finding the treasure or benefit. I believe that our prayers to God are immeasurable in benefit even when healing and reconciliation are not the answers we receive.

But here’s the thing: distractions take us to outside sources looking for answers. Perhaps, we need to look within ourselves. When we look deep within, we find a source of love and grace that cannot be found in any medication, counselor or job. We find that in the midst of our human existence there is a divine Presence. When this happens, we begin to offer ourselves in radical thanksgiving as we navigate medical treatments, job interviews, and broken relationships. Yes, God is over and above us, but God is also far beyond deep within us. Try it today, when interrupted, if some distraction arises; breathe deeply, and pause, listen to your  heart, look within your soul, and you will find that what you need is already there. Blessed are the distracted as they find the true source of life.

(Photo: Fingal’s Cave on Staffa off the coast of  Scotland where it is said Mendelssohn wrote the Hebrides Overture)

Love Wide

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God send messengers to inform people about the way God is about to act. “Do not fear” is the most commonly used preface to the word delivered by God’s messengers. It is human instinct to fear change, especially change that occurs without our own control. Fear might be the antithesis to faith. If the prophets and angels had said, “have faith, for God is about to do a new thing,” would that mean the same thing?

Change almost always asks us to let go of one thing and take on another. We change addresses. We change jobs. Most of the time, transitions are not about an equal exchange. I love the kind of change that incorporates who we are and where we have been into who we are becoming. One perfect way to consider this is when a new family member enters our circle through birth or marriage. Change widens our experience especially when we let go and learn how to embrace the new. Another not so easy way to embrace change is when a clinical diagnosis is made. Change during illness may not feel like a widening experience. It may mean accepting many new limitations. I had one friend enduring cancer who told me that even as she was letting go, her prayer life was expanding. She was entering into the expanse of God’s love. Her faith was widening. Why do we wait for a diagnosis to do such a thing?

Start today, limit your fear and love wide as you experience changes in your life, and become the new thing God is doing in our world. Join me in considering ways for the church of Jesus Christ to be transformed, that we might demonstrate limiting our fear and widening our love for the world.

 

Good Grief

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DSC00193I keep the names and pictures of the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School on my desktop, alongside Thomas, Nick and Ryan, each one a friend of ours who died too young. When I look at these names and faces, mostly I think about their families who will always carry the grief of their loss. Some days, like mine yesterday, get hijacked; unexpected issues arise and I stop to think of those whose lives are forever interrupted.

Grief is unique for every person. Grief is not predictable. Grief encompasses a wide range of emotion, including anger. Even the closest family members and friends may not know what to say in the midst of our grief. We will need to forgive people often for comments that don’t seem to make any sense. We may not be able to express our grief to everyone, but it is vital to find a few people to share it with. Sharing our grief with those who have also endured a loss reminds us that we are not alone.

Perhaps most of all, in a culture whose emphasis is happiness, we need to give ourselves permission to grieve. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s thoughts are helpful for me, “When we lose someone we love it is very hard, it is nonsense to say that God fills the gap, rather God leaves it empty so to keep alive our former communion.”

The loss of someone we love is very hard, but grief is good.

Dirty Healing

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Jesus rubbed dirt in his hands, after spitting into it, he placed the mud on a blind man’s eyes. (John 9) This dirt made the blind man see. Impossible!

Maybe we too quickly discard the dirt that could heal us. We sweep away the unwanted, shake away the useless dust, and throw away the filth. Eventually, we learn that death becomes life.

What if we picked up the dirt, gathered it all, held it close, worked it with our hands and our hearts, pouring out sweat and tears upon it? I wonder if the ashes of our suffering make us whole.