But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. ~ Isaiah 40:31 There is something about waiting. We all have at some point had the experience on waiting. I recently heard that patience is the process of learning to wait on God’s timing.
Our spirits must learn the act of waiting while living throughout our lifetime. The experience of learning to have patience is understanding what it means to cling to a past that is known, rather than to trust in a new future. Waiting is learning how to let go of that past. Your own past has many pitfalls that can lead us to live with hate, jealousy, remorse, and the need to retaliate. All of these continue to anchor you to your own past, and prevents a positive outcome to occur. So often I am reminded that even when we let go of our clinched fists, there is another fist waiting to happen, unless we learn to surrender. We all have learned that it is important to love yourself in order to love others. Additionally, we must learn to forgive ourselves as well. Learning that waiting means opening our hands to the possibilities of a better tomorrow. It’s as if an invitation to experience a new freedom, and praying becomes a joy, a spontaneous reaction to the world and the people around will make waiting a completely different experience. Learning patience is the way to both the heart of God and the heart of the world, precisely because they have been joined together through Christ. Learning to wait is letting one’s own heart become the place where the presence of God and the presence of God’s children can find a common place and become moments filled with hope. Stay in God’s grip! G. Todd Williams © 2018
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There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 - 8 No where does it say in scripture that on this day, "Spring Forward!" For many of us on this first Monday after we have forced the hands of time forward an hour, we are still struggling to catch up. Having been one of those Southern Indiana kids that knew the difference between Illinois Time and Indiana Time, time seems to be that one thing that we attempt to control. Planners are created, schedules are drawn up, and we wind clocks so that we have the correct time. We determine a person's job as being part or full time. We eat at lunch time, and retire at the end of day at bed time. Why can't I decide when I want to "Spring Forward?" I'd like to insert that forward motion when I'm waiting for the results of a test. In like manner, I'd "Fall Backwards" when I'm spending time with my grandchildren, or spending what might be the last hour with someone I love. Unfortunately, it simply doesn't work that way. This morning as I drove into the city I was looking at the sky, and wondering why the sun seems to be in a different location. Children will wonder why they must get up so much earlier to go off to school. And all of us will notice that we seem to be just a little more sluggish the next few days. I'm thankful for the idea of eternity. Imagine a place where there is no concern about springing or falling for the sake of sunlight. Eternity is that magical measurement of time that doesn't require a schedule or a calendar. It is simply, ALWAYS. So as you struggle to get going this morning, consider this. You are one hour closer to eternity, and you didn't even realize it! Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 "Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God."
~ Hebrews 6:7 It can sometimes be a struggle understanding our ability to love one another when we ourselves find it difficult loving ourselves. It's an amazing journey that each of us are on. It doesn't take long to realize that no matter how much we love God, sometimes, that love finds it difficult to be present when we have been hurt, or hurt someone else. Looking around, we understand that terrible things happen each day. If we were to get really caught up in these activities, we might begin to wonder if anything we do makes any sense. When there are homeless persons, persons seeking food, families dividing, and borders raging, it is difficult for us to even have a place to start to make a difference. We literally can be paralyzed and become depressed. That's when we need to begin to listen. For us, the call of God to action begins by listening. Listening in prayer and responding. We must be sure not to overwhelm our senses with "things." The noise of this world is loud, but the still small voice of a powerful God takes silence. It is listening to our heart. It is taking time to cry. It is about being still. If we find it difficult to listen, then we must learn to keep asking God to help us hear and see clearly what our call is and to give us the strength to live out what it is that God is asking of us. Then we will discover that our faithfulness to a small task is the most healing response to the challenges of our time. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." ~ Matthew 6:9 - 13 Healing can take place in many ways. The wounds that we experience in our life can remain for many years, even until the time we die. Often my conversations with those who are wandering through the valley of the shadow of death, are filled with the experiences of wilderness moments; when the wounds are named and are finally brought to light.
Healing is often more about surrendering than fighting. While I've seen people who have been hurt use the experience to make changes through the anger created, there is also vulnerability in the process. So often when someone is wounded, it takes the telling of the story of how the wound was encountered, in order to come out of the experience changed. It's through the process that the person can be healed. When talking about healing, our woundedness, and how we move beyond, I am reminded that we must surrender our preoccupations and invite God to travel with us. Even when we wander in the wilderness, one foot in front of the other, while believing that manna will fall, and rocks will spring water, we are being met by a God that heals us of our wounds, even at the hour of our death. I often find that during Lent I am reminded that Jesus' woundeness provided the way for us to be healed. By walking with us, Jesus knows of the wildnerness experience, and how our need for healing and wholeness is something we seek always. Through our own vulnerability, we invite that same Jesus to see our own need for healing. "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done," is our invitation to come out of that wildnerness experience, and into the a place where healing can and does take place. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. ~Matthew 5:10 - 12 One of the things that we must realize is that Christ calls us to be different. We really don't have to look any further than the Beatitudes. For those that he was speaking to, he is not telling them to abandon their faith tradition, instead, he is asking the crowd to see the brilliance, the promises, and the expectations preached by the very first prophets. He literally is taking people back to their roots, while hoping to dispel anxiety and find those who seem to be lost. As I look around I realize that many of us could have found ourselves on the mount that day, so hungry for the assuredness of faith if not the constraints of religion. We want to draw closer to God, even if it seems to pull us farther away from what has brought us comfort. During Lent, as we seek to enter a period of self-examination and meditation, for some it may seem to be a real struggle. Placing things into perspective, both in a spiritual sense, and a way of life. It's as if we want God to speak to us in ways that help us make sense of a secularized, fast-paced, and often, isolating world. While we want to alleviate the suffering of complete strangers, we struggle to see one another as brothers and sisters. So much of what we seek during Lent is purpose in our lives. This desire takes us further than just wanting to promote good in the world, while recognizing our inability to find a cure for the senseless acts of violence that exist in the world. As difficult as it may seem, there is hope. We must remember that Christ did enter the world so that we may have access to God, and an example, so that when we enter times of deep reflection we may believe that things can be different. Blessed are you, for you are in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives believing in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" ~ John 11:25 - 26 Knowing that you are going to die changes you. It's the reality that we will all encounter one day. Every person I meet as a hospice chaplain knows that about themselves. It is something that we talk openly about, and rarely do we speak of it in terms that we often have used to describe it, "passing away," "going to be with Jesus," "going to heaven," or the infamous, "entering eternal rest." No, often what I hear is, "I am dying, I am going to die."
Even Jesus asks that a cup pass from him. Scripture struggles to identify the cup as death. While on the cross, as Jesus cries out words of abandonement, then comes "It is finished," Jesus does not declare that "I am dying." Our own mortality involves the encounter with death, and the faith that eternity will step in and rescue us as we take our last breath. In our case, and as often shared in faith communities, our last breath in this life will be met by heaven as we take our next. So often as I prepare to share the broken body of Christ and His blood poured out with others through the eucharist, I remind those present, "For as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we remember Christ's life, death, and resurrection, and that one day we shall see Him face to face." It is a reality that our journey must encounter death. The valley of the shadow of death where we are taught that we should not be afraid, that truly frightens us, is where so many of my daily conversations find themselves. I'd like to say that I have the perfect words to provide comfort during these conversations. There are times when I leave the bedside trying to convince myself that my own faith will sustain me when I enter that same valley. It's as if Lent has been created as a time each year that passes in our life to prepare us for this very encounter. To recognize that chapters end, and eternity approaches. To be able to say, "It is well with my soul," and to know that the hands of God will still hold me as I let go. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and God's grace in me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was in me. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:10 Years ago the writer and singer John Gorka wrote a song in which he proclaimed, "Life is full of disappointments, and I am full of life."
At the time when I first heard these words I was experiencing many difficulties. It always amazes me how words from a song can take me back to a moment, or situation, and when it does, there are feelings that can see to reappear. Henri Nouwen, before writing his book, "Return of the Prodigal Son," studied the painting by Rembrandt for years before gathering the words to convey to others what the painting made him think and feel. I am often reminded that we are connected in many ways. We watch a movie and a row of viewers cry at the same moment. A symphony discovers the rest at the same moment in a piece, and the room is completely silent. A man hangs on a cross and cries out, "Why have you abandoned me," and generations of people gasp at the thought that God would leave any of us. I realize as I become older that our lives are filled with shared experiences. At some point each of us will know what loss feels like. Our ability to laugh, sing, and to dance is our response to life together, like the Kansas wheat field reacts to the wind, as waves dip and rise on a summer's day in response. I have to admit that Lent seems to take me to a new place in my spiritual journey each year. While I remember the life and journey of Christ, I realize that He is finding a deeper place in me. Places that when touched are like the words to a song from long ago, or the first time I encountered love, anger, disappointment, abandonement, or forgiveness. It is the reminder to me that for all the things that I have experienced in my life, the greatest of these is met by the grace of God that reminds me that I belong to God, and for that reason, I can continue on my journey. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 "The greatest of these is love." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:13 "I can't help but look at him and still feel just as passionate about him as I did when I was fifteen years old," the woman told me as she looked at her husband of sixty-three years as he no longer knows her name and can barely walk.
One thing I always ask about when I meet a couple for the first time is how they met. Guess what, it doesn't matter how long they have been together, they can generally remember how and where they met, and as I like to put it, "Who chased after whom?" That will generally bring about a smile, or cause folks who might be in the room to move closer to the edge of their seats. We all fall in love with someone or something in our lives. It's as much of us as the mud we were formed from. I can't even begin to speculate what the love of God completely feels like because even we seem to discover limits, even when it comes to love, but not God. Eternal love from God, for us, seems to be limited to eternity. However, Jesus asks that we simply, "Love one another." God focuses on the everlasting. The "happily ever after," begins with the love that God has for each of us is realized. Our ability to embrace unconditional love for one another begins when we look beyond our mortality, and begin to understand that while we may be mortal, even we are mortals on an eternal journey with Christ as our guide. The Kingdom of God is at hand, and the eternal message begins with love! Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan...
~ Mark 1:13 Jesus purposely went into the desert. During his journey he encountered many things. Besides the obvious desire for water, and food, I do have to wonder what his loneliness must have been like. For many of us, this intentional journey into the desert would be something we couldn't do. Within the confines of our own self, there are many desires. I don't know how many of us have the desire to be alone, fast for 40 days, and step out into an area that we knew nothing about and alone. We know that Christ was not alone. God was very real and present, however, there was another encounter that scripture speaks of. He comes face to face with Satan. I'm one of those Christians that does not like to even justify Satan's involvement in anything. When someone tells me that Satan made them do it, or that Satan somehow caused an event to happen, I shy away from the idea that Satan has that much power. To admit this evil power is to relinquish the power that God has over things. Now don't get me wrong, I do believe that real evil exists in this world. I do believe that we can be the victim of poor choices made by others, or the plans to do harm. Those do exist. However, we have a God who is always present. That remains true. Remember in Psalm 23, the writer shares that even as any of us "walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we shall not fear... for God is with us." Christ's encounter with Satan was all about temptation. Now temptation is something we all know about. For any of us, since we were very young, we have learned about manipulation, and what to say or do to effect the outcome of any given situation. So it is with temptation. Let's face it, the works of Christ was very public, and after all, the Son of God would certainly attract someone like Satan, just as there were those, even while Christ was dying on the cross, yelled to him to "Come down from there." All of Satan's temptations for Christ in the desert were about having power and seeking ways to benefit himself. But yet, even as Satan asks Christ to:
With each offer, Jesus says, "No." For me, these temptations aren't relevant to Christ. Of course he was hungry, but Satan is dealing with a man who just told a crowd on the side of a mountain that "blessed" are those who are humble. He went on to share with the crowd that "blessed" are those who are poor in spirit. And finally, "blessed" are those who seek peace. In this confrontation, what I realize is that Christ is being a complete mirror of who God is, and what God is for each of us. When we reflect upon the words that Jesus shared on a mountainside, we are provided with a reflection of the face of Christ. It paints a picture of a person who seeks to love. To be all loving. In the face of temptation, Christ is all that he asked us to become. To be meek. To be humble. To seek peace. We are to seek justice and peace while embracing mercy. The temptation of Christ is an invitation for each of us to become more like Christ, who was the complete embodiment of dust and the Divine! As we continue our Lenten journey, may we come to see that the way of Christ is our way. It is our way of becoming who God desires each of us to become. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn't overcome it.
~ John 1:5 One of the struggles that we face is when we realize just how much darkness that there is in the world. I don't really ever remember being afraid of the dark. Most children when they're growing up will have a night light, or will ask to keep a hallway light on, so that whatever might be in the dark can be illuminated. Jesus tells us that HE is the light. That not only is Jesus the Light, but is the Light of the World. One of the things that I enjoy is going out to the Bay and just sitting. Galveston Bay has so many sounds at night. The occasional moan of a ship as it passes another in the Houston Ship Channel. Every now and then a bird announces it's arrival, and the ebb and flow of waves reaching the shore, and surrendering their power to the land. There are all kinds of objects that lie along the shore. Oh, there are shells, pieces of seaweed, and the occasional jelly fish you must watch for, but then there are unnatural things as well. Man made items that have been carelessly thrown away that also wash upon the shore. For me, it doesn't matter if there is light or darkness along the shoreline, it always seems to be a place where I find peace, and whatever darkness that may be in my life, seems to be overcome by light that dwells within. They say that the flame of a small candle can give light to an entire room. I wish that the same could be said about our ability to dissolve darkness or dark times in our lives. If the darkness cannot overcome the light, then why do bad things happen to good people? There are some things that just happen. We don't always know the intentions of others, and because of that, sometimes the darkness seems to have established itself, and seems to hold firm. The truth is, the light will never be overcome. Ever! For any of us, sitting within the darkness of the night, we know that within hours the sun will rise in the east, and that all things will clearly be seen and known. I must continue to trust in that truth, and continue to believe that God's light will prevail, and that this darkness that I am experiencing is a dark period, and not complete darkness. Praying that we all discover ways to clearly walk in the light, and share that light with others. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 "But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul." ~ Deutoronomy 4:29
Whether we realize it or not, we are all seeking something. There is something about our humanness that always seems to leave us searching and seeking. We were created by God to do God's will, but we always seem to find that God's will does not always align with ours. I used to tell people that yelling at children is like steering your car with the horn. I have to wonder if God ever feels that way with us? Signs, plans, discoveries, and making goals are all things that as a human being we consider to be pretty normal. And then something happens and it ALL must change. I don't know why we are surprised when we place our trust in human beings rather than God and things do not turn out as we have hoped. I've learned through my own experiences that when this happens, God still has a plan. Maybe it wasn't what you had thought would be the outcome, but with God there is always a plan. Instead of looking at what happened, look at what God has in store for you. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 After this, Jesus, knowing[a] that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. ~ John 19:28 - 30 Have you ever noticed that when Jesus says, "It is finished," that he isn't necessarily talking about himself?
I think for many of us we miss that important detail. Obviously those folks that were standing in the shadow of the cross, witnessing his death, and recording his final words, didn't recognize that he was simply referring to a chapter. For some, hearing those words can bring about many thoughts. I was listening to someone share with me recently that he felt as if God was "done with me." It was an overpowering feeling that he had because of some things that had occurred in his life. "Everyone else in my life is done with me. I just assumed God was, too." What if Jesus' final words was him crying out, "It is beginning!" For a society that is scared to death to talk about dying, or to recognize that death is the welcoming of eternity, our understanding of dying might look much different if we truly saw it as a new beginning. The physical death that Jesus experienced is an image that we all struggle to understand, although with the world's current environment, we seem to have daily illustrations that demonstrate what humanity is capable of unleashing on one another. Jesus, as he prays in the garden, asks that "this cup pass from me." (Matthew 26:39) The cup is the reality of the death that he will soon experience, and the events that were about to unfold. It is about an ending. On any given day in my ministry, I may encounter the words, "it is finished," while holding on to the reality that no one is saying, "I am finished." As I have shared before, we are Ecclesiastical people filled with many chapters, that contain both beginnings and endings. All of which, are very important. I'm grateful that Jesus didn't declare, "I am finished!" His words remind us that at no time are any of us completely finished, and that God is never finished with us! Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” ~ Matthew 11:28- 30 "I am exhausted," I shared. The look of surprise came over my friend's face.
"I thought you never get tired," she said to me. "Oh, I don't, I go straight to being exhausted." It's about right, too, I realize. I can't even imagine how exhausting Jesus' life must have been. While the human Jesus walked dusty roads with the disciples, encountering all types of people and situations, the God of all creation was still caring for an entire universe. We tend to only focus on Jesus during his time on earth, but we need to remember that God was still reaching out and caring for the entire world. It's the reminder to me just how amazing God truly is. While I may be hoping to simply make it through the week, while making plans for the nap I already need mid-week, I am reminded that God is already telling me, "Let me help you out." We all grow not just tired, but our souls are not immune to becoming weary. I realize that God really hasn't had a day off since day seven of creation. While I am starting my day feeling tired, I am already feeling God lifting me to a better place, by simply asking God for the strength and encouragement to get going. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 |
AuthorRev. G. Todd Williams is the author of the book, "Remember Me When..." and is a former hospice chaplain and pastor. Archives
February 2024
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