Through Suffering
No matter how often it happened, Simon could never get used to the heavy cloud of blood, sweat, and body odor that wafted up from the men carrying their crosses. He wasn’t even supposed to be there that day, walking home from the market when the morbid procession had caught him up in its clutches. And when a guard called him from the crowd, pointing with his bloody whip to a collapsed man, a thorny crown pressed into his skull, cross slicked with his blood, Simon’s heart sank.
In Meekness
He just took it. The misuse of power…the calculated baiting…the mockery. When they tried to trick him into a self-damning confession, he said nothing. When the system of justice proved once and for all to be broken irrevocably, he let them take him. When Peter saved himself rather than his friend, he knew it. And when Pilate washed his hands of fortitude, he braced his shoulders and turned towards the cross.
In Vigil
Sitting on the floor outside her hospital room, the three girls whispered, afraid to disturb the patient. Listening to each noisy breath, they whispered so voices would not obscure any new sound. When the breathing faltered, their whispers ceased. When breathing resumed, their breath came out in a collective sigh. The waiting felt unbearable, as if each minute had a mind of its own and was determined to make its own time.
In Faith
The first rule of spiritual formation makes more sense now – God has always been working…is still working…and will continue to work…no matter what. He knows where I’m headed, he knows how he’ll get me there…just as surely as the disciples found the room and prepared the Passover meal. The question is, do I believe it?
In Generosity
“I’m nervous about you reading my writing.” The girl looked over, eyes cautiously, carefully communicating that the risk felt big, but she was taking it anyway. For the sake of deepening relationship and pushing against her own felt barriers, the risk felt worth it to her. She wanted to keep going further, and she wanted to do it together.
Inside the Story
Exploring various methods of prayer, I was introduced to something called imaginative prayer. Praying through the Gospels in this fashion, I’ve discovered a lot about myself. Using our imagination, we envision the story in real time. For example, I’ve imagined myself as Peter standing around the fires while Jesus was on trial. Betraying Jesus in my mind’s eye, I felt what Peter could have felt—but they were my emotions. I betrayed him and collapsed weeping. But that story does not end there.
