Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
If ever there was a verse of scripture that sings to my soul in such a time as this, it is the above words from Paul’s pen. I feel tossed to and fro by the waves and winds of the world today. I feel tugged and torn between wanting to help and wondering if I can really make a difference. I feel moments of joy and times like I am falling flat on my face. The crashing, shattering sound you hear is my soul each time I read the news or hear someone say something racist or homophobic or just plain hurtful/harmful to another person. The crashing, shattering sound you hear is trying to go about this world spinning out of control with hurricane force winds, destruction like a wildfire, and leaving devastation behind.
Perhaps you are thinking, “Well, thanks for that inspirational thought, Pastor Eeyore. I wonder if there is a new funny cat video on YouTube.” Paul is reminding us that just because we have a connection to each other, doesn’t mean life will be perfect. Just because there are people in our lives who we can let love loose with, doesn’t mean things will change immediately or instantly.
The world is broken.
People are broken.
I am broken.
I don’t say ‘I am broken,’ to shame myself or rain down guilt upon us. I say that to realize that I am a participant (not an observer) in this world. Even if I stay silent on the sideline, my presence at this moment in history is causing a shift like the wings of butterflies impacting weather patterns. ‘I am broken,’ of course, is only half the story. The other half is, “I am loved.” Love, not because of what I manufacture or make or by trying to be good, I am loved into being with every breath because that is way God works. I don’t earn love, otherwise it isn’t love. Love is freely given. Who is someone you can share love with today? Who can you call or text or Facetime to express what is within you amid what is going on around you? How does starting with love offer a firm foundation amid the winds of the world today?
May you and I find ways to be bring forth a bridge over the troubled, surging, swirling watery chaos of today.
Prayer: May that last sentence be my embodied prayer today. Amen.
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