By Janet Davis
Walk in: Losing our Lives by Letting Go of the Illusion of Control
A blessing for living without control
God, I come to you as I am.
It is all I have, really.
And the next one I’m conscious of
will be the same.
I can feel the way I move,
moment to moment,
without the comfort of “solutions,
It seems wild to me now how I imagined
any once-and-for-all cure for this,
or a master plan to ensure things
will work out.
But, truth be told, that’s always been
my secret hope.
So, Lord, let’s try again.
I’m begging for a new plan.
I want a plan that is an “unplan.”
I must keep moving and planning,
trying and changing,
knitting my days together even as
they unravel.
So can we do this together?
Remind me to pray: come Lord
and quiet the worry.
I step, and you steady me.
I give, and you keep my hands open.
I act, and you fortify me with courage
to try and try and try again. This life is uncertain, Lord,
but your love is not.
You tell the story of my life
regardless of how little I know
about how it ends, except to say,
you were there since the beginning
and you appear on every page.
Kate Bowler, Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day, page 102, 103
Questions
What “solutions” or seeking of solutions are you letting go of today?
Is there a “master plan” the Spirit is asking you to surrender to an “unplan”?
Is there a particular aspect of life’s uncertainty the Holy one is inviting you to accept as you release illusions of your ability to control it?
Center: Meeting the Holy One by Letting God Love Us
Let Your God Love You
Be silent.
Be still.
Alone.
Empty
Before your God.
Say nothing.
Ask nothing.
Be silent.
Be still.
Let your God look upon you.
That is all.
God knows.
God understands.
God loves you
With an enormous love,
And only wants
To look upon you
With that love.
Quiet.
Still.
Be.
Let your God—
Love you.
Edwina Gateley, Psalms of a Laywoman
Questions
Where do you find resistance within to receiving the love of God, letting God love you?
Turn gently toward that place with compassion and curiosity. Is there a story that rises for you?
Walk out: Saving Your Life by Setting Out in the Dark
Passover Remembered
…Do not take time to explain to the neighbors.
Tell only a few trusted friends and
family members.
Then begin quickly,
before you have time to sink back
into the old slavery.
Set out in the dark.
I will send fire to warm and
encourage you. I will be with you in
the fire
and I will be with you in the cloud.
You will learn to eat new food
and find refuge in new places.
I will give you dreams in the desert
to guide you safely home to that place you have not yet seen….
Alla Renée Bozarth, From Womanpriest: A Personal Odyssey, revised edition, LuraMedia and Wisdom House 1988. All rights reserved.
Questions
As you accept this invitation to journey into the unknown, what temptations do you face that might delay or divert your attention?
What old slavery are your seeking to avoid this lent?
What might God’s guiding and warming fire or protective cloud look like for you this week?
Pay special attention to any dreams you receive. Who will you be by Easter?