Monday, August 13, 2012

Dear God,

Where in the human soul is the trigger to laugh, to smile, and to break into joy?  What inspires the human spirit to break free from darkness, doubt, and despair?  I want to know so I can urge downtrodden people to touch the button, click on the key, or push down the lever!  I have discovered that joy can fill the soul when we are open to releasing ourselves into your hand.

By my own experience I have found a number of things in life that cause us to frown, to squint, to set our jaw on edge, to pick at our tear ducts, and pull at our face muscles to look sour, dour, mean, sad, and ugly.  Life in the trenches can be unfair, unjust, oppressive, and downright heartbreaking.  All the activities, conditions, or situations that cause us to snicker, giggle, and laugh at ourselves get lost and we lose the ability to become light-hearted and happy.  We forget to meet you in those intersections of time where we can let go and surrender the burdens of the day.

I've seen what a smile can do to a soul in pain.  I've witnessed what a sigh of relief can do to change a broken heart.  I've observed what surrender can do when we give you our sorrow or disappointment.  Release of those things that keep bearing down on us can open the door to joy, even a momentary happiness.  I believe those instances are intended to give us the opportunity to meet you face to face where you challenge us to give you our worries and anxieties.  When we trust you and ourselves enough to give them away, that place, deep down somewhere gets triggered releasing joy, faith, and peace.

Great God,
thank you
for offering
to us
the gift
of release.
Thank you
for the chance
to smile,
to breathe
a sigh
of relief,
and to laugh
cleaning out
the hurts
and disappointments.
Thank you
for grace
that gives us
the strength
and courage
to reach
for the trigger.

Love always, Andrea