wisdom – Page 65 – Broken Believers

Almighty Father

“Almighty Father, Son and Holy Ghost, eternal and ever blessed gracious God; to me the least of saints, to me allow that I should keep a door in paradise. That I may keep the smallest door, the furthermost, the darkest, coldest door, the door which is the least used, the stiffest door. If it so be but in thine house, O God, if so be that I can see thy glory even afar, and hear thy voice, O God, and know that I am with thee, thee O God.”

A Prayer of St. Columba, 521-597 AD

Bryan’s Note

We must travel some distance, before something like this will cling to our hearts. Columba’s journey to the presence of Jesus most certainly gave him a perspective that enabled him to pray with this intensity and this humility. We cannot dissuade ourselves of his effort and his overwhelming desire to be near Him. We can only watch, and mark the zeal which took his heart and soul into the burning presence of His presence. Columba becomes a guide of what is possible and what is to be sought. We must become (if we are in pursuit) a people radically changed by the reality of His presence.

Into the Mud

We all need Jesus terribly. A few of us have come to this conclusion based on God’s Word. We have discovered that we have been negligent, and very much confused. We have unplugged ourselves from the truth, and wandered into the maze of this world, stumbling in the dark.

Things are so distorted, that life has lost both purpose and meaning. We come to the point where light has lost its distinctiveness and the shadows have become magnified. A flood of confusion has made its way to truth’s walls.

As mentally ill people, operating from that viewpoint we are just as vulnerable as anyone else to deception. If we open our hearts to everything life brings, we discover our vulnerability. We are quite capable of disbelief. Our psychiatrist and therapist will very often create issues and conflicts. I respect their gifts and insights. But sometimes they can be stumbling blocks to real freedom.

But we have been called to the mud. At first we clean ourselves from our prolonged stay in the mire. It is great to stand on solid ground. We are separated from sticky clay, and cleansed from our filth. But there are so many left behind to wallow. They may not even know it, but they are sinking. We must reach out to them.

Our witness to those in the mud must be compassionate and bold. Often, they act out of their confusion, and reduce truth to their own situation. But we are called to be faithful, and to love them even in their lies. Let’s not let their confusion affect us. There is simply too much at stake.

As witnesses to Jesus’ power, we are the only ones who can intervene. Let us hold out the truth, and let us be those who are marked by faithfulness. We must be courageous, we must be thinking clearly. God intends to use us if we make ourselves available. Even if that means we step back into the mud.