June 28, 2009
“I come to you now, in this time, seeking solace, guidance and discernment.” I begin my quiet time today.
I find the word solace frequenting my mind and in ways a feeling of my heart. This is a desire of the heart coming to mind. Not vice versa. Heart to mind. I don’t even know where the term is coming from, as it is not one which I use frequently, yet I sense truth with intrigue as I examine its meaning further.
I think of peace and comfort when I think “Solace”. A quiet serenity emanating from within—goodness per say. I sat on the front porch this week performing my morning ritual: pajamas, coffee, bible, fresh air and sunshine all upon the gentle sway of the aged porch swing. Solace. “Mornin’. How are ya?” I ask the towering black man who passes with a bounce in his step. “How are you?” he says with a bit more than a garnish of surprise in his voice. “I am well,” I reply as my chest rises and lowers as if a breath of peace in the breeze comes into my lungs. “What does that mean?” the man, still a bit puzzled as to why I even spoke to him inquires. “Great; Peaceful.” He begins to question what I am doing, saying that I am not good, but “Blessed”. I agree. His gospel-like dialect continues to emerge as he continues down his line of questioning: “What are you reading?” acknowledging the “book” on my lap. He comes to find that it is in fact my bible and not just a book then gently smiles, “And that is why you said hello.” He continues on his way, same bounce in his step, “God bless you.” “You too.”
Why it is that these times seem few and far between? These simple moments in which one can only arrive upon or within when “the stars are aligned”. Sometimes we miss them because we are too busy to truly live them. That in itself is a sad statement, but one in which we can all find a disheartening truth. Honestly, when do I find this gift upon me? Most frequently with a cup of coffee in-hand, milling through the world, quietly challenging its constant tribulations with a book close by. I find solace is there. But, why? How?
In these times, I stop and offer nothing. Nada.
Oftentimes I find myself wandering, wandering and searching for so much more than this entertainment-enriched, “anything-and-everything is possible” world. All I want is quiet; all I desire is peace. Sound familiar?
No television, no busyness, no flashy glimmer and glitz—
it isn’t even peace, but solace that my heart is seeking.
For in the solace, peace ensues. The word brims to the surface again.
Solace that I seek—what is that? It is something I am coming to find I will always seek and truly all of our hearts’ desire. Solace. 1. Comfort at a time of sadness, grief or disappointment 2. Somebody or something that provides comfort in times of sadness, grief or disappointment. Synonyms: comfort, consolation, support, relief, succor. Antonym: aggravation (Encarta.com).
Has someone died; has tragedy struck and reconciliation needed? Family problems? Tough day, week or year(s) at work? No? Yes? Yes. We are desperately crying out for Solace. Someone or something that provides comfort. Desperately.
We are not ok. Even if all the pieces seem to be coming together, there is a piece missing; things are looking good for the future and the family is healthy, but the question looms: When is the next storm coming? Should I batter down the hatches and be ready for the worst or is it just a few scattered showers? Hard to say…the weatherman is only right approximately forty percent of the time yet we tune in every night to check in. Maybe even a few times throughout the day as well. Forty percent. We rely on the 40%. Now wonder we need solace. Our rest and comfort, our plans rely on the 40% that the man with the map tells us every evening?
No matter how sunny it may seem outside the window at this moment or how warm the sun’s rays feel as you bask, there is a raging storm pounding on our windows. The Middle East, the economic downturn, the consistent bills arriving daily. The questionable job market, the ever-changing needs and desires of your family, the food on the table, the roof over your head. This is the world in which we live. Teenage pregnancy, broken families, abuse, neglect, miseducation, malnutrition—the number impoverished of lives that continue to rise. The storm is raging.
But it’s sunny outside; the weather is great, perfect for boating and summertime cookouts. Is there Hope? A break in the storm? Solace, Truth, Sonshine? Do not be ignorant, yet yes, never lose Hope.
Our sadness lies in uncertainty, our disappointment in broken relationships and hopes for this world and our lives that have come to pass yet not materialize. Yet there is something, someone who provides comfort in times of sadness, grief or disappointment. Someone who gives graciously: relief, consolation and succor. We don’t have to wait for the “stars to align” or a miracle to take place. Funny how we skeptically, yet anxiously await such events; they have come to pass. We no longer need to wait, but embrace the miracle and look to the star and follow as many have before us.
Follow to where? Solace. A quiet peace where true goodness lies. No glitz, no glamour, just a family. Parents and a child—an environment seeping with the overwhelming simplicity of true love.
What we seek we elude in the chase.
Don’t we see—we all have this deep-seeded desire for rest; Enough is Enough. It is Freedom from exertion, aggravation that we want! We are only free when we can sit as we are—wholly accepted and loved, just as a small child. One the most needy living beings in the world, yet loved and adored and utterly provided for. Completely vulnerable and completely supported. We are the children of God. We are the small children in complete need, vulnerable and crying out for more than we know, but need to humbly accept the nurture of a loving parent. Even Jesus as a child needed cared for and God gave him to Mary and Joseph to do so. Even the Son of God, God himself in human form needed. He needed loving parents to take care of him, to provide for him. So why is it that we are too strong, too busy, even too “good” for the loving support…relief—solace of our loving father?
Where does your trust lie? Have you found solace?
He wants to give it to you:
in the sun,
the coffee shop,
your home,
at the beach,
even your workplace.
He is here offering more. More than we can handle. All we have to do is seek it and accept it each day.
Listen to what He tells us:
I have to come…So that your Joy may be complete, to heal the brokenhearted, bring the dead to life…to tell you to stop; eat, for I am the Bread of Life. You never need to go hungry again. True nourishment.
Each day it is a brave act of abandonment, but one we so desperately need.
Let go of the place you have built here that you can embrace as solace, yet will mourn as it fades away. For one day we may come upon the truth that his “yoke is easy and his burden is light”. Slow and steady as the animals plow the field, solace demands time and surrender. It is within his yoke, his solace He desires us to live, and we desire to truly live, eternally. And behind the yoke, in its wake, all is changed. Together, everything changes. Just as a field is transformed, so too is our world.
“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Can you imagine?
Cover and comfort from the storm. The threatening storm soon becomes the soothing rhythm upon the sturdy roof under which we rest well. Every day. Every night. Let us begin. Let us live in solace.
