Friday Devotional:

Psalm 31:9-16



A terrible loneliness settled over my father as he lay dying. It broke my heart, and I ached for him to know that he was not alone. Holding his hand, I prayed with him, inviting him to imagine an overwhelming love hovering over his bed, a shimmering presence whispering, "I will never leave you, for you are mine." I wanted his heart to rest in the Great Love from whom we come, the Love to whom we go.

Dad was... and is ... what we all are, Love's own children. Created by the God who is Love, we are fashioned to share loving unity with God, safe and home in the arms of an immense mercy.

Our nature is never clearer than when we are sick, afraid, alone, or in pain, and the light of love seems lost in the darkness. In the depth of need, we crave the Love who made us. In his suffering, Jesus, too, cried out in desolation, desperately wanting to feel the light of God's presence, the tenderness of the love Dad and I shared, hand in hand.

Speak gently in my heart, O Lord, lest I forget that I am your beloved, now and forever. Amen.

An excerpt from Christ in Our Home

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