I was looking through my spiritual journal sketchbook yesterday, and I took a few pictures without the flash. The light from the floor lamp gives the sketches a yellowish tone, but I found it appealing. Here's one I made on Reformation Sunday:
I am longing for the truth--but am I really? Do I really want to be set free?
I think of the recent hurricane, and I'm willing to admit that it wasn't bad, not for us in Broward county. And yet, as I saw the damage from what was a minimal hurricane for us, I had one of those moments of epiphany. I knew that we are living on borrowed time down here, but the epiphany told me that we may not have as much time as I once thought.
Of course, once we know the truth and are set free, what happens next? Do we take a journey, like the wise men did? Do we take a different path? Do we stay put, with knowledge freeing us to act differently?
Our spiritual stories could point us to a multitude of directions--our secular stories often have an epiphany followed by people upending their lives and heading a different way towards a happily ever after ending. But as we head towards Advent, I think of Mary, who stayed put to give birth to what was coming next. I think of people who do not go on pilgrimage or head out to wilderness, but instead they wait as they move towards discernment.
The truth can set us free, but it may be important not to take leave of our senses. The truth can set us free to stay calm and face the future.
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