I’m sitting in a coffee shop in Dallas and for the first time in months, I’ve taken a deep breath and tried, in a few moments of sipping my coffee, to reflect on the past year. We’ve been navigating through a pandemic, the Great Freeze of Texas, injuries, loss of life, and isolation. Maybe it’s too soon to really have the right words, maybe I need another year to gain some objectivity. All I have right now is that last year was hard. But I don’t find that I want to say too much about that because It’s been hard for just about everyone.
I think what I’ve learned in seminary this year is how to navigate one’s own struggles while trying to remain present to others’. I think of migrating birds who create a wind break for those flying behind them, and how they switch out to give the lead birds a break. They are all leaders, taking their turns, working together to get to their destination. No one bird remains at the helm the entire trip. As future leaders of the church, I think it’s a good lesson to learn from, to not take the whole journey on ourselves, solely at the lead, but learn to be a community that works together, trading out when another grows tired. Then we can move through the elements that make the journey hard with greater ease. We’ll drop from the sky otherwise and the flock will continue on.
This hasn’t been a year of our best selves. Remaining spiritually grounded has been work. Like plowing the fields all day long kind of work. Friends and family have hurt each other, I’ve also hurt those I care for. I am praying for the grace we all need to pick back up and recognize that God lives in each of us, even if we don’t act like it.
I pray for a grace filled year ahead. A year where we get a break long enough to step back, pray and center ourselves in the Divine Light of Christ rather than our selves, and see each other with love, warts and all. Perhaps if I can practice this myself, we can do this for each other again. Perhaps we can be, together, the love we need to see in the world.
Magdalena's Musings 