Saturday, June 20, 2009

Epistles

I have been back in Seattle for about four days now and I am starting to feel human again. Last weekend was wonderful in so many ways. I loved being a part of Kirsten and Colin's wedding, spending time in the wide open spaces of Alaska, and hanging out with my family. I am also grateful for lively conversations with good friends who love and challenge me. But it is wrenching to see people I love for such short amounts of time and traveling is exhausting.

Every time I open my Bible, I am amazed by how close I am to the end. When I started reading through, it seemed like it would take forever, but I only have about 100 pages to go.

Most recently, I have been reading through Paul's epistles. I never cared much for Paul before. I mostly associated him with rules, especially rules about women. I have been surprised on this reading to find him to be a kindred spirit. He works so hard and cares so much about the people he is writing to, I can't help but feel for him.

I first started sympathizing with Paul at the beginning of Romans when Paul said,
. . . every time I think of you in my prayers, which is practically all the time, I ask him to clear the way for me to come and see you. The longer this waiting goes on, the deeper the ache. I so want to be there to deliver God's gift in person and watch you grow stronger right before my eyes! (Romans 1:10-11)
It is so hard to be far from the ones we love. Of course, if the way had been clear for Paul to visit, he would not have written the letter and I would not be able to read it now.

I have been fortunate to be able to travel and live in many different places, but that also means that every time I go somewhere, I leave people I love behind. And so I too write to those I miss. Not scripture or formal epistles, but emails and cards, chats and text messages, and posts on this blog. You are in my thoughts and prayers and I hope that God will clear the way for me to come and see you soon.

3 comments:

  1. One of RantWoman's HUGE gratitudes right now is how much more connected I feel to other Friends and spiritual concerns now that I have discovered Quaker bloggers and Pendle Hill pamphlets online. It is not only the content of course but also the tools that help my computer read for me and enough skill and enthusiasm to use them all.

    Honestly, having this way of reading and turning questions over in private also makes me MUCH more grounded at those times when actually meeting Friends in person is, well, tiresome or difficult for some reason or another.

    Why mention all this with your post? RantWoman really appreciates shared journeys, but sharing the journey is easier when there is a contact in person element too. I hope whereever you are journeying, you know that connections that come apart due to distance can be renewed powerfully in the fullness of time.

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  2. Ashley,
    We are all blessed by the fact that you continue to choose to love rather than closing yourself off. This is maturity, and character, and a blessing to all that you meet.

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  3. I miss "epistles" in the sense of snail mail, however. For me to take the time to write a loving letter to a friend and then know that my friend will take the time to sit down and read it feels like a deeper connection than anything I can toss off via computer.

    Perhaps I should have been born long before I was. LOL

    Cath

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