Birthday Wishes
I am grateful for those who are sending me birthday wishes/greetings over on Facebook. Truly grateful.
I expect my birthday will be like every other Wednesday. I will go to work. I will come home. I will feed and love on the cats (Scotty and Jamocha). I will reply to e-mails and surf the Web. And I will go to bed.
But a new friend caught me up short today when she sent me early greetings and asked me: "What would be the best birthday gift you could receive this year?" It didn't take seconds to know my answer. I would wish for either of these:
(1) An abililty to pray -- and deeply feel connected -- with a God/Spirit I felt was listening.
(2) An ability to believe what Elizabeth Kaeton [aka TELP] periodically tells me: that I am beloved by God beyond my wildest imagining.
If I could have either of those, I could live and die happy.
Mind you, I am an Episcopalian -- not a wackadoo charismatic. I don't expect God to come sweeping into my house, blowing all the papers off the desk and rearranging the furniture. I know that God will probably speak to me as he always has in the past: in a small but passionate voice.
That's all I want for my birthday and for my future. Just a connection with that small, passionate voice of God. Just the assurance that I truly am beloved of God.
I expect my birthday will be like every other Wednesday. I will go to work. I will come home. I will feed and love on the cats (Scotty and Jamocha). I will reply to e-mails and surf the Web. And I will go to bed.
But a new friend caught me up short today when she sent me early greetings and asked me: "What would be the best birthday gift you could receive this year?" It didn't take seconds to know my answer. I would wish for either of these:
(1) An abililty to pray -- and deeply feel connected -- with a God/Spirit I felt was listening.
(2) An ability to believe what Elizabeth Kaeton [aka TELP] periodically tells me: that I am beloved by God beyond my wildest imagining.
If I could have either of those, I could live and die happy.
Mind you, I am an Episcopalian -- not a wackadoo charismatic. I don't expect God to come sweeping into my house, blowing all the papers off the desk and rearranging the furniture. I know that God will probably speak to me as he always has in the past: in a small but passionate voice.
That's all I want for my birthday and for my future. Just a connection with that small, passionate voice of God. Just the assurance that I truly am beloved of God.
posted by Lisa Fox at 1/14/2009 06:16:00 AM
25 Comments:
Lisa, God is and God does love you as do lots of us out here in the ether. Ignore those who would muck up that message.
And enjoy your birthday knowing that the ordinary day is God's way of letting us know we are ok in our day to day lives.
Dear Lisa,
You've already been given these gifts. Don't be afraid to open them! And though Paul can be a little hard to read sometimes, he did get it right when he talked about NOTHING being able to separate us from God's love.
P.S. Thanks for visiting my blog (The Bird Sanctuary). I appreciated your comment.
happy birthday
FWIW
jimB
Happy Birthday Lisa! I am thankful for your on-line presence and the wisdom you bring to all things Anglican. Have a great year!
Lisa, my own experiences in that realm are kind of like this:
Imagine a big swimming pool full of God's love. I pace the pool nervously, itching to jump in. Finally I run and cannonball in--no going back. Wow! It's exhilarating...but pretty saturating and intense...so I tend to go, "Woo hoo! That was fun...BUT I'M GETTING OUT NOW!"
Over time, I can stay in the pool a tiny bit longer, but it is NOT easy. The only thing I can tell you is...it's there. It's waiting for you...so just run down the concrete and throw yourself in, worry about getting out after you've done it!
Thanks, y'all.
Pseudo, my head knows that. And every now and then I have a deep sense of God's love. I just wish I could sense it continually -- or at least more often -- as some of the mystics and some of you friends in the blogosphere seem to.
BTW, I'm pondering some thoughts about holiday and holy day. We'll see if that turns into a blog post.
Greetings, my friend.
Host's Nest, that's an intriguing notion. In a way, I hear what you're saying. But if it's a gift I've already been given, why didn't God also give me hands that can open it? :(
I'm liking your blog.
Kirk, that's a great analogy, and I bet it works for a lot of people. But me? I can't even find the swimming pool most of the time. :(
Happy Birthday, Dear Lisa!!! And God is there, even when it's hard to hear/feel that.
Have you read "When God Is Silent" by Barbara Brown Taylor? You might find it of some solace. I think I read just about all of her books of sermons, plus When God Is Silent, when I was going through a time of feeling distanced from God.
Peace, friend, and many blessings for the coming year.
Thanks, Suzer.
No, I haven't. Thanks for the tip.
If God loves that miscreant, Kaeton (and I'm sure he does) then he certainly loves you, Lisa. Belated Happy Birthday greetings to you, my friend.
A belated but heartfelt Happy Birthday, Lisa!
What PseudoPiskie said.
((( Lisa )))
Belated happy birthday! ( I don't go into Facebook much because, to be honest, it all seems rather pointless, so I missed the day itself). I hope that you find what you are looking for.
(((Lisa)))
IT
Belated Happy Birthday wishes from me too! I hope you had a lovely day.
Lisa,
First, HB!!
Have you seen this yet?
Perhaps there's a lesson:
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2009/01/13/funny-pictures-finding-jesus/
(Sorry I don't know how to paste in a picture...)
--Susan
Happy belated birthday, Lisa. In my family, if the card is late, it must be from me.
Remember, some days the swimming pool finds us, and when it does... EEEEK!
((((hugs))))
Jeffri
Sorry I'm late--Hope you had a happy birthday!
Happy belated, Lisa: another Capricorn! (My bday is Sunday)
I want to bring this story, re TEC's relations to Sudan, to your attention (I know that's a focus of yours): http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/anglican_communion/episcopal_church_church_of_sud.html
Happy belated birthday! I have a good excuse for being late to the party -- catastrophic computer meltdown. Damn global warming!
My birthday is next month, but all I want is a new flash for my Canon Xsi. The God stuff will have to take care of itself.
MadPriest, you knocked my socks off! In this case, "You knocked my socks off" may be translated as: I am honored and humbled by your most generous comments. Thank you.
IT, I too am finding Facebook a bit overwhelming.
Heh, heh, heh, Susan. I, too, saw and loved that one at LolCats. I may have to post it.
Jeffri, I wish the swimming pool would find me! Too often, I feel like the stuttering, incoherent, inept person standing around Jesus.
Thank you for that link, JCF. I've now added my comment at The Lead.
And to all of you whom I didn't specifically "shout-out," I am truly grateful for your warm wishes. Times like this remind me why I love the blogosphere so much.
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