Rough, weathered wood, unbending and hard as stone, blocks the brilliant light which once seemed so commonplace. It is dark and stifling inside. Is it possible to forget what a sunny day looked like, how refreshing the sun could be on my face?
Are those snatches of brilliance just a taunt, a mocking reminder of a light that is no more?
No.
Those faint glimmers, pushing their way through the cracks are reminders that the light cannot be contained. The darkness cannot win. The brilliance will return.
As Emily P. Freeman put it at the end of a recent edition of her The Next Right Thing podcast,
Life with God is an invitation to communion. The invitation is one to be together, so that being in God’s presence is part of your daily life and not just a nice idea.
All of this can be summarized in one of Jesus’ kindest invitations:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, let me teach you. Because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my burden I give you is light.” – Matthew 11, v 28-39
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
There is light. There is rest. There is grace.
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