Susan LaffertySeasoned servant. Leaving, after spending many years in the dark city by the river. Her parting advice to one of our colleagues is borne out of long experience in the spiritual battle.
Those insightful words reach my ears at a retreat in the Himalayas.
One phrase sticks in my heart. And comes to mind, from time to time.
“Do you want to seem holy? Or be holy?”
In days of distress and disgrace, a written message arrives. From the enemy.
Dire threats. Mocking words. Blasphemy.
And Hezekiah goes to the temple. Spreading out the letter of his adversary before the Lord.
This king’s response informs my praying. For the persecuted. Those suffering greatly today. In the face of opposition to the gospel.
On Day 5 of covid19, my sense of taste and smell quietly leave. Unnoticed at first. In the onslaught of fever and fatigue.
Now, it’s six months later.
They haven’t fully returned.
This loss heightens my awareness of God’s design. Complex and purposeful.
In the body and the Body.
