… watching for the brushstrokes of God
“Look well to the growing edge! … It is the extra breath from the exhausted lung, the one more thing to try when all else has failed, the upward reach of life when weariness closes in upon all endeavor. This is the basis of hope in moments of despair, the incentive to carry on when times are out of joint, the source of confidence when worlds crash and dreams whiten into ash. … Look well to the growing edge!” Howard Thurman
Where is your growing edge?
The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.” -Psalm 19:1
“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the wind longs to play with your hair.” Khalil Gibran
How do you receive the abundant beauty of creation?
“When the wonder of creation and our place in it are lost to us, it’s often because we’ve lost sight of our true role as creatures – we have tried to do too much, pretending to be in such control of things that we are indispensable. It’s a hedge against mortality.” Kathleen Norris
Where is your hedge?
“Death is part of a much greater and much deeper event, the fullness of which we cannot comprehend, but of which we know that it is a life-bringing event. . . . What seemed to be the end proved to be the beginning; what seemed to be a cause for fear proved to be a cause for courage; what seemed to be defeat proved to be victory; and what seemed to be the basis for despair proved to be the basis for hope. Suddenly a wall becomes a gate, and although we are not able to say with much clarity or precision what lies beyond the gate, the tone of all that we do and say on our way to the gate changes drastically.” Henri Nouwen
How does the gate change our perception of death?
“One of the greatest of spiritual attainments is the capacity to do nothing.” Dallas Willard
How do you know God’s embrace?
“Grief work is soul work. It requires courage to face the world as it is and not turn away, to not burrow into a hole of comfort and anesthetization. Grief deepens our connection with soul, taking us into territories of vulnerability, exposing the truth of our need for others in times of loss and suffering.” Francis Weller, The Wild Edge of Sorrow
With the Eyes of the Heart 