Fire in our veins

 

Ronald Rolheiser writes, “A healthy soul, therefore, must do two things for us.  First, it must put some fire in our veins, keep us energized, vibrant, living with zest, and full of hope as we sense that life is, ultimately, beautiful, and worth living.  Whenever this breaks down in us, something is wrong with our souls.  When cynicism, despair, bitterness, or depression paralyze our energy, part of our soul is hurting.” (We will get to the second part of a healthy soul tomorrow).

Today, I invite you to reflect on what is putting fire in your veins and energizing you?  Or where and when do you feel most fully alive?  I am not looking for a Sunday School answer here.  You don’t have to say, “Sunday morning listening to Wes preach.”  I want you to listen to your shy soul sing out where you feel like, “I could do this forever and never get bored.”  For me, teaching, writing, and talking about the Bible does this.  The ancient stories of scripture still reverberant and resonant with meaning for me each time I open the Bible.  This Lent as I read the gospels, I kept think, “Yes, there is truth here and here and here.”  I love talking with others about the Bible, hearing other’s insights and ideas.  This isn’t the only place.  I sense the beauty of life when walking in creation, when having meals with my family, when having coffee with a friend.  I think one of the lies cynicism, despair, and bitterness tell us is that those moments “don’t matter.”  Our inner critic may even make us feel bad for enjoying a conversation when there is suffering out there in the world.  Our inner critic may tell you that it doesn’t make a difference or that you are being selfish, that surely there is some volunteer opportunity that would be “better.”  This isn’t new.  Throughout the Christian faith we have struggled with what is called, “Works righteousness”.  This means that sure God’s grace is free, but not free…free.  God still wants you to do something right now.  God has expectations, wants to give you a gold star as I talked about on Sunday, and you end up feeling like you need to “earn” grace…that unconditional love isn’t so unconditional after all.  Suddenly, there is something that stands in the way between us and God’s love.

This is the tension.  You are not God’s employee…you are God’s beloved.  So, does that mean I can just sit back and binge watch Netflix and do nothing?  Yes, you could.  We won’t and don’t earn unconditional love.  But return to what I said above, binge watching Netflix…or constantly scrolling social doesn’t put a fire in my veins ~ at least not a healthy fire!  Our souls are hurting partly because we are wrapped up in a world that pulls us in too many directions, and we feel like a Stretch Armstrong Doll from my youth!  This is when cynicism comes in and despair and bitterness.  We are invited to return to a center, ground of being, where we share our life ~ not because of a demand or decree (like Caesar), but because life is beautiful and worth living and sharing.  I pray the sentences above sings to your heart…but I would love to talk more about this with you if you’d like. 

Today, ponder and write down a life-giving list of what fills YOU with hope and gets you caught up in the beauty of life (for we are created in God’s image and infused with the breath of God.).  Amen.