Ache

My soul aches.  Life is more painful than I often acknowledge.  There is far more at stake than I care to admit.  The important things often take second place to the pressing.  When life strikes, sadness overwhelms the soul.  I find myself recalling the important people in my life.  I remember the moments where love and relationship were in full blossom.  I pray they remember to, at least occasionally. 
 
In a brief moment, an important member of the family slept.  It was unanticipated.  Nobody was prepared.  The urgency of things needed done took precedence over all else, rightly so.  I wonder why we often travel unprepared.  There is fragility in every life.  Uncertainty is a familiar friend to those that are strong as well as those that are weak.  When tragedy strikes, it is as if we find ourselves facing what we could never imagine.  Yet it is real.  It hurts.  It does not leave or let us rest.
 
In these moments, I find myself turning to the values and priorities I hold most dear.  I never want to let go of God’s promise made so long ago; “Likewise I, God, will comfort Zion, comfort all her mounds of ruins.  I'll transform her dead ground into Eden, her moonscape into the garden of God, a place filled with exuberance and laughter, thankful voices and melodic songs.”  (Isaiah 51.3)  I know the Spirit is willing to touch your life and mine.  I am confident God is in love.  I can see the evidence, yet my heart aches.
 
I find myself wanting to push the ache away and yet it helps me live.  It is good to know what is at stake.  It is good to realize how precious God gifts of family and relationship are.  Everything comes into focus with my ache.  As painful as it is, I know there is more.  Compassion is more powerful than death.  Selfless love transcends the grave.  Families only grow.
 
Today is for remember, treasuring, and living.  We can nurture God’s gardens.  Each is a treasure, a Divine work in progress.