It is good that we take stock once in a while as we review our relationships, especially the hurt ones in our families. One of the things we prayed for on Pentecost Sunday was the mending of relationships and the peace that can and will, eventually, follow. Today’s verse is from Psalm 62 verse 7 which says, “My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.” Many times the Psalmists refer to places of refuge, and especially rocks as fortresses and shelter and safety. When our relationships are “shaky” or where there is guilt or feelings that we need to make things right, we are not at peace. When we are in safe places, it is easier to cope with the exigencies of life that we can then throw off without getting emotionally involved and stressed.
My family has recently been torn apart by issues with a younger sister who is no longer able to live by herself at home. There are only three of us sisters left. One has done yeoman’s work as Power of Attorney. I have done the praying, the counseling, and a lot of the worrying. It is time now to resolve issues which have made the past four months so very difficult. Today my sister to whom I own a bucketload of thanks is visiting me for a few hours. There will be tears, hugs, and hopefully a look forward to better days ahead. While she is traveling, at last the third sister’s home will be sold, the final (we can only hope) bills will be paid, and we can find some peace after an extremely stressful time.
Once again, Susan Larson’s desk calendar called Blessings for Every Day has just the right advice for me as I begin May 21srt. I trust she will not prosecute me for once again quoting her wise words. “May God overwhelm you with grace to forgive those who’ve hurt you , to forgive yourself for hurting others, and to release the outcomes into His hands. May He give you the peace to walk forward, surrounded by His mercy and held up by His love. May you look forward expectantly with hope and anticipation because God has the wisdom and the power to make things right. He redeems, restores, and makes all things new.”
This is the prayer today–that we can put all the troubles, the tensions, the errors, the worries, the disgust, the anger, the hurt feelings, the sleepless nights, the frustrations, and the tensions of the last several months and resolve to leave it all behind us as a mere “tempest in a teapot” as Grandma used to say, and now live in the sure knowledge that things have worked out for the benefit of all and that we’ve learned through our sorrows and guilt and have made sound decisions based on God’s sure guidance. I know that’s a long sentence, but the journey has been long and hard, and perhaps we have reached our safe and sure refuge as we face days ahead. Mostly, we are sure that God’s peace can once again find us in His sure hands, His place of refuge and strength, for He is mighty to save
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