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August 28, 2007

Waves of sand

Luke 13:10–17

When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

I had a dream a few weeks ago that has already served me a few times as a touchstone. In the dream, a young man is in a desert, and waves of sand are sweeping over him as if they were water. He has to stay upright and pay attention so he won’t be smothered.

What are my waves?

…. the thought of an overwhelming problem in the world or in the life of someone I love …. an impulsive idea that seems to need my immediate attention …. a tangled situation that I don’t know how to solve …..

In her sermon yesterday, our vicar pointed out that the bent-over woman doesn’t ask Jesus for healing. Jesus sees the woman and heals her, and now she’s able to straighten up. So that’s what she does.

And here I am, able to straighten up, after many episodes of Jesus’ healing in my life over the years. I’m not helpless when the waves come, so before acting, I’m trying consider whether maybe the idea is not quite as urgent and brilliant as it seems; maybe the problem I’m obsessing about is not actually mine to solve.

It will pass. Let it go.