Salt Spray
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An eastern wind blew against my face as I walked on the beach today. My glasses quickly covered with salt spray and I couldn’t see the markers that usually determine the length of my walk. I was cold and huddled inside my jacket, trying to draw breath against the wind. And all the time I knew when I turned around and retraced my steps, that same wind would propel me home. What was once an adversary would become my propeller, making the walk easier and swifter. Thank you, God, for showing me that even in adversity I can take comfort in your presence. On the other side of every painful event there is the joy of your presence. May the crises of my life give me an opportunity to grown in faith and spirit. May I pass through hard times and emerge more swift and refreshed in my walk with you. Amen.Related Post
Planting PansiesPlanting Pansies
I planted a flat of pansies today, eager for spring’s splash of color in my heard. The island consists entirely of sand and oyster shells, so maintaining soil is difficult. I try to add topsoil, but it filters through the sand and vanishes. I must work at growing flowers on the island, digging, replenishing, fertilizing and watering.
I planted a flat of pansies today, eager for spring’s splash of color in my heard. The island consists entirely of sand and oyster shells, so maintaining soil is difficult. I try to add topsoil, but it filters through the sand and vanishes. I must work at growing flowers on the island, digging, replenishing, fertilizing and watering.My religious life is like that too. I can’t take for granted that an occasional watering or spading or fertilizing will suffice; I need to work at my faith, keeping it weeded and tended. Too often I assume the seeds of faith planted as a child should be enough to last me all my life, but that’s not good enough. Please forgive me, Father, when I neglect my garden of faith; help me to be a more faithful, diligent, and joyful gardener.
Breath of GodBreath of God
Prayer about the Holy Spirit
Dear Heavenly Father, as a child I was afraid of suffocating. My older sister would come up behind me, covering my nose and mouth with her hands, watching me squirm and squeal. I was a reluctant swimmer, cautious about putting my head under water, always fearful I’d drown. Even now, I get panicky when I have a head cold, lying awake, monitoring my breathing.
What about those suffering from COVID-19 and the symptoms they may experience?. Problems with breathing, loss of oxygen in their blood, and the need for supplementary oxygen. Some even undergo intubation so a ventilator can breathe for them. How terrifying it must be to lose the very breath of life!
Lord, You have given us a ventilator that infuses us with Your breath–the Holy Spirit. This is Your true presence, filling us with Your purpose and love. In Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was a rush of wind, inflating the souls of the disciples, giving them the gifts of language to speak Christ’s message. I crave that same spiritual fulfillment so I too can speak more effectively of Your love. Now, more than ever, I am gasping for Your presence—fearful, weak, alone.
I recognize , Lord, there are those suffering from a spiritual virus. They may choose to wear symbolic masks of doubt and rejection, closing themselves to Your life-affirming Spirit. Some experience spiritual hypo-ventilation, the failure to breathe in the breath of God. Reluctant to accept the gift of God’s inspiration, choosing to live lives apart from God, they never appreciate Your gifts of love and hope, Your promise of salvation.
During these crucial times, Lord, we need Your Holy Spirit more than ever. Just as virus patients may require supplementary assistance in breathing, we too need the support and the vitality Your breath provides. Because we can’t gather to reinforce one another’s faith, it is more important than ever we seek Your supply of the Holy Spirit. Studying the Bible, especially verses like the 23rd Psalm, provide comfort, linking us with the Holy Spirit. Connecting with one another by whatever means possible provides the spiritual ‘oxygen’ our souls require. And most of all, prayer is the ‘ventilator’ of spiritual connection. When we pray, deeply and honestly, we can find an infusion of Your spirit, giving us the strength and courage to carry on, no matter how overwhelmed we may feel.
This is the time to inhale deeply, to fill ourselves with Your blessed Spirit.
I remember the lines of one of my favorite hymns:
“Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew
that I may love what thou dost love, and do what thou wouldst do.”
I began my walk this morning when a neighbor waved to me. She is going through a very difficult time; she confessed that her life seems without value and meaning. As we walked and talked, I could feel her despair and pain. It would be wonderful to think my words or my company “cured” her, but I know that’s not the case. The causes of her difficulties, the problems themselves, still exist. However, I do believe that God can use a simple, random meeting for His good. What may seem random can be purposeful, intentional in God’s plan. In an email later that afternoon, my friend talked about our shared time. She walked on feeling less alone, feeling she had shared pain but experienced a healing, feeling God’s touch upon her, even during a quiet walk. Each of us is on a walk, O Lord, a walk that sometimes is slowed by pain, by grief, by doubts. Help us find your chosen companions on these walks, and help us to be just such a companion to others.