NACR Daily Meditation for Friday, Feb 22, 2008

[NACR Daily Meditation]

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NACR Daily Meditation for Friday, Feb 22, 2008

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Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though
the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no
sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the
Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.Habakkuk 3:17-18


Sometimes it feels like life is the experience of loss upon loss. There
are times when losses are all we can see. We are like this farmer taking
inventory. The figs, the grapes, the olive crop, and the wheat are all lost.
The sheep and the cattle are gone. There is nothing left, and nothing to
hope for. In times like this we are in danger of believing that fear and
sorrow are our only companions.


If the inventory of our lives stopped here, then all would be lost. We would
be without hope. But there is more to the story of our lives than our inventory
of losses can ever show. We can return again to the hope that God is bigger
than all of the losses of life. No matter how long our inventory of losses
may be, we can find in God a peace and hope that reshapes our struggle.
The losses do not magically disappear. But, when we turn our hearts toward
God, we know again that there is more to our life story than losses. We
do not want the bottom line of our life's story to read "this was a
person who experienced many losses". As each day we turn our hearts
again to God, we are writing a life story that will end with "though
the losses were painful, this was a person who found deep joy in God's love."


Lord, my losses are many.
Help me not to pretend about them.
Help me to grieve, Lord. 
But help me as well to turn my heart toward you.
Even as I grieve, 
help me to find
joy in you.
Amen.


Copyright 1991 Dale and Juanita Ryan 
 
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