Release

“Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith” Mt. 8:10

There were so many directions that I could have gone with this reading given the current hijacking of the mission of Jesus Christ. But, honestly, I just don’t want to. We need a break from that. Yes, we need to look injustice and ignorance in the eye, but we also need a break from it.

During Advent, we prepare that soft space, a place that is quiet and welcoming, still and comforting. We prepare for a newborn baby, who needs us to be calm and quiet and open so that his coming can work in us all that is planned. So we need to let go, to release, to lay down all of the “stuff” (even the extremely important stuff) for just a couple minutes every day. And we need to breathe.

In and out.

In

and

out.

It is time to quiet ourselves.

Today we had a pretty lovely snowstorm, (lovely because I got to stay home!) and as I was stretching I was looking out my back window as I often do and I just watched the flakes drop to the ground. Thick beautiful white flakes in glorious sheets. Gently falling to create a blanket of white.

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I opened the window to listen. It was quiet and still and alive. It reminded me of when babies sleep, how they will barely move but their breathing and sleeping improve when connected to another human being. So I stayed there; no birds, no deer, no foxes, no turkeys, no gophers…etc, etc. Just me and my still sacred space of a backyard.

It is okay to stop. It is okay to look away, to lay things down, to breathe in and breathe out and relish in beauty when you encounter it. Have faith that God is on it. God is in it all. It is a frantic time yes, but our frantic selves serve no one. Instead, tap into your calm. Tap into your sacred source. Be that one person who amazes others with their faith.