January 8

As the Deer

                  As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, “Where is your God?”                                 Psalm 42:1-3

M Scott Peck begins his book, The Road Less Travelled, with this simple phrase, “Life is difficult.”  He goes on to explain that once we realize that life is difficult…once we stop being so surprised that our days are filled with challenges and struggles, we can move into using our energy to solve those challenges instead of wondering what we did wrong that resulted in us not having our perfect life.

Life is hard.  Life is tiring.  Making it through each day leaves our bodies sore, our minds racing and our souls dry.  It is true today.  It was true thousands of years ago when the psalmist wrote this verse.  If the rigors of this life leave you crying at night, you are not alone.  If the strain of caring for all the physical, emotional and social needs of your child leave you drained and there is no end in sight, you are not alone.  People have asked me to turn out for a march for Autism Awareness to which I will often respond, “No thank you.  I am already keenly aware of autism.”  In reality, I cannot imagine adding something else into our day and bringing my son to a new place with lots of loud and stimulating people to do an activity that he does not like so that we can talk with strangers.  I know that isolates us, but that is where we are at.

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.         

Psalm 42:5-6

        

Our lives are difficult, not because we have done something wrong or earned God’s wrath but because that is the truth of life.  It is hard.  For the righteous and the sinners, the old and the young, the healthy and the infirm, life is hard.  What we have going for us as believers is that we have a refuge…a place to turn when we are overwhelmed.  We can approach God, our Creator who embodies both Infinite Power and Extreme Intimacy.  We can collapse in His arms and confess that this life is too much for us.  Believe it or not, that confession comes as more of a shock to us than it does to Him for we were not created to go through this life alone and independent.  We were crafted to be in relationship with Him and live in dependence on Him.  That is where our hope lies.  That is where our strength and creativity and compassion and resilience springs from.  We need not overcome all the challenges that life throws at us in order to prove to God that we deserve His respect.  Instead we are to turn to Him and receive His love and affection so that we can navigate the perils of this life together.  Life is difficult but we are on a journey with One who is stronger.

A moment to reflect:

What is your soul thirsty for?  What do you need to hear God speak to you?

Refrigerator Art of the Day:

D age 13