"More torturous than all else is the human heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it? I, the Lord, alone probe the mind and test the heart..."
Jeremiah 17:9-10
I was at a high school the other day, working with a student. We were in the hall as the bell rang and moved to the side, out of the way, as the students tumbled out of the classrooms to go to their next classes. I gazed at them...they had holes in their jeans and earbuds in their ears. Some chatted with friends, others intent on getting somewhere else, moved briskly. Sadly, all I could think of was someone with a rifle letting loose on them. I tried to shake that dreadful thought from my mind and just looked on them with love. I'm sure some of them left their homes with angry words still hanging in the air. I'm sure some of them had encounters they wouldn't want to be their last encounters. I felt such love for them and sadness for how vulnerable they were in that moment as they filled the halls. What is the message here? Well, I'm not sure. Maybe just that we are one human family and only God knows our hearts and minds, as Jeremiah offers us today. We are all like these precious teenagers in God's eyes, with all of our differences and similarities, we are all unique and deeply loved. As we tumble forth into our winter Thursday, some with holes in our jeans, earbuds in our ears, let us have love in our hearts for all we encounter today--for the love of God, please! Love, heidi
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Puzzling...
"By solving the puzzles of what stands before us, we rise to new levels of being."
Fr. Ed Hays, "The Lenten Labyrinth"
We don't have to find a cure for cancer today. We don't have to solve the puzzle of division in our country or nuclear war. We don't have to figure out the arms race or solve the problem of human trafficking in our world...today. Today, our puzzles may be bio-locating so we can be in two places at the same time, or getting dinner on the table in twenty minutes, or sitting at the bedside of a sick child or suffering with a friend. Our puzzles may seem small in comparison to the Big Stuff we worry about. But they still are puzzles and they still befuddle us. Today, whatever we face, let's talk it over with God. God already knows about it, but still wants to hear our take on it. Jesus often asked the people he was about to cure what it is they want (even if it seemed obvious). Our puzzles may seem obvious too, but Jesus wants us to talk them over. Maybe in talking them over, the solutions will be clearer. At the very least, in talking them over with Jesus we are in relationship with Jesus, and that's what God wants the most. Love, heidi
Fr. Ed Hays, "The Lenten Labyrinth"
We don't have to find a cure for cancer today. We don't have to solve the puzzle of division in our country or nuclear war. We don't have to figure out the arms race or solve the problem of human trafficking in our world...today. Today, our puzzles may be bio-locating so we can be in two places at the same time, or getting dinner on the table in twenty minutes, or sitting at the bedside of a sick child or suffering with a friend. Our puzzles may seem small in comparison to the Big Stuff we worry about. But they still are puzzles and they still befuddle us. Today, whatever we face, let's talk it over with God. God already knows about it, but still wants to hear our take on it. Jesus often asked the people he was about to cure what it is they want (even if it seemed obvious). Our puzzles may seem obvious too, but Jesus wants us to talk them over. Maybe in talking them over, the solutions will be clearer. At the very least, in talking them over with Jesus we are in relationship with Jesus, and that's what God wants the most. Love, heidi
Monday, February 26, 2018
God within us...
"Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low."
Psalm 79:8
After a tragedy we are, indeed, brought very low. And there have been far too many human-caused tragedies lately, certainly. And, for a while, we are stunned, sad, we think about and pray for the victims and their families. And then, we move on. Other events litter the news pages and we go on to the next thing, whatever it is. We move on from our "very low-ness."I wonder if we are wired that way, because staying very low would kill us. We could become inert, unable to function. We need to move on, but I believe we move on as changed human beings. We may not be the same as we were prior to the tragedy that brought us low. And that is a good thing. Being brought low gives us the experience of compassion, the quivering of our hearts with another. Being brought low opens us up to others, taking us out of ourselves and giving us a tiny glimpse of how wounded God must feel with all the hurt we cause each other. Compassion for others and their experience teaches us how loved we are by God. God has wired our hearts to love, pure and simple. When our hearts ache with sadness for others, that is God within us, loving through us. Today, let's be aware how our hearts hurt when we learn of tragedy in the lives of others. There is no truer sign of God within us. Love, heidi
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low."
Psalm 79:8
After a tragedy we are, indeed, brought very low. And there have been far too many human-caused tragedies lately, certainly. And, for a while, we are stunned, sad, we think about and pray for the victims and their families. And then, we move on. Other events litter the news pages and we go on to the next thing, whatever it is. We move on from our "very low-ness."I wonder if we are wired that way, because staying very low would kill us. We could become inert, unable to function. We need to move on, but I believe we move on as changed human beings. We may not be the same as we were prior to the tragedy that brought us low. And that is a good thing. Being brought low gives us the experience of compassion, the quivering of our hearts with another. Being brought low opens us up to others, taking us out of ourselves and giving us a tiny glimpse of how wounded God must feel with all the hurt we cause each other. Compassion for others and their experience teaches us how loved we are by God. God has wired our hearts to love, pure and simple. When our hearts ache with sadness for others, that is God within us, loving through us. Today, let's be aware how our hearts hurt when we learn of tragedy in the lives of others. There is no truer sign of God within us. Love, heidi
Thursday, February 22, 2018
A glance back...
"This is my body...my blood...my whole life, with all its joys and sorrows. I offer to you as Jesus offered his life on the cross, trusting that in your hands, all will be well."
The Little Black Book
It was almost forty-five years ago, at a high school Search, that I first gave my life back to God. I was so overwhelmed at that retreat that I just knew I wanted my life to be doing something that was God's idea. "What do you want me to do, God? Show me (clearly, please!)" It seems like from then on, doors opened, I would walk through, my life just unfolded. I guess, in my naive youth, I was trusting that all would be well. And it was. So, why does it seem harder now, as I get older, to just trust that all will be well? I seem to worry and fret about the silliest things! I need a bit more of my naivite of the mid-seventies, but where to find that now? Remembering back helps a bit, but I don't want to dwell in the past, I just want to learn from it. I want to remember how confident I felt in acting on the deep desires of my heart, for that is where God's ideas are written for my journey. Today, with one full week of Lent in our rear-view mirror, what lessons can we learn from briefly looking over our shoulder? Not setting up camp in the past, but just a wee glance back. Then, we can sit in this present moment with joy, knowing that all will be well. Love, heidi
The Little Black Book
It was almost forty-five years ago, at a high school Search, that I first gave my life back to God. I was so overwhelmed at that retreat that I just knew I wanted my life to be doing something that was God's idea. "What do you want me to do, God? Show me (clearly, please!)" It seems like from then on, doors opened, I would walk through, my life just unfolded. I guess, in my naive youth, I was trusting that all would be well. And it was. So, why does it seem harder now, as I get older, to just trust that all will be well? I seem to worry and fret about the silliest things! I need a bit more of my naivite of the mid-seventies, but where to find that now? Remembering back helps a bit, but I don't want to dwell in the past, I just want to learn from it. I want to remember how confident I felt in acting on the deep desires of my heart, for that is where God's ideas are written for my journey. Today, with one full week of Lent in our rear-view mirror, what lessons can we learn from briefly looking over our shoulder? Not setting up camp in the past, but just a wee glance back. Then, we can sit in this present moment with joy, knowing that all will be well. Love, heidi
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
I trust in You...
"While seeking God with all your heart and possessing a calm assurance provides a compass for those on life's labyrinthian road, being relaxed and confident isn't easy. You and I know from experience that fear and doubt are companion pilgrims on such a pathway."
Fr. Ed Hays, "The Lenten Labyrinth"
Ah, Fear and Doubt, my most annoying and troubling companions, for sure! I wish I could ditch them both in a dark alley, but seems like they accompany me wherever I go. How to shake them off and continue my journey with the "calm assurance" Fr. Ed talks about? The key is, just like it says on our money, In God We Trust. God gives us common sense (though it doesn't always seem "common") and God gives us wisdom, in bulk, if we just ask. God steadies our feet on the path in the labyrinth and gives us guidance all along the way. And, as Fr. Ed points out in today's offering, all along the way, we are already "there." As the labyrinth is a rose with the center of the rose being our destination, we are still in the rose, being in the petal portion, on our journey. Fr. Ed also quotes one of my favorite sayings, "All the way to heaven is heaven!" (Catherine of Sienna). I cannot seem to ditch my companions, Fear and Doubt. They walk with me and taunt me as I go, the rascals! What I may need to do is accept them and see them for what they are--mere distractions on the journey, but they are not able to steer me off course. You see, that is the beauty of the labyrinth, the next step is really quite clear. It is right there, the logically apparent next step. Today, if we feel taunted and teased by fear and doubt, let's pull out a dollar bill and read the sentence, In God We Trust printed on it. Take a deep breath, and pray, "Yep, God. I trust in you!" Love, heidi
Fr. Ed Hays, "The Lenten Labyrinth"
Ah, Fear and Doubt, my most annoying and troubling companions, for sure! I wish I could ditch them both in a dark alley, but seems like they accompany me wherever I go. How to shake them off and continue my journey with the "calm assurance" Fr. Ed talks about? The key is, just like it says on our money, In God We Trust. God gives us common sense (though it doesn't always seem "common") and God gives us wisdom, in bulk, if we just ask. God steadies our feet on the path in the labyrinth and gives us guidance all along the way. And, as Fr. Ed points out in today's offering, all along the way, we are already "there." As the labyrinth is a rose with the center of the rose being our destination, we are still in the rose, being in the petal portion, on our journey. Fr. Ed also quotes one of my favorite sayings, "All the way to heaven is heaven!" (Catherine of Sienna). I cannot seem to ditch my companions, Fear and Doubt. They walk with me and taunt me as I go, the rascals! What I may need to do is accept them and see them for what they are--mere distractions on the journey, but they are not able to steer me off course. You see, that is the beauty of the labyrinth, the next step is really quite clear. It is right there, the logically apparent next step. Today, if we feel taunted and teased by fear and doubt, let's pull out a dollar bill and read the sentence, In God We Trust printed on it. Take a deep breath, and pray, "Yep, God. I trust in you!" Love, heidi
Monday, February 19, 2018
You welcomed me...
..."I was a stranger and you welcomed me."
Matthew 25:35
Even though today is a holiday I cannot let Matthew 25 go by without reflecting on it. Pray-As-You-Go invited us to ponder how we feel when Jesus tells the people they will be separated as the sheep and goats. Those who feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked will be welcomed into the kingdom with the Father's blessing. I always fear I come up short when it comes right down to it. It's hard to put ourselves on the "right" side of this reading when we are so rich as a country and live so well compared to most of the world. How are we, as a country, doing welcoming the stranger? I'm afraid we are fearing them, turning them into enemies, vilifying them, and giving them the boot. Jesus never said "Protect yourselves!" We say we are a Christian nation but we don't live that way, I'm sorry to say. We live in fear and stockpile weapons to make ourselves feel safer. But that will never make us truly free, will it? How can we think we are free at all when we fear the stranger instead of welcoming any one of God's children who comes to our shores? If we truly believe "In God We Trust," like it says on our money, we should really trust God and live like Jesus told us to live. We either love everyone or we love no one. And which did Jesus tell us to do? Love, heidi
Matthew 25:35
Even though today is a holiday I cannot let Matthew 25 go by without reflecting on it. Pray-As-You-Go invited us to ponder how we feel when Jesus tells the people they will be separated as the sheep and goats. Those who feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked will be welcomed into the kingdom with the Father's blessing. I always fear I come up short when it comes right down to it. It's hard to put ourselves on the "right" side of this reading when we are so rich as a country and live so well compared to most of the world. How are we, as a country, doing welcoming the stranger? I'm afraid we are fearing them, turning them into enemies, vilifying them, and giving them the boot. Jesus never said "Protect yourselves!" We say we are a Christian nation but we don't live that way, I'm sorry to say. We live in fear and stockpile weapons to make ourselves feel safer. But that will never make us truly free, will it? How can we think we are free at all when we fear the stranger instead of welcoming any one of God's children who comes to our shores? If we truly believe "In God We Trust," like it says on our money, we should really trust God and live like Jesus told us to live. We either love everyone or we love no one. And which did Jesus tell us to do? Love, heidi
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