Fret not...

Today is Sabbath time for me - both Rabbi Heschel and Eugene Peterson have taught me how essential it is to rest and not fret on my Sabbath - a time for renewing my body and soul while trusting that the One Who is Holy is really in charge. It is a humble time... and now that the sun is out and the snow is gone, I am heading back outside to rake and get the garden ready for a new season of growing and beauty. Made me think of this moving version of Yusuf Islam's reworked old/new song, "Peace Train."

Sabbath time also feels like this poem by John Fox entitled, "When Someone Deeply Listens to You."

When someone deeply listens to you

it is like holding out a dented cup

you've had since childhood

and watching it fill up with

cold, fresh water.

When it balances on top fo the brim,

you are understood.

When it overflows and touches your skin,

you are loved.

When someone deeply listens to you,

the room where you stay

starts a new life

and the place where you wrote

your first poem

begins to glow in your mind's eye.

It is as if gold has been discovered!

When someone deeply listens to you,

your bare feet are on the earth

and a beloved land that seemed distant

is now at home within you.

How does Psalm 37 go?

Fret not because of the wicked: or envy those who do evil.

For they will soon dry up like the grass;

whither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord and do good;

then you shall dwell in the land

and find safe pasture.

Find your delight in the Lord;

and the Lord will share with you your heart's desire.

Commit your life to the Lord;

put your trust in the One who is Holy

so that the justice of your cause

will break forth as the light

and your acts of compassion like the sun at noon.

Be still and wait for the Lord in patience...

Fret not. Sounds like a plan...