Wednesday, 15 May, 2002

From "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



SALVATION

Norris tells a story of a friend who had been hanging out with an odd character and one day he realized he was literally going in the wrong direction with this man so he decided to get out of the car because it had become over his head. She continues:

Having turned, suddenly from the path he was on, our friend seemed a bit lost but also glad that he had been able to name something was wrong, and to walk away from it. He had tasted a kind of freedom and wasn't sure what to do about it, except to tell the story. He felt good but uneasy, I think, unsure of what to do next. I could not have said this to him then, but accepting salvation is never easy. The Israelites, having been led by Moses out of Egypt, began complaining as soon as they hit the desert.... What God had done, of course, was to set them free from what had long held them in bondage. But they, as any of us might, began longing for the devil they knew, rather than face the unknown road ahead.



Norris also notes that salvation in Hebrew means "to make wide" or "to make sufficient." When you think about it, we may be saved from a "tight place" in our lives and yet when that takes place we are placed in a "wide open place"...a place of opportunity...a place of new possibilities. We all know the road we are on. It is the road that is familiar. It may not be the best road for life nor the most healing road of life nor the most liberating road of life...but to be free to go another way can be too frightening for us. Like the Israelites who complained the whole time God was bringing them to Mt. Sinai, there are too many times when we do not want to be saved...made whole, for it is new and outside of our experience.



Connection: It may be very difficult to step into a new dimension of our lives. Some days we would insist on keeping things as they are...even if they are broken and insufficient for growth and wellness. What are the ways God is continuing to bring you along a saving journey today?



Lord of liberation and healing, it is with joy that we call upon you to be the God of promise whose history is filled with saving acts that pull us into your loving domain and challenge us to live freely within your promises. We give you thanks for you never-failing love for us. Amen.