Today’s Reading:

Ezekiel 2:8-3:3
But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll,  which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe. And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.”

Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

 

I woke up this morning thinking, “How can it all possibly get done today?”  And I really am not sure how it shall!  So a few things give me my breath back this morning and bring me hope that all will be well in the world and things will happen.

Now, I know, most of you have all the time in the world and you know that all will happen today.  So if that is you…go ahead and skip reading these things right now and please hint the sarcasm in my voice when I say that you have never had this feeling.  I think we all get this feeling.  This feeling of tiredness before you get out of bed sometimes because its Thursday and the sermon isn’t written, the person in the hospital needs to be visited, the curriculum isn’t planned for that special training you said you would do, the garden isn’t perfect yet, the whatever isn’t made for that thing yet…that person needs to be called….those people have a meeting with you at 11, 2, 3, and 4 or just a couple more meetings today….you haven’t worked out yet or taken the dog for a walk or exercised your soul…there are many shoulds on the back burner and all of a sudden life seems packed and busy.

If you are in the same boat with me, and I suspect the majority of you are….here are some things that give me delight in the season and allow me to breath a bit….

First of all, I read scripture this morning and it made me smile.  Why?  All of Ezekial’s doings and shoulds and prophesying would have left anyone overwhelmed and bogged down and yet here is God saying, if you eat, I will give you sweet honey.  God said to eat the scroll, Ezekial ate, and the world seemed like a better place.  One task at a time and God provides sweet honey.  I smile because last night in the midst of craziness, I remembered that I had a ticket to go see Sweet Honey in the Rock and for a bit the world seemed to slow down and become like sweet viscous honey just dripping with poetry and sound and light and God. If you have never heard Sweet Honey in the Rock….well check this out…www.sweethoney.com.

In the back of my mind, I can say that I have been fed on lovely music full of God and that keeps me going on the to do list.

Then I opened up one of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver, as many of you know and this poem was the first that I saw….

Praying

It doesn’t have to be

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

 

a few words together and don’t try

to make them elaborate, this isn’t

a contest but a doorway

 

into thanks, and a silence in which

another may speak.

Isn’t that great?  I can use today as my prayer and know that there are others dealing with the same things.  So if you are feeling a little pressure this week, take a deep breath, take one foot in front of the other and find something that may inspire you to keep on…

peace,

Court