… watching for the brushstrokes of God
“Many and varied are the interpretations dealing with the teachings and life of Jesus of Nazareth. But few of these interpretations deal with what the teachings and the life of Jesus have to say to those who stand, at a moment in human history, with their backs against the wall.” ~ Howard Thurman, Jesus and the disinherited
How does Jesus give hope and relief with the back against the wall?
“Whatever may be the tensions and the stresses of a particular day, there is always lurking close at hand the trailing beauty of forgotten joy or unremembered peace.” Howard Thurman
How do you pay attention to the “trailing beauty”?
“There is a quiet courage that comes from an inward spring of confidence in the meaning and significance of life. Such courage is an underground river, flowing far beneath the shifting events of one’s experience, keeping alive a thousand little springs of action.” ~ Howard Thurman
How does your inner spring bubble up?
“The hard thing when you get old is to keep your horizons open. The first part of your life everything is in front of you, all your potential and promise. But over the years, you make decisions; you carve yourself into a given shape. Then the challenge is to keep discovering the green growing edge.” ~ Howard Thurman
Where is your green edge?
“For many years, it has been the custom to leave a lighted lantern by the side of the road at night to cheer the weary traveler. Beside the lantern, there is a note which gives detailed directions as to where his cottage may be found so that in case of distress or need, the stranger may find help. It is a very simple gesture of beauty and wholeness.” ~ Howard Thurman, Meditations of the Heart
In your own way, do you keep a lantern burning by the roadside with a note saying where you may be found “just in case”?
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.
~ Howard Thurman
What is your first step?
With the Eyes of the Heart 