ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
January 18, 2022
For a couple of weeks now, I have been playing around with a verse of scripture – Psalm 25:1. It reads: I offer my life to you, LORD. The author of the Psalm continues, acknowledging the vulnerability present whenever a person offers oneself to someone else. When I am meeting with a couple in advance of a marriage ceremony, I spend time talking about vulnerability. Whenever a person takes a risk in love, there is a real danger of being hurt. It is not vulnerability without risk, yet there is amazing beauty whenever the vulnerability is received with love and respect. In my own marriage, I can become complacent and a bit indifferent to the gift my spouse is giving, the gift of herself. I think it might be the Spirit occasionally knocking me upside the head, awakening me to the risk she continues to take in love. In those moments, there is nothing more humbling or breath-taking to have another human being say, “Here is my life and I trust you with it.” The author of the Psalm is saying something similar before God, but it is followed by some hints of anxiousness. But in most relationships, especially right at the beginning, there is a bit of uneasiness in saying, “Here I am, and I am going to trust the love you offer.”
Lord of Love, I am continuing to work on what it means to trust you; to follow you; to give my life for the sake of your Kin(g)dom. Be patient and encouraging as I learn how your unwavering love can be trusted in all things. Amen.
