March 15, 2022 (Lent Week 2)

 


Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.  From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. - Psalm 61:1-4

As we all know, life isn’t always easy. Sometimes there are hard things that happen, things don’t work out as planned, we feel crushed by the weight of worries and anxiety or what is going on in the world around us. We have all been there, I am sure. As I reflect on this passage, it brings be back to a simpler time in my life, at that time I would have told you it was the hardest time ever. I just turned 17 years old and was having to decide what to do after high school and navigate the troubles of small world around me. That year I took a school tour to parts of Europe for spring break and found myself in Venice Italy. There were people everywhere, speaking a language I didn’t understand, crowded market places, small, twisted alleyways and beautiful but overwhelming buildings and sites all around me. I had separated from the group as permitted for free time to explore. I am sure we were supposed to stick with small groups but what could I say, I can be a bit of a rebel and an introvert. I found myself some gelato and a spot in the sun by a fountain, it was a peace amongst the crowds. As I sat enjoying my ice cream a Sister came and sat next to me, donned in full habit and all, she too was enjoying some peace and gelato. We had a nice little conversation, I can’t tell you what we talked about at that moment, I just remember that everything around us disappeared and it was a moment of peace and rest. This has stayed with me through out the years. It was like God had taken me out of all the things that weighed on my young mind and out of the overwhelmingness of all that was around me at the time and lead me to “a rock that was higher than I”, or in this case a sunny spot by the fountain, and allowed me to take refuge in the shelter of his wings.

I still think of that moment when the world around me seems to be spinning out of control, or worry and anxiety of the unknown starts weighing on me, or as the psalm says, “when my heart is overwhelmed”.  I may not be able to go back that spot by that fountain right now, however I can find a mountain top, like the one in the picture above, a coulee path or just a quiet place and take refuge and shelter in our God.

 

- Eliza Wiederspick

 

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