Allow: Wild Advent

Beavers seem to be taking over the peaceful little stream that meanders along behind our house. They have constructed a new dam downstream from their other, larger one, which begs the question: How many dams does one beaver family really need? Yesterday, thanks to the nature cam our son installed to keep an eye on the very busy beavers,  we got the chance to check out a gorgeous great blue heron. A pleasant surprise, she/he was a magnificent creature. (According to at least one source, it can be difficult to tell male great blues from females.)  

So much is out of our control: Nature, the stock market, other people, the passing of time...ugh. Discernment and trust and a modicum of acceptance, therefore, must, of necessity, be a daily practice.

It's as though we must constantly remind ourselves," that worked out, and so did that one - never dreamed that could ever happen..." Like the ancient Israelites who were guided safely through the wilderness, we often discover God has been walking with us all the way. It's about trust. 

It's about allowing God to be God.

Allowing is a practice of observing and "bearing the truth," poet Danna Faulds writes. Sometimes, when it comes to faith, allowing God to be God becomes our last best, most miraculous resort.

Allow 

There is no controlling life.

Try corralling a lightning bolt, containing a tornado.

Dam a stream and it will create a new channel.

Resist, and the tide will sweep you off your feet.

Allow, and grace will carry you to higher ground.

The only safety lies in letting it all in –

the wild and the weak; fear, fantasies, failures, and success.

When loss rips off the doors of the heart, or sadness veils your

vision with despair,

Practice becomes simply bearing the truth.

In the choice to let go of your known way of being,

the whole world is revealed to your new eyes.

~~Danna Faulds