Friday, April 13, 2007

Dear God,

There is deep trust in my covenant group. We can literally turn our insides outside in front of one another. We can bare our souls, knowing we are perfectly safe. We can weep alone or together. We can roll on the floor in laughter. In any case the action is one of God.

There are few truly safe places in the world. I can be loved by others but the secrets of my life can be revealed, my confidences blurted out, my dark side uncovered. In such cases I am emotionally warned that while I am embraced, my soul is not secure.

My covenant group is a gift, people who carry Christ to each other weekly. We call one another to higher levels of living. We are honest, authentic, open. Our promise to one another is that of Christ.

During this retreat we each have found our self. With spiritual tools we have been digging down, deeper and deeper. Moving away the stones that long have stood at the door of our hearts,we are able to access the tunnels, chambers leading to our core. While there exposed, we examine our intentions,motives, attitudes, emotions. We find the hard spots, perhaps a calcified belief that needs to be released to the past, opening the way to new beliefs, hope, and joy. The work is hard, risky. But the spiritual activity of digging reaps great rewards. All of us have entered new pathways to the soul.

We hold two retreats a year. We talk, plan, prepare. We know our spiritual work ahead of time. We come together, bring out our tools, then begin chinking away the carefully covered troubled areas of our lives. We hit pay dirt because we trust one another, because we bring Christ with us, the fourth member of our group.

We know how to celebrate our victories. Singing alleluias, doing the bunny hop, group hugs, and prayers all serve to give thanks to you, our Creator. We recognize this is not our work alone; it is the work of the Spirit, the living activity of God. We give praise to you over and over again. Sometimes we reminisce, going back nearly 20 years, remembering and giving thanks for conquering fears, eliminating destructive behaviors,chucking bad feelings, forgiving ourselves or others, overcoming troubled pasts. Every time you have been present to help, guide, cajole, heal, forgive, and love. We keep saying thank you.

We will head home in a few hours. We will carry our memories with us. We will hug one another, giving thanks for the gifts each one brings. We will remember God's faithfulness and we will climb yet another rung of faithfulness ourselves. Free.

Living God,
our life in you
is a great mystery.
We say so often.
While we are perplexed
by the ways
you work,
we are grateful
to be at your side,
digging together.
Our hearts are filled
with gratitude
as we enter
new realms
of spiritual living.
When we discover
great caverns
of hope,
we realize again
the greatness
of God.
Our love overflows.

Eternally yours, Andrea