Blessed are you standing among the ruins of a faith
that once felt so sturdy,
now turned to dust under your feet.
The certainty you once had, gone.
The community you loved, dissipated.
The hope you held dear, hard to find.
Instead, what’s taken up residence
is the very stuff that seems counter
to what you imagined:
Disappointment. Doubt. Disillusionment. Despair.
In this new landscape, may you practice the courage to find the others
who make space for your questions without easy answers,
who celebrate doubt when it makes room for more faith,
who search high and low for a defiant hope born amidst despair.
Bless you, dear one. You who don’t give up wrestling.
who have eyes to see something new being rebuilt on top of what was.
Blessed are you who walk away wounded, yes. But changed.
This blessing was inspired by my conversation with Randall Balmer on the Everything Happens podcast. Listen to it here.
Thank you, Kate! This is exactly where I am. Your blessings are a highlight of my week. May you receive many blessings today!
Once again, you looked into my heart and found the words to express my feelings! This old lady, wounded and tired thanks you.
To God be the glory for you, Kate Bowler. The words of this blessing speak to the reality of what so many of us are experiencing these days. We have let ourselves get trapped in discouragement and anxiety. May that get behind us. May we be stopped in those tracks. And, may we see with new eyes and hearts the path of courage and love and reunion God has made for us all. Amen
Good words of encouragement for the times we are living in. It seems as though everyone, including people of faith, is struggling with everyday life. There is more discouragement and lashing out over minor trials. This encourages me to keep on keeping on, to see how God will grow me in the midst of these difficult times. Thanks for these words.
This is beautiful and poignant, thank you!!
I think I have been looking for this for the last 20 months since my husband passed away shortly after his lymphoma diagnosis. I question so many things including faith and found this to be remarkably inspiring and comforting. I struggle still with Who am I and Why am I here. Thank you for this blessing