Rest in the palm of God’s hand

Dear Friends,

It is my hope that these monthly messages bring a little more light into your lives. Some days I see the light blazing through the darkness, and others, like today, I am grateful for the glimmer, the subtle but consistent, flickering light of Love.

April is an interesting month, it brings the promises of Spring and the celebration of Easter. April is all about “new life.” Yet as I wait for April to begin, we still have cold days, ice along the edges of the lake, and naked maple trees surrounding the house. Where is the new life in Connecticut when cherry blossoms are blooming in Seattle? Or, how can one celebrate those cherry blossoms when the Snohomish County mudslide is just miles away?

This disparity of images continues in other ways.

A dear friend faces loss while another celebrates an accomplishment.

                                        Families gather for a wedding as they hear of their relative’s car accident.

                                                                                  Repeatedly, it seems we are faced with the highs and lows of life.

Our hearts are worn out in response to external events or sometimes just waiting for the thaw to begin. And the question returns, how do we trust in new life when we’re surrounded by cold or darkness?

It’s not enough for me to “believe” anymore. It reminds me too much of Peter Pan asking me to clap to keep Tinkerbell alive. I find I’m attracted to Carl Jung’s words. “I don’t believe in God, I know God.” I am learning to trust my own experience, even using it as a reference point. When the darkness of doubt creeps into my heart, I remember Doris – her faithfulness and her unfailing regard for each human being. The image of Doris’s integrity stands between doubt and me, giving me a chance to breathe and recollect. When the chill of fear grabs me, I can now return to the gifts of my humanity. I see the sunrise and experience the peace it elicits in my heart. I recall moments on retreat or holding hands with my husband and am reminded…I know Love.

To paraphrase Jung, I don’t just believe in Love, I know Love. My human experience has reminded me over and over that Love is an energy, a reality that surpasses all the disparities around me. Love holds them as One. Remember the Irish blessing asking God to hold us in the palm of his hand? Well, what is he holding exactly? I would answer our joys and sorrows, tensions and gifts, fears and dreams. In this warm and safe place, our lives are tenderly nurtured and cared for. Here, in this loving embrace, new life emerges and we begin again. Let us remember those who are hurting today.

May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
The rain fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

With love on this new day, Lisa