Bear
patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave
to your God to order and provide;
in
every change God faithful will remain.
Be
still, my soul: Your best, your heavenly friend
through
thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
---Katharina von Schlegel, 1752
There seem to be truths about life, truths that anyone who
lives long enough will experience. Life is not always fair. Bad things happen
to good (and bad) people. And the only constant in this life…is change. And
while I have made my peace with life’s essential unfairness, and the fact that
good and bad things happen to good and bad folks, change kicks me in the teeth like a schoolyard bully every
time. Weird thing is, I resist change even when the situation I find myself in
isn’t particularly ideal. Because, you know, change, OUCH. You
may have a problem with one of the other of these great life truths.
And with truths like that, we need a friend in our corner.
In this text from the mid-1700’s, we are reminded that God, our best friend, is
on our side (your side, my side, all of our sides---but that’s another story
for another day). Armed with this knowledge, we are empowered to tackle and
solve some of life’s problems. And the others? Those river rapids rushing in
the near distance? We are supported while wading through treacherous crossings,
a strong arm firm around us lest we slip beneath the surface.
Be still, my soul…there is One beside you.
