A Benediction (from Sarah Bessey)
In my devotion, Whenever You’re Ready, I mentioned that there had been a lot of things building up that led to a fairly difficult and intense therapy session. One of the things that helped me get to the point where I was ready to let go of a lot of the weight I carried for so long was this benediction from author Sarah Bessey. Her book “Miracles and Other Reasonable Things” is incredible, but the benediction at the end of it is so powerful.
May these words be words that touch your soul, provide you courage on your journey, and…
Benediction | Sarah Bessey
“I pray for the courage to admit you aren’t fine. And that when you say those words aloud that you would be met by love and care. I pray that you would remain open to participating in your own healing, even if it comes to you in ways that you resent and fear at first. Just because it is new to you doesn’t mean God isn’t already waiting for you there, in the doctor’s office, in the therapist’s room, on the page, in the conversation, in the solitude. May you welcome the love of God to your most tender places.
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I pray that you would stay open to the ways God is transforming you. May you be given the gift of the gate and the shepherd, the wilderness and the pasture. And when you are in that place, I pray that, like Mary Magdalene, you will hear Jesus say your name at the moment of your greatest despair, the moment when you believe God is dead and everything is over, because then you will lift your head and rise in hope.
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My friend, may you experience curiosity about miracles and the tangible patience of the Holy Spirit, that you would receive your grief and your pain as teachers. I pray that someday when you are given that great and terrible gift of your own rock bottom, may you learn that you are not in charge and that is okay. May you be honest about where it hurts.
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May you keep your feet on the ground God created and remember how it feels to worship outside the walls. I pray that you would like your candles and become acquainted with dirty miracles. May you discern the difference between self-care and self-comfort; may you use them both wisely. And as much as you are able, may you choose life.
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I pray that you would experience the Holy Spirit in ways that surprise you. That you would become acquainted with the wind and the wave, the eagle and the heron, your strength and your weakness. I pray that you would be right at home, right where you are, in this particular body.
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I pray that you would experience the weirdness of the divine live in ways that leave you disoriented. I pray that you would be caught off guard when God meets your outside of the box you have constructed and yet remains in the places you have vacated. I pray you will bless the box you once needed for God and that you will treat it tenderly even as you leave it behind you.
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I pray that we would both live into the truth of God’s mighty, all-encompassing love that holds our answered prayers and unanswered longings, our miracles and our brokenness, our grief and our joy, our ordinary miracles and all of those reasonable things.
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May it be so. Amen.
Reverend Kristen Koger has served as the Pastor for Children and Families at FBC Decatur since June 2017. Kristen loves working with the youngest of God’s family as she helps them realize that they have some of the most important gifts to offer the family of God. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her dog Dietrich “Bonehoeffer,” cooking, knitting, and playing board games.