God’s steadfast love endures forever - May 23

Today’s Readings:  Psalm 136; Num. 11:16-17,24-29; Eph. 2:11-22; Matt. 7:28-8:4

I saw this meme recently: “I told my suitcases that there will be no vacation this year. Now I am dealing with emotional baggage.”

Emotional baggage. Why do we carry around hurts that drag us down and plague our dreams? Are we setting ourselves up for being breathless from lugging our burdens from place to place? I wonder…is a reason we persistently tote emotional baggage because our lives are entwined in the stories around them? The tales of our lived experiences, whether joy-filled or painful, define the points along the line of our existence. Ignoring an event which causes us heartache does not make it go away.

However, we can work toward reconciliation, figuring out how to incorporate our wounds in a way that fits with our plans for continued living. This is a daily process done with God’s help, and sometimes with the guidance of professionals. What are we to do when the previously reconciled baggage keeps tripping us up – especially in a pandemic? Even when we have good structures in place for coping with what (and who) ails us, we get tired and overloaded. Parts of our history overwhelm us, like waves welling up and crashing down. Pain flares up again. Our defenses are down. We lash out. We lapse. We lose the solid footing beneath us.

How can we shore up our foundation, when so much around us feels tenuous? I cannot answer for every aspect for life; I can raise one avenue to ponder. Psalm 136 has a message repeated in every verse: God’s steadfast love endures forever. In spite of every aspect of the painful history of the Israelites, God’s steadfast love endures forever. The same is for your story and mine: God’s steadfast love and mercy endure. No matter what. Let that repetition create a sense of spiritual grounding and calm in your life today.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

  • What emotional baggage is bothering you most today?

  • What image or word helps you reconnect to yourself, God, and others?

Daily Challenge

Practice a mode of centering that brings you grounding: meditative breathing or prayer, going for a walk, playing music, reflecting on scripture or written note with a message like, “I love you!”. Then, inwardly digest that you are worthy, and God’s steadfast love for you endures forever.

Katherine Harper