finding grace in the moment and living a life of Joy!
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Author: Vona Wilson
I am an ordained United Methodist pastor. I fall out of almost every "norm" there is but find that authenticity is much more faithful than fitting the box. In my former days I worked as a Paramedic and maintained a business as an Organizational Development coach. I use all of that experience along with my deep love for Christ, in everything I do each day. It is a journey I walk with much Joy.
“I am weary, God, but I can prevail. Surely I am only a brute, not a man; I do not have human understanding.”
“I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.“
“Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know!“
“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” – Proverbs 30:1-6
It turns out that even though we humans can engage in the intimacy of relationship with our Creator, there remains so much we do not know.
I find myself truly dependent on the wisdom of the Lord to guide me in all things. Without divine help, my own steps lead me where grace is illusive, and burdens pile up without reason. There is a lot of freedom in knowing how much God can do, when we can do nothing!
Listening to these Proverbs as I walk this morning, I hear Jesus speaking too: Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. – Jesus in the Gospel of John 15:4
Morning walk; late June 2022
Lord, where your people are weary, please provide hope and strength today. Where sorrow has interrupted the best of plans, give your peace that refuses to abandon. Be our refuge and shield; our joy and strength. Our hope is in you, and it is good; we trust you completely! Amen.
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. – Proverbs 27:1
When I was growing up we had a houseboat on Barkley Lake. That is where we spent hours running trot lines, learning how to water ski, and spending time with other families up and down the slip. It was adventure and rest; discovery and learning. This all began with our parents and another couple renting a houseboat for their vacation each summer. Those experiences led to the purchases; our boats were docked right across from one another. We were neighbors on land and water. When we were at the lake, it was all just about that moment.
The name of our houseboat was, TODAY. It often inspired conversation and intrigue. My mom was the one who suggested it and we all agreed, not fully understanding what that name might hold for us and our family. I still remember the peacefulness of watching the moon on the lake at night, early morning fishing, and the fun of learning to ski. Each day its own blessing, each day its own challenge. All a gift.
Today is our blessing. May the Lord walk with you; with us.
Lord, thank you for this day and all you offer with it. Help us to appreciate the gift of this moment that was newly created by your hand, and will never be again. Please allow us the joy of your presence; it is the greatest gift. May our steps today be directed by you in every way. Amen.
A prudent man sees danger and seeks refuge but the simple keep going and suffer for it. – Proverbs 22:3
There are signs to see and choices to make early on that make a difference on how things go with us. Whether in times of success or challenge, celebration or sorrow; paying attention is important. This wisdom of seeing the sign of danger and taking refuge is welcomed counsel.
Jesus and Peter have an interesting encounter with each other that comes to mind. The story is in Matthew 16:21-28. Peter has accepted and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God (Matthew 16:15-16); he believes! But as soon as Jesus starts sharing what is about to happen to him, Peter refuses to accept it. Jesus mentions suffering and Peter baulks.
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” – Matthew 16:21-22
The rebuke from Jesus is clear: “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block for me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” – Matthew 16:23
Jesus recognizes the danger of this moment and he seeks refuge in God’s plan. There’s a danger for Jesus. Avoiding the suffering that is between this moment and the resurrection would change everything. There is a danger for Peter; his faith journey is at risk. If Peter begins to think he knows how things should go better than Jesus, he will never experience the miracles of God on earth. His faith journey will be stunted by the refusal to surrender to God’s way in any situation.
Jesus sees the danger and immediately makes a choice. His refuge is not hiding; his refuge is in God. He turns away from Peter’s enticing plan to avoid the whole mess. He turns toward what God has revealed to him and the path he must walk. Christ’s response in this moment also prevents Peter’s faith journey from being wrecked and sidelined.
What are you seeing?
God of wisdom and mercy, please give us wisdom to see, even when our eyes fail us. Your wisdom and discernment are the guardrails that guide and protect us from paths of destruction. Thank you for the many ways you show up beside us and shine light on our path! We need you and we welcome you to direct our paths. Amen.
Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting and strife. – Proverbs 17:1
Morning fog rising, summer 2022
May the peace of Christ be in your home; in your waking and work, your coming and going. May joy and laughter take a seat at your table; and your rest bring refreshment to your soul. Amen.
“A patient man has great understanding, but a quick tempered man displays folly.” – Proverbs 14:29
Perhaps one of the blessings that comes with time is patience. Whether in seasons of success or suffering, this virtue seems to never fail. It is like a muscle that develops over years of training. You can’t get there quickly; you just have to take one step at a time.
It is also a total act of trust for me. To be patient now means that I trust God. In training or healing; in work that takes years to reach completion; even muddling my way through the unknown with confidence that God is working all things out…patience is gained through living it.
In a season of difficulty many years ago I came upon this quote by Mother Teresa. It was written on a card where I could keep it visible in my daily routine. Over time the words lodged deep within me. And lodging there, this became a prayer of trust and patience for me. I’m still receiving blessings from that wisdom…poured into me by someone who knew well the path.
Let nothing trouble you, Let nothing frighten you. All things are passing. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. He who possesses God lacks nothing. God alone suffices. – Mother Teresa
God of patience and mercy, thank you for never giving up on us. Help us to trust you in moments we want to act too quickly or walk away too soon. We need never to give up on what you are doing in our lives and in the world. Thank you for your faithfulness and love. We trust you completely. Amen.
Summer has its own rhythm. The heat of the sun reminds me how important perspective is when seasons change. We all do things in the summer that we don’t do other times of year. Water and lightening bugs; cookouts and watermelon. Vacations for some; camps and retreats for others.
I have an annual practice of reading through the book of Proverbs in the summer. These verses of wisdom are reminders. They quicken my mind and spirit. Ancient wisdom rises to the surface and foolishness is placed in the light where it can be seen for what it is.
This book of wisdom encourages, corrects, clarifies and makes me think. It’s funny how much I need the reminders! Thus, every summer I return to these words.
I read whatever chapter matches the date. Today, June 13th, is Proverbs 13. Just looking for one sentence that I can carry through the day. I don’t worry so much about missing a day, I just do this through June-July until I’ve read all 30 chapters of the book. It’s my summer renewing of the mind.
Occasionally a friend will join me in the reading and it makes for good conversation as the summer days pass. It is a great practice for parents and children – especially adult children. It’s a great practice for friends, couples, groups…whomever is up for the blessing of engaging in the adventure.
“Pride only breeds quarrels, But wisdom is found in those who take advice.” – Proverbs 13:10
This weekend I attended the 92nd birthday party of a distant cousin and a Celebration of Life for a 100 year old friend. In both places I was surrounded by my elders. Men and women who have shared life wisdom, both by example and conversations. What a treasured gift!
As you begin your week, perhaps a dip into the pool of Proverbs wisdom will refresh your mind and spirit. You won’t be alone; I’ll be reading with you.
God of wisdom and mercy, thank you for providing a way for us to encounter your ancient teaching. Thank you for people who have eyes to see and ears to hear. Give us a humble character, Lord, to listen; and courage to follow when this gift comes from you. Forgive us for our pride in thinking we know so much. Open us to what you offer; we need you. We welcome your Spirit to teach us.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything. – James 1:4
Facing the wind, 2021
I encountered this bird on Amelia Island last year. I have never forgotten the moment. He stood there for the longest time. The wind blowing in his face. His feathers all ruffled and worn. He was shaking. Every few seconds I thought he would blow over or give up and fly away. To my untrained eye he seemed determined to stand in the wind and gather up courage and focus for the day. I wondered if this was his morning prayer.
When I think of what it takes to stay the course when we are tired or frustrated or feeling like what we’re doing is not making a difference, I think of the way James teaches about challenges and trials. It frames my attitude and thought process. If there is something waiting for us after a season of perseverance, James reminds us that it is worth the waiting. It is worth the patience, diligence and whatever else you are mustering up to walk through each day. Something more than eye can see is happening. Perseverance comes with a blessing. It is something we trust and hold on to when the days are hard. Hold on today; prayers are all around you.
Lord, thank you for being with us when we are living through seasons of challenge. Please bring patience enough for today, and hope that fills the spirit and offers peace. Protect and guide, as you have promised to do; your wisdom is our greatest source of help. We trust you completely, Father, and we love you. Thank you for your faithfulness! Amen.
There are so many times when life doesn‘t make sense. Heartaches we can‘t resolve. Violence that leaves us speechless. Diagnoses that come too fast and healing that takes too long. Tsunamis and eruptions that remove communities and change the landscape forever.
It is life…all of that mixed in with the joys of pregnancies and falling in love. Holding that first grandchild. Walking by the river. Staying up late talking with friends. Coming home after a time away. Life.
I couldn’t sleep part of the night. My worries are small and not enough to keep me awake. I was thinking about the parents, friends and spouses in Texas and New York who can’t sleep because their grief is so violently raw. I was thinking of the brothers and sisters that are wide awake, becoming way too familiar with what it is like when death comes too early, and it feels like a part of you dies with your sibling. I had no words so I just prayed for them all. Trusting God to move into the spaces of their long night and give them peace even when it doesn’t make sense to have peace.
I woke up to the rain moving in and it blessed me. The earth will have the drink it needs today. If we need to be crying we won’t be alone as nature cries with us. Restoration comes. The earth will be relieved from the dryness and our creeks will run full again.
What will fill us from our heartaches and grief? What will restore us when the days get too long while we are waiting? Who will come to sit beside us in the dark, reminding us that we are not alone?
I’m a person of faith so I believe Jesus waltzes into my bedroom in the middle of the night and sits in the chair and waits with me. There have been so many times the resurrected Christ showed up when it made no sense that holy could stand in the middle of the darkest parts of life.
The peace of Christ we pray for when life doesn’t make sense is the peace that …doesn’t make sense. It’s the peace that comes even when circumstances don’t change and life still hurts and healing is delayed. It’s the peace that insists on being present with us. With us when we are asking questions no one can answer. With us when we are crying. With us when all we can do is try to breathe the next breath.
I believe armies of prayer warriors are launched in these times when life doesn’t make sense. It has become one of my practices in the dark to sing the truths that keep my roots intact. Sing the song. Read the prayers. Or just breathe and remember their message.
Psalm 121 is a quiet but powerful reminder that our help, when life doesn’t make sense, comes from God. Pick up your Bible and find the Scripture. Make it your prayer. I’ll be praying with you.
God, thank you for bringing peace into our life spaces where it just does not make sense right now. Thank you for people that pray for us even when we are unaware. Thank you for bringing peace to the many communities that stand so deep in grief from the persistent violence in our world. And help us, holy God, to let that peace transform us in the ways that only you can do. We love you and we trust you completely. Amen.
“Do not be anxious about anything. But in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
She was an artist and a poet. But more than anything she was a friend. Her art began with trees reaching high into the sky. They are all praising God at the move of her paintbrush. I marveled at her creative process. I am so grateful for every painting and every poem. She left us with such beauty, and it never stops blessing my days.
It is Susie’s art and poetry that I saw when we were by the river yesterday. A tree had fallen. A big rip from an old trunk still standing on the bank of the river. A hard fall, based on the jagged edges of the trunk. It must have been loud in falling; it must have shaken the ground. The tall, strong and beautiful tree lay quietly in the flow of the river’s current. Ah…the tall tree is resting.
Today we celebrate the life of another friend. Nothing will be able to contain her life. No words or prayers. No song or Scripture. But everything will point to the Creator who gave her to us for a little while. Everything will praise the One who placed the Holy Spirit within her and created a channel of intentional love. Every breath we breathe is mingled with the same breath God breathed into her. She is a tall tree resting now. So deeply loved. I do wonder if Susie is talking with her; welcoming her friend into the eternal peace, eternal joy, eternal rest.
the roots of tall trees go deep search crumble granite penetrate core impelled by the knowledge that they are the linchpins that hold this entirety together – Susie Sims Irvin, The Tall Trees
Lord, for all who mourn today, please bring peace and comfort. For all who need healing, place your hand on their eyes and bodies, restore gently and completely. For the one who is searching, may your spirit guide them clearly to discover you. Let no one who needs a friend remain alone today. Please keep us growing, Lord. Keep us reaching tall to find you; digging deep with roots that sustain us in the long journey. And for all you hold in your arms today, Jesus, thank you for the gift of their presence. Thank you for the tall trees in our lives. Amen.
Harpeth River, May 2022. Melinda Britt photo credit
“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”
My morning started at the river where the mist rising from the water met my prayers with hope. The birds declared melodies welcoming the day; sounds of reckless joy my voice can never muster. I am grateful how nature praises God and I am allowed the gift of participating. There is a chorus moving through the woods; a dance flowing in the water. I needed to begin here.
I wonder if I am heeding this teaching of Jesus to “consider carefully how you listen”? When I listen to the birds sing the morning praise it never occurs to me to assess their pitch or tone. I marvel at their persistence. I’m intrigued with the joy they bring in welcoming the day. I turn my attention to the music and let the song come close to me. And listen. Just listen. I laugh at how easily they all sing at once; if a director is present my untrained ear cannot discern it. I am grateful.
Is it possible we could listen to our brothers and sisters with this same grace? I wonder… If we employed such a natural curiosity as I find this morning while listening to nature, what would we hear? Anticipation not as prediction, but rather a simple wondering for what is being offered. Is there something I need to hear today?
God, you created us with ears to hear, minds to comprehend, and spirits to discern. We must often miss the very special thing we are in need of hearing. Please open our ears to what you are speaking in so many people and places right now. Tune our ears to the sound of your voice. Drown out the noise that begs for our attention and turn us carefully, humbly to you. We welcome and yearn for your divine voice to speak into this day. Help us to hear. Amen.
Life in the Deep End 