The Storm & the Abyss
After flash floods in Ringgold
The wind
beat down and
rain sounded like
rocks upon windows.
Trees snapped
like toothpicks.
This was it—
the start of a long day
when my life
felt nearing the abyss.
Debris in yard.
Water’s power
revealed rocks in ditches
buried long ago.
After, it was calm.
A few went for walks
as if nothing
happened at all.
What scares you?
What fear seems to lie always
beneath your conscious mind?
Strangely,
if those fears
came on the scene
God's nearness to you
remains.
In fear
I think there is
such a thing as separation—
as unbeing—as alienation—
but in the shuttered
silence, a voice summoned me
in the aftermath,
“Here I am.”
“Here I am.”
I don’t know
if I will ever know
what it's like to be without
some fear.
But lately, I sense
Christ reaching
and lifting me
to stand
a little taller.Journal with me.
What are the unconscious fears you take along with you throughout the day? What would your day be like if you silenced one of those fears?
Some thoughts:
I don’t like being afraid—I’m guessing you don’t either.
The most fearful moments are the ones that suddenly grip us unexpectedly.
A few nights ago, just after midnight, the power in our house went out. I was already awake because of the constant booms of thunder and the rain pounding on the windows. But once the power went out, I started to feel particularly vulnerable. I felt like I was living in a dollhouse going through a car wash.
