I pull into
the parking lot, grab my flashlight, and step into the pre-dawn chill. I’m
headed to a ladies’ prayer group at a friend’s house, and my day has barely begun.
Already, however, the stiffness in my soul mirrors the tension in my muscles. I’ve
scheduled this time, both the walk and the prayer, to loosen the fibers of my soul,
but have my doubts it will help. The walk to my friend’s house is dim, my
flashlight’s weak beam barely alerting cars of my presence. The road slaps against
my sturdy shoes with a jarring, unkind, insistence. I struggle to breathe, to
focus, to rest, a struggle I suspect will last the whole day.
Once I
arrive at my friend’s, I settle into her low-lit living room for a spell of soft
conversation. We transition to prayer soon enough, and my friend, who cares for
her daughter and her medically fragile husband, excuses herself to tend to his
needs. We keep on in prayer, a familiar rhythm of raising our concerns, listening
in silence, speaking life, and repeating. We name our discouragement, our need,
and our joy. Spontaneously, someone sings a song. The melody rises, too, the scriptural
words floating around us like a breeze, like the Spirit.
I’m on
a schedule this morning, so precisely on time, I take my leave. My friend’s
dogs bark their good-bye, and her daughter calls to them from her bedroom. The
ladies, I’m sure, will keep praying. I bless them with a look, and step outside
into a shockingly bright autumn morning. While we’ve been praying, the sun has
risen. I glance at my now-useless flashlight and break into a jog. My feet feel
lighter somehow, my spirit surprisingly free. With minimal effort, I move toward
my waiting car. Sunlight spills over the Blue Mountains, pinking the leaves,
roads, and sky with the promise of brightness to come. I make my way through
this transformation. It’s happened outside, for sure, as the sunrise has illuminated
this new day. But it’s also taken place deep inside – both in the home of my
hospitable friend and in the recesses of my newly lifted heart. I realize I’m
entering this day filled with hope, wealth, and peace, my soul transformed by
the sunrise of a few minutes spent in the presence of God with my friends.
I enter the day feeling Love.
