I don’t know if I am spiritual or stubborn or a
combination of both. But the more the
bad news piles up, the more determined I am to respond to it with the good news
I feel so clearly in my mind and heart.
Yes, life is hard. It is full of
suffering and sorrow – and believe me, I have had my fair share. But life is also beautiful, full of moments
that are transcendent in their healing and love. I know because I have been blessed by more of
them than I can count. I cannot change
the reality of pain and loss, but I can claim the reality of grace and
joy. Maybe I am just stubborn, but I
want my last word to be not a complaint but an alleluia. Steven
Charleston
This week, we turn to the wisdom of Steven
Charleston. He is a leading voice of
justice for Indigenous people, the environment, and spiritual renewal. He is a member of the Choctaw Nation and
served as the Episcopal bishop of Alaska.
He was the president and dean of the Episcopal Divinity School and a
professor at Luther Seminary. He lives
in Oklahoma with his wife.
As has been our Lenten practice, each day you will be
invited to engage in a sacred reading of a quote. I encourage you to take time, slowly savor,
and let the spirit of the words infuse/inspire your life.
First, read the quote above, and notice/name your
response. How have you been stubbornly
faithful recently? What words/thoughts/stories
are you clinging to? You can listen to
the stories you tell about yourself to others.
I wonder if there is a way you feel the Holy is clinging to you
stubbornly? Are you holding onto anger,
anxiety, stress, your way, grace, love, complaint, or alleluia? If you are like me, you just yelled,
“Yes!! All the above!!” How is that shaping you?
Second, re-read the quote, this time letting it
intersect your life. Where are you
trying to change the past reality of pain and loss? How can the reality of grace, love, and joy
enter into even that moment here and now?
Third, re-read the quote, and sit quietly with the
wisdom of the words. Maybe on this third
reading, you notice something in the quote you missed the first two times
through, or maybe you feel a sensation surge in your soul. What is one truth you hear in the stillness
of sitting with this quote that causes your heart to shout, “Hallelujah!!”
Finally, consider the quote: how might the words above
inform and inspire your living today? Be
specific, where will you show up today differently because of what you are
reading above? Maybe it will be to share
good news and God’s love where there feels like there is none. Your prayerful intention doesn’t have to be
drastic or dramatic, but move the needle of your soul a tinge in a new
direction and toward the destination of God’s guiding grace this day.
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