Dying is trusting in the catcher [part of a troupe of trapese artists]. To care for the dying is to say, "Don't be afraid." Remember that you are the beloved child of God. He will be there when you make your long jump. Don't try to grab him; he will grab you. Just stretch our your arms and hands and trust, trust, trust.
Henri J.M. Nouwen
Our Greatest Gift: A Meditation on Dying and Caring , pg 22
Scripture:
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”Jeremiah17:5-8
PRAYER
Giving and forgiving God, though I pay lip service to my trust in you, I know that in times of serious travail, I become afraid and grasp at straws instead of your saving grace. Help me to rely on you instead of myself when trouble strikes. Give me trust to hold out my hands and know that you are there. Amen.
LENTEN ACTION
Make a list of the gifts you take for granted: life, sight, hearing, mobility, opportunity. Keep this list with you to offset the disappointments that threaten to overwhelm your good judgment and undermine your trust in God's plan.
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