“…And They Shall Never Anguish Again.”

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah…
For thus says the LORD:
Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
‘Save, O LORD, your people,
the remnant of Israel.’
See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,
and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame,
those with child and those in labour, together;
a great company, they shall return here.
With weeping they shall come,
and with consolations I will lead them back,
I will let them walk by brooks of water,
in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;
for I have become a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
and declare it in the coastlands far away;
say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,
and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.’
For the LORD has ransomed Jacob,
and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall become like a watered garden,
and they shall never languish again.
Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
and the young men and the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
I will give the priests their fill of fatness,
and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,
says the LORD.

Jeremiah 31:7-14

First week of the New Year, and I feel ready. Grounded, anchored. This is my year of the edit; listening more, adjusting readily, hearing and heeding.

Being Grounded Requires Deep Work.

This year, I commit to focusing more on the work of others, finding a companionable rhythm, no longer needing to drive the narrative or set the pace, but rather listening to the quiet place where I may and should conjoin.

Jeremiah’s prophecy is the first liturgical reading of this new calendar year. Its promises offer me comfort. Instead of insisting upon the narrative,

Lord, I Pledge the Dance of My Life this Year to Divine Cadence.

Perhaps the greatest lesson for me to re-learn this year is that God walks beside me, holding me, controlling all I have ever seen or will ever know, and finally, to stop resisting.

…And She Shall Humbly Endeavor, Sincerely, to Begin Exchanging Praise for Anguish, Again. and Again.

Amen, and So It Is.