Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18 I was just on the phone with the daughter of one of my patients and she shared with me, "You know, I just struggle to be joyful in all of these situations," and then laughed. She followed up by saying, "I would have been that person in the corner telling Paul to mind his own business."
Let's face it, we all have learned we can be happy or unhappy in all circumstances! I know that I am sure of this because if I were honest with myself, I have been! I have encountered discouragement and joyfulness in situations of poverty as well as when I have experienced abundance, and in success, as well as, failure. The difference is never based on what the situation is, but always seems to come back to my own state of mind or how my heart "felt," about the situation. When I realized that I was walking with God, I generally find that I encounter happiness and peacefulness. When I get wrapped up in my own problems, complaints and emotional needs, well, that is when I can't seem to discover the joy that could still be present. I totally understand where the woman is coming from. We have all, "been there, done that." In order for us to live a life filled with more joy, sometimes it means that we must come face to face with our own understanding of where we are arriving in both our heart and mind when the situation presents itself. Maybe it's when we recognize our own self in the situation that we can finally begin to allow joy to come in? No matter what our situation, we can always count on God. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020
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"But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD" ~ Jeremiah 30:17 The hardest part for me with all the social distancing and pandemic restrictions is my ability to feel really "present," with others, especially when it comes to holding the hands of my patients.
Years ago when I was serving my first church, I remember visiting a member of our congregation in the nursing home. She had suffered a series of falls and needed encouragement. As we sat and talked, I asked her about "how she was feeling," when she was falling or about to fall. She looked at me directly in the eyes and said, "I fall because then I know someone will pick me up. It's the only time that someone holds me." I just remember the silence in the room after hearing these words, and then suddenly realizing just how lonely she actually was. She reflected on how few people actually, "touched," her, and that she missed being "hugged." Her pain was real, and I just thought of the lengths she had gone to in order to receive attention and the missing touch that she needed. We hugged and both cried together. I learned such an important lesson that day. Upon returning to the church I remember calling a few close friends of the woman and we organized a calendar where we would take turns going to the facility and making sure that she was "hugged," and supported. She didn't fall again. Touch is the wordless word that speaks to us. I remember years ago as a child sitting in church and watching my dad direct the choir. In the row behind me sat three older women who would often take turns touching the curls on my head, and patting my back. I don't remember their faces, but I remember their touch, and how I somehow knew that they cared deeply for me. So many of these moments give more life to us than words. A friend's hand holding ours, someone wipes the tear from our eyes, the soft kiss on our forehead. All these moments are sacred. In many ways they reassure, restore, reconcile, offer forgiveness and most of all, are often healing. I think of the woman who struggled to get to Jesus to be healed, touching his garment, and suddenly Jesus notes the "power" that had "left him." She is healed by a simple touch of a garment. Everyone who touched Jesus and everyone whom Jesus touched were healed. When we are touched by someone, who doesn't need a response, then I begin to understand what the incarnate love of God is. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020 “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.” ~ Isaiah 49:16 We are at the beginning of another month where we find that many people are separating and isolating themselves more during a pandemic that, for many, doesn't seem to have a end in sight. Unlike the days when my children would ask, "Are we there yet?" on road trips, we don't really know where we are destined, or what life will be like.
For many, it is causing anxiety, and for even more, there is a sense of grief that is becoming all too familiar. It is a paralyzing sense of separation that seems to be at the heart of human suffering. We can take a lot of physical and even mental pain when we know that it truly makes us part of the life we live together in this world. However, when we feel cut off from one another, we quickly lose heart. It's an interesting thing about pain and suffering and how it seems to connect us. We all are beginning to understand our common human struggle. The question is, are we up for the daunting task before us? None of us are passive bystanders. For a virus that doesn't care who it infects, our pains are no longer just our own. This morning as my calendar reminded me of a concert I was to attend this evening, and then noting that it was cancelled a month ago, I find that I am beginning to struggle to remember what, "life was like." At this point, all I seem to remember of the recent past was that we all seemed to be very busy, that everything seemed to be very urgent, and that we could hardly get it all done. What we were doing we have forgotten. In many ways, this demonstrates just how isolated we have become. The past no longer carries us to the future; it simply leaves us worried, without any promise that things will be any different any time soon. I am reminded that we must be careful not to compromise ourselves and grab for anything that seems to offer satisfaction. I have spoken with friends who have "relapsed," into something that they "once struggled with," in hopes to find release for the tension that they are experiencing or to find some kind of temporary feeling of what "once was." As I shared with someone recently, "Not knowing what tomorrow will bring is nothing new. It's just that we seem to be feeling more alone right now about what life will bring, and that's where we struggle. We are all grieving together." More than ever we have the need for one another. For things like hope, assurance, and peace of mind. All of these things continue to be present. We just have to be more intentional about where we look for them. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done." ~ Luke 22:42 This morning I was reading a prayer written by Charles de Foucauld, a trappist monk who was martyred in 1916. He had lived his early life as a cavalry soldier, and later became a Catholic priest. He would often live as a hermit for large periods of time. One of the prayers that he wrote begins with these words:
"Father, I abandon myself into your hands, do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you; I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures. I wish no more than this, O Lord." As Jesus prays in the garden, he shares these words, "Not my will, but your will be done," and then while on the cross he "surrenders," his spirit to God. I know that we are invited each day to lift these words. To "empty" ourselves, and welcome God to somehow come in and lead us. It is something that I must remember. It must be an intentional act of "letting go," and somehow, "letting God." It is not natural for us to want to surrender, but allowing the God who created us to be present and leading, takes an act of intentionality for most of us. While I am not always focused on this, I have tried to at least include this as part of a daily devotion. In many ways, surrendering the day ahead to the will of God invites many things, but most of all, serves as a place where I can seem to begin anew. I try to realize the words of de Foucauld. The Spirit of Jesus given to us can help us pray it and grow to its fulfillment. Our inner peace depends on our willingness to make this prayer our own. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020 |
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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