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It’s interesting to watch what you do when you’re in distress. There are a lot of options (like turning toward God or heading for the fridge or having a drink or getting mad at somebody or getting busy). Some are better than others.
When I was in distress, I ___________________.
“When I was in distress, I sought the Lord.” Psalm 77:2
There’s a world of difference between really listening to somebody and just keeping quiet until it’s your turn to talk.
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” Stephen Covey
“He awakens my ear to listen. . . .” Isaiah 50:4
I know a very little boy who never misses a siren. Whenever he hears a help-help, he runs to the window to see. Sometimes, on very special days, he gets to visit the help-help station. He stands and stares in awe and wonder at the fire trucks and the huge men who drive them.
This morning, without going anywhere, I visited my own help-helps -- all the people who have stuck with me through thick and thin. I stood and stared in awe and wonder.
“You may not remember the time you let me go first. Or the time you dropped back to tell me it wasn't that far to go. Or the time you waited at the crossroads for me to catch up. You may not remember any of those, but I do and this is what I have to say to you: Today, no matter what it takes,mwe ride home together.” Brian Andreas
“If one falls down, the other can help him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:10
When you’ve tried really hard for a really long time to be good on your own steam, letting God do it instead (from the inside out) feels as light and fresh and surprising as daybreak.
“Let him easter in us, be a dayspring to the dimness of us. . . .” Gerard Manley Hopkins (dayspring: daybreak; the first appearance of light)
“God’s energy, an energy deep within you, God himself giving you the desire and the energy. . . .” Philippians 2:13
When you’re used to keeping a tight grip on things, it’s hard to describe the relief of learning to let life flow.
“[A]llow our lives and the lives of those we love to flow day by day with God’s ease, balance and grace.” Al-anon literature
“[P]eace like a river. . . .” Isaiah 66:12
When you have the desperate feeling that only one particular person (or job or house or outcome or whatever) can fill the empty place inside, the best (and scariest) thing you can do is let go.
“It's hard to let go of anything we love. We live in a world which teaches us to clutch. But when we clutch we're left with a fistful of ashes.” Madeleine L’Engle
“Open wide your heart. . . .” 2 Corinthians 6:13
