I frequently am nocturnal - fully awake while the rest of the world sleeps. Last night I was up and about several times
in an attempt to distract and reset wayward circadian rhythms. No such luck. Around 4:00 I sat in front of
the computer, hoping to erase recurring thoughts that had become stuck in a
loop, crazy things like what refreshments I should make for the women’s event
at church and whether I needed new shorts for the summer.
Eager for diversion before the screen, I hadn’t bargained on the equivalent of
lightning bolts and thunder. As I idly scrolled through Facebook posts, a quote
from a Jewish rabbi on a friend’s status caught my eye. I read it, and then read it again. And
again. The profound words rumbled deep
as I sensed Jesus’ Hebrew roots reflected in them. Then I returned to bed to sleep.
* * *
Faith is not the clinging
to a shrine, but an endless pilgrimage of the heart.
Our goal should be
to live life in radical amazement, [to] get up in the morning and look at
the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life
casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.
Prayer
begins at the edge of emptiness. Wonder rather than doubt is the root of all
knowledge. Just to be is a blessing.
Just to live is holy. We can never
sneer at the stars, mock the dawn, or scoff at the totality of being.
Self-respect
is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say
no to oneself.
The
primary purpose of prayer is not to make requests. The primary purpose is to
praise, to sing, to chant. Because the essence of prayer is a song, and man
cannot live without a song.
When
I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
Know that every deed counts, that every word is power…
Above
all, remember that you must build your life as if it were a work of art.
~Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
(January 11, 1907 –
December 23, 1972)
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