Are you befuddled, like I am?
Were you caught off guard
By the once-again willfulness
Of these, (of us) your dear children?
Are you saddened by
Our angry rejection – each of the other
As we each try to be right enough
To gain your approval?
When will we wake up to the love
Already wrapped around our shoulders?
When will we learn to giggle together
Under the blanket of your grace?
[photo by Christine Mahler per cc 2.0]
Raw delight.
Elemental wonder.
Full engagement.
Deep trust.
Eager connection.
Unreserved affection.
Welcome to God’s realm.
[photo by Ethan Bagley per cc 2.0 from Flickr]
Stories touch the truth so much more deeply and fully than facts. We think that we can grasp facts – hold them and turn them in our hands; use them as our tools.
Stories hold us. We know their touch. They resonate in our souls. But we do not control them. They are beacons and they shine forth from a source that is beyond us, though it includes us. We participate, we shape our own role to some extent, but the story is beyond the tiny corners of our possession.
[photo by Thomas Hawk per cc 2.0 on Flickr]
Quiet Hope 