Romans 12: 14-21

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. ¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Psalm 133

¹ How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!

² It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.

³ It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD ordained his blessing, life forevermore.

It is Thursday of the first full week of physical distancing, and I know that life has changed around us. Perhaps you have kids who are home from school for a second week in a row with nowhere to go, perhaps you are going a little bit stir crazy, perhaps tempers or anxiety sometimes gets the better of you.  I want to give the opportunity to pause and think about how we care for ourselves in this time, and how we might care for one another when we can’t be physically close.

A friendly reminder that you need to care for yourself, if you are an introvert take some time to read or watch TV or play a video game to recharge your batteries if you are locked in a house with others. If you are an extrovert, this time may be hard on your but reach out to friend through phone or skype, schedule times to get out of the house when weather permits. I do think that for several weeks our lives are going to be interrupted, so if you have to stay home try to schedule times to do things that are life giving.

Don’t obsess over the news or the stock market, I’m not saying not to stay informed but don’t spend your day looking at a screen which is giving you bad news all the time. I know there is grieving in this time about the way things are changed, and that is ok. If you are like me you have plans that were made and now have changed.

If only kindred could only live together in unity all the time or we could always live in harmony but have patience with one another. Nobody has lived through something like this for a long time.

A couple new notes: with the libraries closing we do have a couple opportunities at the church. If you need access to a computer, office space or wi-fi we can make one of our classrooms available for a workspace (Monday-Thursday). Please contact the office for availability. Also one of our library volunteers brought in a shelf of books that are from the public library for various age ranges which if you need reading material are available.

Grey Days

There was a time when the rain fell softly every day
When the cool dampness soaked beyond flesh and bone
And the cold water dimmed the fire of my soul
While the earth around me seemed to drink in the drops
Bursting forth into forests of deep green that blocked out the sun
I am a creature of the sun baked plains and the heat of summer
And the life in the forest made the air too heavy to breathe
Now I’ve returned to my natural habitat, to the place where I can thrive
Perhaps a place to hot and dry for many but it warms my bones
And in this place the fire of my soul was rekindled and burns brightly
Yet, on those grey days where the thunder rumbles and clouds collect
And the lightning flashes across the sky announcing the coming
Of the large grey drops that drench the earth and flood the plains
For a time I am returned to the dampness of that forested place
And the fire within sputters under the impact of the downpour
But in this place of dust and sun the rains last only for a time
Shortly to be replace by the arid heat and the drying wind
But without the grey days, without the chilling rain and cool wind
The life of the plains shrivels and dies and even the creatures of the sun
Need those times of being soaked soul, flesh and bone
To enjoy the life in the midst of the valley of the sun

Originally published: https://signoftherose.org/2016/12/05/grey-days/