Calamities Within

Psalm 5

^4 (3) Adonai, in the morning you will hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my needs before you
and wait expectantly.

^10 (9) For in their mouths there is nothing sincere,
within them are calamities….

1 Peter 1: 13- 25 (CJB)

¹³ Therefore, get your minds ready for work, keep yourselves under control, and fix your hopes fully on the gift you will receive when Yeshua the Messiah is revealed.

(From Mounce; my wording)

…set your hope completely on the grace offered to you in the manifestation of Jesus Christ

John 14:18- 31

²⁷ “What I am leaving with you is shalom — I am giving you my shalom. I don’t give the way the world gives.

(From Mounce; my wording)

Peace I bequeath to you, my peace I entrust to you. The way I give is not the way the material world gives.

I could not find much of anything in today’s readings that contained any kind of resonance. That happens. I read over all the readings over in my usual manner, and then read them over again. Distraction and bother interfered with my equanimity. I closed all windows in capitulation. Then I opened them again, deciding to just do my usual copy-and-paste of the phrases that stood out to my eye. Once I did that, I got back into the groove.

Resonances:

— And wait expectantly.

—Within them are calamities….

—Get your minds ready for work...

—Set your hope completely on the grace offered….

—Peace I bequeath to you…. the way I give is not the way the world gives.

In my mind the ‘resonances’ formed a serial relationship, almost like a set of instructions starting with “Wait expectantly.” It made me smile.

It was as if the texts were saying, “Here’s what you do:”

Waiting is the only thing to be done—

Can I be expectant without any expectations?  

I think, “Maybe.”

Then there are these calamities within—

Is the enemy the calamity, or the calamity the enemy?  

I think, “Depends.”

And who harbors these inner calamities; me or someone else?  

I think, “Both.”

So—

I won’t argue with the workings of my mind.

I won’t sneer at the hope that comes with grace.

I won’t ignore this bequest from the Presence; this wry and painful truce.

It’s all here in the waiting:

Calamities.

Ready minds.

Work.

Hopes.

Gifts.

Grace.

Peace.

Together they yield an odd equanimity that comes sliding in sideways from elsewhere—

Unimportant, plain, ordinary, even a bit grumpy, but definitely peace.

Sort of.

Shalom.