Good morning…
Stilling, noticing, taking Sabbath, we look back over our shared steps for this one-of-a-kind week.
******
Monday: After a tragic weekend when more innocent, voiceless people lost their lives to bullying bullets, her blessing came as a breath of fresh hope. “May we raise children who love the unloved things – the dandelion, the worms & spiderlings. Children who sense the rose needs the thorn & run into rainswept days the same way they run towards the sun … And when they’re grown & someone has to speak for those who have no voice, may they draw upon that wilder bond, those days of tending tender things, and be the one.” – Nicolette Sowder
Tuesday: Her email arrived as we, as a nation, are drowning in the sorrow of two mass murders in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. This very day, might the loving law of God fill our minds and saturate our hearts as we share God’s healing Spirit with our hurting world? Please, help this be “kindness week” for each one of us, LORD.
Wednesday: “I worry about the difference between being still and listening for God’s gentle nudges (that I value so much) and understanding the difference between being still and doing nothing,” she wrote. “I fear at times I stay in one place too long, paralyzed, not moving when God actually nudges.”
Thursday: “God is bread when you’re hungry, water when you’re thirsty, a harbor from the storm. God’s father to the fatherless, a mother to the motherless. God’s my sister, my brother, my leader, my guide, my teacher, my comforter, my friend. God’s the way-maker and burden-bearer, a heart-fixer and a mind-regulator. God’s my doctor who never lost a patient, my lawyer who never lost a case, my captain who never lost a battle. God’s my all in all, my everything. God’s my rock, my sword, my shield, my lily of the valley, my pearl of great price. God’s a god of peace and a god of war. Counselor, Emmanuel, Redeemer, Savior, Prince of Peace, Son of God, Mary’s little baby, wonderful Word of God.” And maybe most importantly as we head into the hectic of another school year, “The Lord Is My Pace Setter.”
Friday: When we accept God’s permission to not rush, we stop for quiet, restorative intervals. We focus our minds on the still and serene. We allow God to lead us through each full day, opening before us a creative way of efficiency. In our LORD’s ever-presence there is no need to fret. Our balance is grounded in the only God who is the same today, tomorrow, and for ever. As we accomplish our many activities our mind is tranquil, our energy is joyous, and harmony flavors the fruit of our hours. Dwelling at home with God as God dwells at home in us, we walk, step by step, in the peaceful pace of our LORD.
Saturday: After a spectacular solo, the minister shared a very personal reflection. I jotted notes in my well-organized bulletin, a bulletin to which her daughter said Caroline provided twenty-one edits in her final weeks on earth. “Caroline Gillam was meticulous, precise in almost everything she did,” shared the pastor who loved her deeply. “‘All in,’ Caroline gave everything her all and taught us how to go ‘all in’ also.” If her husband Harry, who went to heaven a few years back, “was the Light of the world, then Caroline was the salt of the earth. Two marks of true Christian discipleship.” Church leader. Great gardener. Music lover. “Now resting and raised with Christ, Caroline loved the beauty and the order of this world, and we give thanks for her wondrous love.” On cue, the choir sang the anthem Wondrous Love.
Along with other hymns well-chosen by Caroline, we sang together How Great Thou Art. Now as we listen to this timeless classic, may we sense one deeply missed mother joining her colorful voice with her beloved husband and all the saints in heaven.
******
As we walk in step with the Great God, our peaceful Pace Setter, might we each “be the one” to share needed kindness today?
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1, NIV).
…Sue…
