Go – (in)courage

Too many times,
it is my first instinct:

Go.

Get somewhere else,
any place
other
than where I am
here and now.

For here is a kitchen
half-empty of food and
full of undone dishes,
this morning’s crumbs on the counter
and countless dinners to be made.

Now there are rooms
inhabited by people
who can’t always live up
to my impossible expectations.
Behind their faces echo hallways of
unanswered questions, walls of
uninvited pain. And
just around the corner lay
challenges I’m not sure
I can navigate
very well.

Perhaps it would be better
if I go.

This going isn’t
walking away.
(No.)
It’s a striving to
alter the moment.
It’s the suspicion
that a new and improved now
would be
shinier,
easier,
better.

The going I want to do is
a rejection of
what is,
a fear that
this here,
this now,
is somehow
beyond redemption.

But I must remember this:

To go
is to miss the
blessing of
this one life.

To go
is to be
somewhere else
instead of
here and now,
where God invites me to
stay, and
abide.

————————————–

Questions for reflection:

* Are there any parts of your life where you might be inclined to escape—even only mentally, emotionally, or spiritually?

* Where might God be nudging you towards being present during the realities of your day? How might you more steadily abide in Him during these moments?

* Where might He be encouraging you to recognize His hand (and, perhaps, even His blessing) in the midst of questions, pain, or other difficulties?

By: shadowwonder