Joy that defies

Tuesday in the First Week of Lent
The Feast of St. Matthias

Restore us, O God of hosts

show the light of your countenance, 

and we shall be saved.

Psalm 80:3

I am arrested by the boy’s appearance in the window. He has his face pressed up against the glass, as if he would push himself through just to prove he can defy the laws of physics. His eyes shine with playfulness, and his entire body radiates joy that cannot be contained.

“Look,” I say to my daughter who is walking beside me as we pass the childcare room at the sports facility. She sees the boy and laughs, and for a moment the three of us are caught up in a dance of delight.

His exuberance remains with me; I recall his expression later in the day and again my heart lifts.

His is the face of God, shining on me and the universe, daring me to defy those forces that would hold me back from fully encountering the mercy and welcome and restoration that God pours out with abundance. Immeasurable. Incomprehensible. Inexhaustible.




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