Sunday, October 7, 2007

Dearest God,

Remaining steady during a rain-swept storm, waiting for the storm to pass or pick up fury and die can be a pain-staking responsibility. Life is a series of storms, some as small as a gentle rainfall and others raging furiously with dark, ominous, threatening clouds. But the storms pass leaving in their path signs of its presence. Water-drenched ground. Fallen leaves, branches.

But to be able to have seen the weather through, to trust, to breathe in fresh spirit air, to hold the Master's hand is to be aware that God has been present all through the storm. To be alive at the end, to have withstood the fears and doubts, to have known the certainty of heavenly presence is to rise up in thanksgiving.

You have taught me to trust in every situation. You frequently remind me that my life is not a series of mountaintop experiences, but rather a pilgrim journey that takes me to all sorts of places. I do not know where I will find myself on any given day. I do not what storms may brew. I do not know the challenges I will face. I do not know how much courage I will need to summon. I do not know how the day will unfold. I do not know. I am not a seer. I cannot see the future.

What I do know is that the future sees me. The challenges know me, my weaknesses, flaws and imperfections. The storms recognize me. This unfamiliar, unpredictable time gives me cause to realize my own God-given strength, hope, truth, grace, and even peace. Living in the gifts of God deepens my reservoir of trust.

I do not have to look over my shoulder in fear, rather I look up into the face of the Holy One knowing the presence that shadows even the storm. I see the sweet face of my Savior, the one to whom I have given my life. And I drink in the joy of your presence.

I bow
in humble adoration.
I give praise.
I breathe
my prayers.
I allow
my trust to grow.
I sit quietly
at your feet,
listening, pondering, reflecting.

Love always, Andrea