The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
As we prepare for Thanksgiving this week, I am reminded of this portion of scripture from the book of Job. The whole passage reads, “He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
It’s easy to be thankful for the good things of our lives. Our life itself, our health, our family and friends, our church – and most of all – our salvation through Jesus Christ. Those are easy to say “thank you” to the Lord at the time of gathering for grace before the meal.
This year, however, I am saying “Thank you” for the parts of life he has taken away. The empty parts where people are missing from the table. The lonely parts where life’s interior aches even though surrounded by people. The hard parts, where health isn’t so good and the future is unclear. The things the Lord has taken away from life can certainly be difficult. But it was all His to begin with. Naked I came into the world. I came here with nothing. Everything I have, He has provided in some fashion.
There is a wonderful prayer from St Ignatius of Loyola which I pray each day.
“Take oh Lord all of my liberty, my memory, my intellect and will. All that I have and all that I possess, you have given to me. I surrender it all to you to be disposed of according to your will. Grant me only your love and your grace. With these, I will be rich enough and desire nothing more.”
That last line is the hardest. To desire nothing more. To let go and not try to find something to fill the voids. To just let His love and grace be enough. But sometimes that is hard to feel, hard to perceive, hard to wrap my arms around. Until I am quiet, and settled, and still. Then I sense it. I sense the greater life which awaits us all. I sense the unknown, unseen reality which is just beyond us. I don’t know what it is in a way I can understand and perceive. It is like C.S. Lewis once wrote – it is about longing, which “are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited”
This year, I give thanks. For all of it. For all the Lord has given. And for all the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord.
Comments
One response
Amen.