Warm and cozy

Sunday, February 4, 2024

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Warm and cozy

Miles and Jasper spent the night with us. But before that we jumped in the whirlpool, which was pretty hot! Then we moved back and forth between the big cold pool and the small hot pool, until our bodies felt good. Warm and cozy, Miles said, like his bed under the covers at night.

Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.

The last couple nights have been less restful for me. My blood sugar’s too high, and the meds I’m taking at the moment are “pee” pills, at least that’s what I call them. I’m waking up a lot.

Jesus approached Simon’s mother-in-law, grasped her hand, and helped her up. The fever left her and she waited on them.

Now it’s Sunday, and we’ll spend the morning at church with our friends, hearing a good sermon and singing along with the worship band. These Sundays nourish our spirits, remind us of how close God is to us, and most important to me today, offer workarounds for the pain, fear and restlessness I feel when I’m sick.

Rising very early before dawn, Jesus left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.

And not only at dawn, but over and over in the middle of the night I remember how close God is. If I felt stronger I’d be less careful with what I eat and drink, and less available to breathing deep and praying the Jesus Prayer in the darkness. I might even stay asleep all night, when I need those moments with God that come easier in the dark.

His disciples looked and finally found Jesus praying. “Everyone is looking for you,” they said.

The young messiah probably slept through the night. But when he awoke he prayed as long as he could.

Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose I have come.

Much will happen to hurt Jesus, and it won’t be long. I think of the long life I’ve lived, and then wonder what will happen next. Jesus wants to teach each of us to love God and love the people on earth along with us.

Job learned this lesson. He learned it slowly and under great duress.

If in bed I say, “When shall I arise? Then the night drags on, and I am filled with restlessness until the dawn. My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope. My life is like the wind.

The stories continue, Job’s story, my story and yours. Every day I get to choose who and how to love.

Do not hesitate to love and to love deeply. You might be afraid of the pain that deep love can cause. When those you love deeply reject you, leave you, or die, your heart will be broken. But that should not hold you back from loving deeply. The pain that comes from deep love makes your love even more fruitful. It is like a plow that breaks the ground to allow the seed to take root and grow into a strong plant. Every time you experience the pain of rejection, absence, or death, you are faced with a choice. You can become bitter and decide not to love again, or you can stand straight in your pain and let the soil on which you stand become richer and more able to give life to new seeds. – Henri J. M. Nouwen

(Job 7, Psalm 147, 1 Corinthians 9, Matthew 8, Mark 1)

(posted at www.davesandel.net)

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