Thin Places

Description

I’m inviting us to look for thin places, those tender moments when the spiritual and natural draw close and we glimpse the seamlessness between them. Life carries its share of worries and tribulation, yet in the midst of it we receive visitations of mercy. “So instead of death, there is life, and instead of night, there is morning.” I read that again today because it rings true. I saw it while visiting family in Pittsburgh, in a memorial we held for a dear friend, and in the quiet when we stopped and simply took a breath. Elizabeth Barrett Browning said it so beautifully: “Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; but only he who sees, takes off his shoes. The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries and daub their natural faces unaware.” Let’s practice seeing. Heaven’s nearer than we think, and peace rises when we pay attention, give thanks, and let God turn our mornings toward love and use.