After having heard that Lazarus was ill,
he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
—John 11.6
Maybe he knew he couldn’t keep his friend safe,
or protect even his loved ones from the reality of death.
Maybe he stayed to remind himself.
Sure enough, when he arrived, both sisters cried,
“If you’d been here Lazarus wouldn’t have died.”
But he would have. We all do.
Oh, how we want God to quell the germ,
deflect the bullet, guide the tires.
Life, a marble rolling safely down a track.
Instead, we pray that we be open
to the intimate presence of the Beloved
even in our trials and suffering.
Maybe the grace of God
is not a shield that protects us from all harm
but an energy that changes everything.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
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