full of grace

Do not fight to expel the darkness from the chamber of your soul

Open a tiny aperture for the light to enter

And the darkness will disappear

St Porphyrios

______________________________________

I cannot tell you how often I have heard it

In ranch kitchens

In hospital rooms

Everywhere

Everywhere

“I only hope

  I only hope

“That I have lived a good enough life”

Good enough?

For what?

Regard?  Respect?  Worth? Love?

Good enough to be worthy of God’s love?

It seems we cannot escape that hideous belief

That we must earn our place with God

That we can earn our place with God

It is wrong on so many counts

This merit based theology

This dogged belief that drives us into such awful places

Those fearful

Driven

Judgmental

Protective places

It shuts down our hearts

And drives us to our minds

It drives us out of our minds

But the truth is this!

We do not need to earn God’s love, its given

A gift

It just is

For me, you, everyone

Yes!

That person over there who drinks too much

That person struggling with opioids

That person who was born Gay, or Lesbian, or Transgender

That person who lies, who is dishonest

That person who has made mistakes

That aged and fearful one

That young and arrogant one

God’s love is there

It may not always be accepted, or lived out

But it is there

And of course, the idea that we could ever measure up is

Well

Foolish

Not going to happen!

Oh there are moments

But there are also moments

(you know what I mean)

All we can do

All we need to do

It turn toward the light

Turn toward the One

Turn toward the One who Comes

And welcome

Embrace

Accept

Open

Say it how you will

All we need to do is let the mystery flow to us

Flow into us

(often through the cracks and fissures in our soul)

And chase out the darkness

Chase out those things, that make us

Fearful, and hateful

All we need to do is become

Grace full

And that perhaps, is the easiest, and most difficult task of all