A Constant Companion on the Journey

I am always aware of the fact that to be an ordained minister is a privilege. As such, I am invited into people’s homes and lives on a regular basis and quite often at their most vulnerable times. People trust me with their stories and allow me to journey with them. Some of those journeys are but for a brief moment in time and others last many years. Some days, in ministry, this is highlighted in very powerful ways. Yesterday was one such day for me.

I found myself making a connection with a stranger who was in need because of ill health and financial difficulties;

I talked with long time friends about issues of great heartache involving children and the law; and

stood beside a young couple as they celebrated birth and grieved their child’s death all in less than a couple of hours.

Each of those moments left its mark on my being and their stories are now woven into mine.

In the midst of this I often struggle with how to be the presence of Divine love. What are the right things to say and do? How can I possibly offer hope and light in the midst of such heartache and darkness? These are not just questions that I have, of that I am sure. At some point in your journey you have also found yourself in this place. What I have come to learn and what I need to remind myself of often, is that there are no answers and there are no words. What is needed is a companion for the journey and a loving presence that can help to shoulder the burden. At the end of my day, as I held each of these situations in my heart, I found myself in a quiet place. There I remembered each one and held them in love and prayer.

Often, when I journey with folks through these most difficult times they ask “Where was God in this?” or “ If there is a God , how could this happen?” Some ask “I prayed and prayed, why did God not answer my prayers?” These are difficult to answer in some ways because they are based in a particular understanding of Divine that I do not share. However, I do try to offer what I believe and what has held me up when I have been unable to stand.

For me, the God I follow is not a person sitting on a throne with the power to intervene if he/she so chooses. Instead God is the presence of love and an energy that permeates all of life. This God is present in everything, the good, the bad and the ugly – a constant companion on the journey.

What faith in this does is give strength and courage and the ability to walk through the darkness into the light. I see and feel the Divine presence in creation, in family, in friends and strangers and as that love is shared, life is changed.

“Faith” ~ by Valerie Peyton Kingsbury

The impossible, now possible
your vision is cleared
understanding somehow changed.
The Spirit encompasses
holds
touches
illumines.

Words, pictures, stories, dreams…
mould, shape and form
Creating a space and a state of mind
where anything can happen
lifting spirit
calming soul
levelling ground

A word of hope…
“You are not alone..”
A word of promise…
“ A place prepared for you”
A word of comfort…
“Do not be afraid”

And into the darkness
comes the light of life.

If you are in a space of difficulty, grief, darkness …. may you feel the presence of love surrounding you and the light of life guiding your way.

Blessings
Valerie