I've finished An Alter in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor. While I don't agree with many things she believes, it still was a mindful book about seeing God in everything and everywhere.
Here, in this excerpt, she talks about praying that bad things won't happen to her and giving thanks for the semi-bad things. "While I pray daily to be delivered from the most awful things that can happen to human beings-land mines, wasting illness, killing poverty, civil wars-I give thanks for even the semi-terrible things that have happened to me, since they have shown me what is really real. They have made me tell the truth. They have quashed all my illusions of control, leaving me with no alternative but to receive my life as an unmitigated gift."
Over the weekend we traveled to visit my husband's mother. While there, I talked a lot with my sister-in-law who is struggling with breast cancer. I noticed a difference in her that wasn't there BC (before cancer). She is much more real now and more intense. I've always liked her but really like her now. She even said that this horrible experience has made the unimportant fall away. And it showed in our conversation. We didn't waste time on fluff but immediately talked about what was on our hearts. I liked that.
4 comments:
I agree, no one wishes the "bad" stuff, but I do believe God uses it in a very big way in our lives. It's what he uses to change and mold us - as well as his love.
I like this! I agree. It's often difficult to get to the deeper parts of our savored relationships.
I agree with you about Altar in the World. Some of it didn't resonate with me, either. I did like her way with words and her sharing of her journey. I always like THAT! I have the book by my bed and I must admit that after I finished it, I sort of forgot about it. I'll flip through it again now. I find some hope here when you say, "I like her better now" about your sister in law. Isn't that amazing that we are still morphing into who our Savior wishes for us to be? Such sweet soul carving ... whew.
I've always like Barbara Taylor Brown--perhaps it helps that we're both Episcopalians and fairly ecumenical. The chapter in An Altar in the World that stayed with me was the one in which she discusses pain and suffering--which might be the one you refer to. Just something she wrote about how primal things get when you're really, really sick and it's hard to think about anything outside of your pain.
Anyway, I do agree that one of her gifts is urging us to practice a kind of mindfulness--which is hard for me, here with my head in the clouds most of the time!
frances
If we are His, everything that happens to us is filtered through His hand of Love....and He uses them to mold us into His image.....
What love He has for us....
I have enjoyed browsing your blog and reading all your interesting posts. I'll definitely be back....
Hugs and Blessings
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