Friday, August 20, 2010

Speaking the truth to myself


What do you do when worries assail you? When the darkness seems to be winning over light and hope?

Yesterday was just such a day. There are plenty of real and imagined problems in this circle of quiet...some are today's concerns, some are tomorrow's possibilities, and I am not doing a great job of remembering what is true. Why is truth so hard to grasp?





So last night I ventured out to water the yard. I breathed in lavender and rosemary, surveyed bolted lettuce, picked (and ate) tomatoes from the vine, and planned for fall plantings. I wondered about fruitless bean vines and over-planted beds resulting in chaos. I walked under the towering sunflower, saw the rising moon in the sky, and watched the canopy overhead change from blue to periwinkle to black. Somewhere in the midst of the sprinkler's spray, the mosquito's buzzing and the slurping of tomato juice, I found a moment's peace and could remember these words of timeless comfort:

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28

Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done,
in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.

The Lord's Prayer




The Truth doesn't take problems away; it didn't, in fact, help me sleep last night, but it is True. And truth matters.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, I know these things... they seem to assail me in the middle of the night more often than not. The Jesus Prayer and the Lord's prayer are often soothing friends. I find that listening to AFR live-streaming music during the day helps and the hymns will often stay in my mind through those difficult nights.

hugs

Allison said...

I know the feeling. I wrote about this a few months ago. Peace to you.

http://yimcatholic.blogspot.com/2010/05/because-i-worry.html

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