A voice came from heaven,
“You are my Child, the Beloved;
with you I am well pleased.”
And the Spirit immediately drove him
out into the wilderness.
—Mark. 1.11-12
Birthed into a troubled world
that needs you,
honored with the burden
of glory that is not yours,
hearing the blessing from above
you have to retreat to hear it within.
The word drives you out
into solitude where you are only you,
beloved, and must free yourself
from being otherwise.
Only in the wilderness of your aloneness
can you become who you are—
there, and in the press of the world ‘s need.
Baptism is no get out of jail card.
It’s empowerment to go in
and set the prisoners free.
For this you will need your belovedness.
Go to where that’s all that matters
so you will have such blessing
that it overflows where it is needed.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
January 8, 2021