the smoking bush
in india, there is a saying: if a bush is burning then it will disappear quickly. if the bush is smoking, then it will stay warm for a long time.
sunday: yesterday, we sang a song at church with the words, "Here i am Lord, is it i Lord... i will go Lord, if You lead me. i will hold Your people in my heart." during the song, the powerpoint flashes images of people from other countries, illuminated by their flags. i knew what was coming as clearly as a moviegoer knows what will happen in a scary movie when a noise is heard outside and the girl goes by herself to investigate. but there before me quicker than anticipated, waved a flag of orange, green and white panels with a flowering wheel in its middle and i started crying.
tonight: i ate dinner with some acquaintances that i hope will become friends over the long run. we ate food from their indian culture: curried cauliflower and potato, daal, tandoori chicken, papadums and rice, while we discussed our spiritual pilgrimages and discovered a likemindedness of spiritual expression and experience. their lives are in transition as i feel will always mark my life. the husband shared stories of smoking bushes, friends whose spiritual curiosity is piqued and i left with such a sense of elation, encouragement and refreshment as happens rarely from keen conversations of the unseen things. my body smiled in the car on the way home.
i love that God sees us and knows how and when to meet our unspoken needs, the ones we think were such temporary moments that He nor anyone around us might have noticed. this life and the path i'm on is a bowl of ingredients, things like chopped parsnips, beets and cinnamon, brussel sprouts, things that i can't perceive what they will taste like in the end. all combined together, fused into one dish they will be unlike any ever concocted before. and i long for a bite- an exquisite bite where it all comes together. but for now, i acknowledge the smoking of these ingredients, that will in the end give a greater depth of richness and flavor as can only happen when the ingredients are roasted first.
sunday: yesterday, we sang a song at church with the words, "Here i am Lord, is it i Lord... i will go Lord, if You lead me. i will hold Your people in my heart." during the song, the powerpoint flashes images of people from other countries, illuminated by their flags. i knew what was coming as clearly as a moviegoer knows what will happen in a scary movie when a noise is heard outside and the girl goes by herself to investigate. but there before me quicker than anticipated, waved a flag of orange, green and white panels with a flowering wheel in its middle and i started crying.
tonight: i ate dinner with some acquaintances that i hope will become friends over the long run. we ate food from their indian culture: curried cauliflower and potato, daal, tandoori chicken, papadums and rice, while we discussed our spiritual pilgrimages and discovered a likemindedness of spiritual expression and experience. their lives are in transition as i feel will always mark my life. the husband shared stories of smoking bushes, friends whose spiritual curiosity is piqued and i left with such a sense of elation, encouragement and refreshment as happens rarely from keen conversations of the unseen things. my body smiled in the car on the way home.
i love that God sees us and knows how and when to meet our unspoken needs, the ones we think were such temporary moments that He nor anyone around us might have noticed. this life and the path i'm on is a bowl of ingredients, things like chopped parsnips, beets and cinnamon, brussel sprouts, things that i can't perceive what they will taste like in the end. all combined together, fused into one dish they will be unlike any ever concocted before. and i long for a bite- an exquisite bite where it all comes together. but for now, i acknowledge the smoking of these ingredients, that will in the end give a greater depth of richness and flavor as can only happen when the ingredients are roasted first.
posted by annelies at 9:50 PM
1 Comments:
Beautiful analogy of the bowl of ingredients coming together to make what might be unclear now but will be unlike anything ever concocted! I love this very accurate sentiment.
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