Need

For you have been my helper, and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice. ~ Psalm 63:7

Dear People of St. Peters,

Grace and peace to you. Today I offer you this Blessing by author Kate Bowler, “Blessing for keeping your heart soft” in her book, The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days.

Blessed are you who see it all now. The terrible, beautiful truth that our world, our lives seem irreparably broken. And you can’t unsee it. The hungry kid. The exhausted mom. The woman who wonders if any of this is worth it. The loneliness and despair.

Blessed are you who glimpse reality and don’t turn away. This kind of seeing comes at a steep cost, and it is a cost you may not have paid intentionally, but here you are. Seeing things clearly. 

Blessed are you who have worked hard to keep your heart soft. You who live with courage, fixing what is in your reach, praying about what is not, and loving, still.

May you experience deeper capacity and glimpses of hope, as you continue to see the world as it is. Terrible. Beautiful. Fragile. 

Last Sunday, we heard how Jesus desires to gather Israel like a mother hen gathers her chicks, to protect them. This week’s psalmist proclaims that he will rejoice under the shadow of God’s wing. In times of trouble, it is human to retreat. We fail to recognize our need for one another and for God. That does not mean we need one another or God any less. 

As you see the world as it is–terrible, beautiful, fragile, do not turn away. Do not retreat. Reach out to one another and to God. God eagerly awaits you.