Brief Thoughts (No. 33)

Brief Thoughts

I don’t want to be divorced from the simple and immediate realities of this life, always lost in a tangle of philosophical questions. To have normal desires, normal concerns – it’s hard to express why this is so important to me, except to say that I wish to really live and be connected to, and be a part of, the people and the world around me.

How much of life are you living in your distant tower, situated high on a hill and fading into the mist? Yes, of course, there is wisdom borne in the contemplation of things – but what about that special kind of wisdom that comes from actually experiencing those things for yourself?

Brief Thoughts (No. 32)

Brief Thoughts

There will always be people who disagree. There will always be people who think they know best. Be content to accept the multitude of voices and opinions without sacrificing your own convictions of what is right.

You will find power and strength in the act of defending what you believe – not violently, or with aggression, but in the gently transformative act of turning your beliefs into the way you live.

Quotations

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

Pablo Picasso

If Only

Poems

If only I could
run myself ragged
run hands through your hair
run faster than wind
run freer than air
run wild with laughter
run reckless with care
run into your arms:
oh! such is my prayer.

Pictures
Peaceful blue collage.
Prayer collage: “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

Is It Possible?

Journal & Essays

Often, you find yourself trapped in a cycle of belief and disbelief. The position you occupy in this cycle usually depends, in large part, on the circumstances of your life: how you’re feeling, if you’re suffering, whether things are going your way.

That’s not to say that you’ve abandoned God. On the contrary, I know that you’ve sought Him with great perseverance even through long periods of darkness and illness. It’s not wrong to express your anger at God. It’s not wrong to cry to Him in your despondency. He welcomes you in your reality – in the fullness of who you are.

But sometimes, your tendency to be upset with God causes you more unhappiness than you can bear. Sometimes, seeing God as the Person to blame for the sufferings of life adds an additional layer of helplessness to your already heavy despair, and the weight of such a burden leaves you vulnerable to collapse.

So what’s the answer to this conundrum, to this longing to express your anguish in the face of injustice, and your sorrow at feeling abandoned by the One Who is supposed to be Good, without putting yourself perpetually in a place of conflict with God? How do you reconcile the truth of your hurt and frustration (which you have every right to feel) with your desire to have a sturdy friendship with God? You can’t find peace if you’re always at war with the Source of Peace. You can’t trust if you’re always doubting His trustworthiness.

My message isn’t meant to strip away your humanity, or to condemn you for feeling the way you do. I know your sorrow is real and the pain of your confusion is deep. I know your heart is sincere.

But I’m asking you to consider that maybe God is not the Author of your misfortunes. Maybe God is not the One willing your suffering.

Is it possible that, in the midst of your trials, God has been with you in a profoundly important way? Is it possible that God has always been for you, not against you, and weeps with you in your pain? Is it possible that God keeps a light on for you, even as the darkness swirls around, threatening to consume you but never actually penetrating the true, unbreakable center of who you really are?

Is it possible, in other words, that God is, in fact, just as Good as You so were so desperately hoping He’d be?

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