Be strong and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord. Psalm 31:24
In the chill of the early morning, I wrap the sweater more tightly across my shoulders. The fickle March weather may bring snow again today. The coat rack in my hallway is overburdened with indecision. Heavy winter coats dare not give up their spot and the lighter jackets and sweaters vie for space insisting that we dare to dress for spring.
“What has made this winter difficult,” says a friend, “is that we could never commit.” I instantly resonate with her description. For months we have vacillated from bitter cold to unexpected balmy days to rain that washes the mountains clean of snow and then freezes roads into hazardous ways. I am wearied by the variability, having to adapt both outerwear and inner resolution again and again.
The wilderness is not tame. No path through it smoothly culminates in journey’s destination. Traversing it can be wearisome, even as I yearn for the solitude and insight it proffers. Even as I anticipate joy and renewal, strength and discipline, I wonder if I can hold fast to my purpose. To be prayerful. To continue to turn my heart toward God. To expect to find renewal along every corridor.
Is there more to do than wait for spring? Than wait for the Lord?
copyright © Anne E. Kitch 2013
