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| morning light at 215D |
It seems counter-intuitive.
"We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body" (2 Corinthians 4:10). This beautiful paradox of living in the mess and the beauty at the same time.
Paul writes, "But we have this treasure [the glory of the Spirit of God] in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7, emphasis mine).
I am the jar of clay. And somehow it is possible for this treasure to be within me. The mystery.
When Tozer prayed these words, I wonder if he realized the paradox:
Enlarge and purify the mansions of our souls,
that they may be fit habitations for Thy Spirit,
who does prefer before all temples the upright heart and pure.
[A.W. Tozer]
I have a Father who doesn't reject the pain, isn't repelled by my mess. He runs towards my heart, however upright or not it is. He enlarges my awareness of His love that dwells in the mansion of my soul, that weak vessel so desperately in need of Him.
The crazy thing is that Jesus came to dwell in the unfit habitation. He enters into our suffering, our brokenness. He opens my eyes to see the glory in the everyday, the unseen eternal.
To pray is to take notice of the wonder,
to regain a sense of the mystery that animates all beings,
the divine margin in all attainments.
Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living.
[Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel]
