I continue my journey through Abide: Keeping Vigil with the Word of God by Macrina Wiederkehr, slowly but surely. For me it's a book that I take in little bites and chew and chew. And when I come back to it, I look back to where I was before I move on. This is likely the slowest I have moved in any devotional book, but it is made for such slow reflection. There is much to chew on.
I read Acts 9:1-19 about Paul's Damascus road experience. It was revelation, conversion and calling all rolled into one. As I read it and reflected, somehow this time I related more to Ananias. I could see Ananias struggling with his calling to go to this one who had been persecuting the followers of Jesus and bring healing to him. Much like Jonah being called to go to Nineveh, a place where he felt the people were undeserving. I don't know why this resonates... I guess there is more chewing to do and some unfolding and onion-layering to peel off to get deeper here.
Meanwhile, here are the thoughts from Macrina Wiederkehr that struck me as I read the devotional:
"A great turning happens in the human heart when we are summoned and we find ourselves leaning toward the voice that invites." (72) ["leaning toward the voice that invites" especially spoke to me.]
"The poet David Whyte suggests that when revelation dawns in your life, you can never hide your voice again. You become impelled to speak the truth revealed." (72) [hmmm....this is definitely a cause for pause and explains some things for me]
Jesus speaks to Paul on the road to Damascus saying: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." Macrina writes: "These are truth-telling words. Take them to your heart and listen deeply to the spaces between the words. These words suggest that Jesus identifies with us so completely that if we are wronged in any way, he is also wronged. Likewise if we do harm to any of his disciples, we are harming him." (73) ["listen deeply to the spaces between the words"-- that simply causes my soul to breathe]
"When we are meditating on the Word of God, we hear God's call somewhere in the spaces between the words. That is why pausing for reflection is so important." (73)
"The church is a bit like a big pot of soup. It needs to be stirred up once in a while or it will get stuck on the bottom." (73) [this made me smile/chuckle]
"So let's open our hearts again to God's call. Is there anything in you that needs to be stirred up so you can hear the call anew?" (73) [now she's meddling]
I don't know about you, but I often need to hear the call anew. I need things stirred up so that things that became stuck can become unstuck. I need to listen deeply to the space between the words. Revelation is dawning.
May you and I lean toward the voice that invites and not hide our voices.
Blessings on your journey,
Debra
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