Limping to God
I come to you, God, weather-beaten
for all the times I have failed to
be
faithful and attentive to all
those around me, especially
the elderly who have run the race,
the poor, the lonely and abandoned,
who need my care and concern.
Is there any hope for these
old bones? What will it take
to change my limp into a surge
of energy and a ready step?
Teach me to become more caring,
more responsive, more aware.
Give me eyes to see and the will
to act on my good intentions.
Water my dried up spirit and shriveled
body, expand my shrunken heart.
Give me eyes to see what you
are leading me to do even as my
bones
creak and my legs become unsteady.
Make me remember that I am here
to serve, to listen, to be ready
to be your hands and feet today.
Barbara Mayer, OSB
Beautiful
ReplyDeleteDear Sister Barbara, may I suggest that there is no way that your spirit is "dried up". Yes, our bones creak and our legs may become unsteady, but that is only the body. It is "the earthen vessel" in which we carry "this treasure." The "treasure", (2 Cor. 4:7) our whole person has potential for growth and development up until our last breath. Our society talks about aging (really, aging in our later years since we age (change) from the moment of conception) as circumscribed by loss and decline. That is how we define senesence, which is different from aging. My prayer is that you recognize the ongoing growth of your personhood every single morning when you, like every othe living creature wakes up one day older. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteAmen!
ReplyDelete