I begin a two-week sabbatical today... a gift of personal and spiritual renewal provided me by my SoHills' shepherds. The prayer I am praying as I enter this sabbatical is not that God would speak to me... don't get me wrong, I'd be thrilled if God did, and I trust He will do so if He sees fit. Rather, I want to be listening for what God is saying... and what perhaps I've not been hearing because of my pace or "busyness."I'd appreciate your prayers on my behalf. I'll see you in two weeks.
For the darkness of waiting,
of not knowing what is to come,
of staying ready and quiet and attentive,
we praise you, O God:
For the darkness and the light are both alike to you.
For the darkness of staying silent,
for the terror of having nothing to say,
and for the greater terror of needing to say nothing,
we praise you, O God.
For the darkness and the light are both alike to you.
For the darkness of loving,
in which it is safe to surrender, to let go of our self-protection,
and to stop holding back our desire,
we praise you, O God.
For the darkness and the light are both alike to you.
For the darkness of choosing,
when you give us the moment to speak, and act, and change,
and we cannot know what we have set in motion,
but we still have to take the risk,
we praise you, O God.
For the darkness and the light are both alike to you.
For the darkness of hoping
in a world which longs for you;
for the wrestling and the laboring of all creation
for wholeness and justice and freedom,
we praise you, O God.
For the darkness and the light are both alike to you.
From All Desires Known by Janet Morley
