I took the book off the shelf—The Best Spiritual Writing of 2002—because the title caught me.  I love spending time in the library, the expression of all those ideas housed in one building. Anyway,  I flipped through the book and there it was: a small piece of paper that said “F--- this place!”  It caught me off guard, and even embarrassed me a bit.  But immediately I wondered who would write this and place it in a book of spiritual writing, no less?  And to what place was he/she referring?  The library?  Gee, that’s one of my most favorite places to spend time.  I can’t imagine anyone using an expletive to “bless” a place I find incredibly freeing. 

But then I wondered if this individual was actually cursing his/her place in life?  If the expresser were an adolescent, it would be a fitting curse for that time and place in one’s life.  Adolescence is difficult, painful, necessary.  As is all growth.

I revisited this while out walking this morning…probably when my most creative, challenging thinking occurs and realized that we all go through those “f---ing” places in our lives.  And in the midst of them, we experience pain and difficulty.  But here’s what I’ve found—unless one sees his or her own fragility, one cannot see the largeness or largesse of God.  And that trek into humility takes on many forms – adolescence, disability, loss, chronic pain, to name a few.  But within all those circumstances there is a very large God out there ready to take the helm!

Here’s a scripture verse that I find fitting: 

I waited patiently for the Lord;

He turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

He set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

--Psalm 40: 1-2

And speaking of notes stuck in books, guess what I found stuck in my Bible, just now?  Here it is:

xoxoxo

 I didn’t get to say goodnight

so “Goodnight” and “Good morning”

 -- always – Me! –

(I received it 2-5-01 from my daughter Jessica when she was 12!)

Thank you Lord!