From Jan Richardson.....
For you, from me, here on the eve of the fourth Sunday in Lent. Because when grace meets us, it is so often not tidy and shiny.
BLESSING OF MUD
Lest we think
the blessing
is not
in the dirt.
Lest we think
the blessing
is not
in the earth
beneath our feet.
Lest we think
the blessing
is not
in the dust,
like the dust
that God scooped up
at the beginning
and formed
with God’s
two hands
and breathed into
with God’s own
breath.
Lest we think
the blessing
is not
in the spit.
Lest we think
the blessing
is not
in the mud.
Lest we think
the blessing
is not
in the mire,
the grime,
the muck.
Lest we think
God cannot reach
deep into the things
of earth,
cannot bring forth
the blessing
that shimmers
within the sludge,
cannot anoint us
with a tender
and grimy grace.
Lest we think
God will not use
the ground
to give us
life again,
to cleanse us
of our unseeing,
to open our eyes upon
this ordinary
and stunning world.
—Jan Richardson
from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons
Image: “Mysteries of the Mud”
© janrichardsonimages.com
Inspired by John 9:1-41 See less
