Saturday, May 12, 2012

Dearest God,

How do you meet the needs of two people when the middle won't work?  How do you tenderly care for one another when a particular need is critical?  Not that either need is wrong; it is not about that.  It is simply a need that requires special care.

You have told me so many times how important it is to love as you love, to care as you care, and to reach out as you reach out.  You are our model, our example of both human and divine love.  As I read the scriptures and read between the lines, I see that you had needs too.  Sometimes you needed silence, time to be alone.  You needed to pray, to express your human devotion and concern for others.  You needed to collect your thoughts, offering up your own doubt and fear.  So often your needs were met in prayer.  You didn't need anyone else.  But when you did, when you asked for help from those closest to you, they failed you.

I am blessed with love all around me.  At times I wonder how it is I have so many blessings.  In the midst of my blessing, I wonder how to overcome, how to care for my own needs at the same time caring for the needs of those around me.  I wonder how to create an environment that fulfills the needs of all involved.

Recently when my body systems starting failing me due to heat exposure, my husband kicked in to help me.  When I called him by phone, he came right away, put in an air conditioner, and for two days, he made all my meals.  He checked on me.  He told me he missed me because I was in an upper room with a window air conditioner and he was somewhere in the rest of the house.  He tended to me, cared for my needs, and expressed his love for me.  He showed his genuine concern and I was grateful, so grateful.

The question that continually swirls in my mind is how do I care for my husband's need to be warm and my own need to be cool so that I do not fall victim to threatening symptoms?  Perhaps it seems a small question in light of the larger issues of the day; however, O God, it is a difficult one for us.

O Lord,
you know us all
so well.
You know
our needs,
our fears,
and concerns.
You know
the answer
to our questions,
our dilemmas.
I believe
with all
my heart
your love
and our faith
can help us
overcome every obstacle.
Thank you
for love
that reaches
beyond our own
human barriers
of need,
doubt, and fear.
Help us
reach for answers
that seem
far off
from us.
Show us
the way,
O God;
show us
the way,
I pray
in the name
of Jesus
whose trust
in you
found courage
and strength
for every difficulty.

Love, Andrea