I received an envelope in the mail today. I found it very appropriate that I received this particular envelope in the mail this week. I find it apropos in light of the events I related in my last blog entry, covering my despair from trying to rely on myself, and the grace and the strength I received from God when I prayed to Him for help.
I had addressed the envelope, as well as its contents, on an index card, to myself three months ago. Having written the card so long ago, I had forgotten about it.
In June, I attended some workshops at the School of Applied Theology in Oakland, California. In one workshop, Sue Mosteller, Henri Nouwen's literary executrix, discussed Nouwen's interpretation of Rembrandt's painting of the Return of the Prodigal Son. In that particular workshop, Sue explained how Nouwen had become enthralled with the art of the trapeze. She reviewed how one trapeze artist catches the other trapeze artist, who leaps. She shared how Nouwen viewed the catching trapeze artist as the remarkable one in such interactions. Nouwen viewed the trapeze catcher's catching as being analogous to God's catching us when we trust in Him.
At one of the workshops, the organizers directed us to write on an index card what we wanted to remember from the workshops. They told us that they would mail the cards to us soon after each of us had begun our new ventures. Thus, having just begun the school year a few weeks ago, I only just received the card I had written as a reminder to myself.
On the index card, I wrote, "I want to remember that I must be trusting Him to catch me; trusting in Him as I take the leap, as I have trusted in Him when I have taken previous leaps, when He caught me then too."
I had addressed the envelope, as well as its contents, on an index card, to myself three months ago. Having written the card so long ago, I had forgotten about it.
In June, I attended some workshops at the School of Applied Theology in Oakland, California. In one workshop, Sue Mosteller, Henri Nouwen's literary executrix, discussed Nouwen's interpretation of Rembrandt's painting of the Return of the Prodigal Son. In that particular workshop, Sue explained how Nouwen had become enthralled with the art of the trapeze. She reviewed how one trapeze artist catches the other trapeze artist, who leaps. She shared how Nouwen viewed the catching trapeze artist as the remarkable one in such interactions. Nouwen viewed the trapeze catcher's catching as being analogous to God's catching us when we trust in Him.
At one of the workshops, the organizers directed us to write on an index card what we wanted to remember from the workshops. They told us that they would mail the cards to us soon after each of us had begun our new ventures. Thus, having just begun the school year a few weeks ago, I only just received the card I had written as a reminder to myself.
On the index card, I wrote, "I want to remember that I must be trusting Him to catch me; trusting in Him as I take the leap, as I have trusted in Him when I have taken previous leaps, when He caught me then too."
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