The Way

On the Edge…

The drops of water lay so gently on the flower’s petals, leaving no evidence of the heavy downpours in the hours before.

Currently, in the state of Hawaii, there are rumblings underground through which lava is flowing. Where there was no evidence of faulty ground visible to the eye, where once perhaps there was what seemed steady, tolerable or even glamorous, now there is disruption. However, depending not on where one stands, but on how one stands, the ground, though it may be cracked and shaking, remains intact.

When Peter and his fellow Apostles were carrying on after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the ground was shaky. The future was unknown, yet they remained intact. They were able to proceed despite differences, disputes, and disruptions. They remained rooted even when the ground was moving.

The Apostles stood firm in their love of God. This was the manner in which they lived—how they stood, wherever they stood. Their love of God and desire to be faithful to God, impassioned them. It opened their hearts and minds, enflaming their spirits and their willingness to listen and to be guided by the Holy Spirit, despite their prior understanding or personal thoughts on the way things should be.

When Peter entered, Cornelius met him
and, falling at his feet, paid him homage.
Peter, however, raised him up, saying,
“Get up. I myself am also a human being.”

Then Peter proceeded to speak and said,
“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.”

While Peter was still speaking these things,
the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word.
The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter
were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit
should have been poured out on the Gentiles also,
for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God.

Then Peter responded,
“Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people,
who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?”
He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

– Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48

While the Apostles lived so very long ago, the way they lived… how they stood, is much more than history. It is like drops of water on a flower petal, waiting on the edges of every experience. It is Wisdom for the ages.

OnTheEdge

“It is at the edge of a petal that love waits.” – William Carlos Williams

Traveling the Terrain…

Yesterday, the snow was falling and the roads were slippery on the ride home. Given the conditions outside, it was natural to slow down, happening almost automatically and without much thought. Proceeding with caution and at a slower rate of travel made it much easier to navigate and to be aware and to respond appropriately to icy spots along the way, even those that were hidden and caked over with snow.

Throughout life and the various paths as we journey, there are the things that we may see as well as the things that seem to come out of nowhere. At times, we can be left questioning, “How did I get here?” “Was this avoidable?” … “Was there something I did or did not do?” So often, one may never know the answers to such questions. Even when we do though, we are still in the place in which we are.

It is written of John the Baptist that he was, “A voice of one crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths” (Mark 1:3). Surely, his journey included roads with slippery spots… even in the desert. As human beings, we never really know exactly where the curve in the road, or the tricky terrain, will be until we come upon it. However, perhaps the best way to manage whatever that territory may be is to slow down and to remember that in the dark of night, our eyes with the help of the smallest ray of light are able to seek and find the way. Just the same, when we persevere in faith, strive to be faithful, and trust in the Lord, we are guided to life, even in conditions, and at times, that may seem to be the worst.

TravelingTheTerrain