Good morning…
There are people in life who touch our soul and leave a mark, an imprint, a lasting impression. Unique. Authentic. A life changing original. One such dynamic person has shaped my life profoundly from the tattered pages of a beloved book, The Hidden Life: Revelations from a Holy Journey. Betty Walthour Skinner, born this very day ninety years ago, shares freely God’s living, breathing Spirit tucked inside her heart. Journeying though deep pain to divine purpose, we read, on page 55, Betty’s intimate conversation with the LORD.
Liberate me. Free me.
Lift and hold me,
Oh, Holy Spirit.
I offer You
my heavy, hurting, aching heart.
For my grief is like a valley deep
with dark caves in which I hide.
My tears blur all my vision.
My pathway goes in circles.
Each circle’s filled with pain.
There seems no map for sorrow.
And, Lord,
I’ve lost sight of my tomorrow!
Hold fast, my dear disciple.
Love claimed you long ago.
Your grieving
is My squeezing,
the pressure of My hand.
A touch that knows
your sorrow.
A touch that heals today,
that seals,
reveals tomorrow.
Last month, I drove from Atlanta, Georgia to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida to meet Betty Skinner in person, to share a special meal with Betty and The Hidden Life’s co-author, Kitty Crenshaw (see my 1.16.16 blog post, “A lunch to remember.”) Together, Betty and I toasted the kick off of our “birthday seasons,” clanking her glass of scotch with my glass of red wine, sharing our love of people, of nature, of God’s deep-wide wisdom. Packed up in my doggy bag of memories, Betty’s genuine hugs and laughing voice are imprinted on my soul: “The big ‘I’ must die. The big ‘I’ must die.” Because of Betty Skinner, I understand more personally, “The big ‘I’ must die,” to embrace wholeheartedly our divine We.
To celebrate Betty’s 90th birthday, I send a laughing cyber hug, embracing with my whole heart our divine We.
Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith, Hebrews 13:7 (NASB),
Sue
