Each day in Lent, I post a meditation from one of our parishioners. Their names are not listed to protect their privacy
Lessons for the Day: Genesis 45:16-28; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 6:13-29
As I write this, today is the deadline for my meditation to be sent in. I just typed out a whole meditation based on the lessons. I then tried to save it (to come back and read one more time), but accidentally hit the "Don't save changes" button--and it was gone. I still have a huge pile of homework, way too much to get done in one night. Outside it is raining, and it is February--supposedly the middle of winter.
But it's really okay! I'm happy to be writing a meditation, and it's all going to work out, and on the larger scale, it's definitely okay. During Advent, my mom found a series of meditations called "inward/outward," and one of these meditations seem to somewhat apply to my situation. It is titled "And" by William Stringfellow. He says:
It is worse than you think it is and you are freer than you think you are.
The powers are raging beyond your control and they are already overcome in Christ.
The division is an uncrossable spiritual chasm and it's been crossed.
To me, the second line stands out the most, and it all basically says (though hard to rephrase)--it's okay, it's out of your hands. You can trust that it will turn out, that something you can't see or understand has it under control, so do your best...and then let it go (to God).
I have a loud, clanging, bright pink alarm clock that I keep on the opposite side of my bedroom, so I have to get up to turn it off in the mornings. One day at 5:45, when it went off as usual, I had been having a dream that must have confused me...so when I jumped out of my bed, which is pushed against the wall, I jumped out the wrong side! Literally, I hit my head on the wall and fell back on the bed. I got up and tripped over a laundry basket, finally got to my dresser and fumbled the alarm off...it was not very graceful. At that point, I surprised myself because all I could do was laugh! Exhausted, way too early in the morning, and I had just crashed into every crash-able thing in my room, but I still found it hilarious, let the awkward start go, and I think I actually had a great day. I found that moment very instructive to myself, which is why I mentioned it, so I guess...
Whether it is something as completely unimportant as bumping your head, or if it's something much more important and serious, all I can try my best to remember is that:
The powers are raging beyond my control....
and they are already overcome in Christ
