You and Your Beloved
Are you in a relationship,
a union of commitment,
a marriage, perhaps,
or a powerful, nurturing friendship?
Have you in some way
made a public pronouncement
of the mystery of your intimacy?
If you have,
you also stand on holy ground,
and just like with Moses and the burning bush
what you've done transcends the rational
and ushers you into the presence of the holy.
Every time, every day
you reaffirm that commitment--
with a warm embrace,
the words "I love you,"
expressions of physical intimacy,
you once again stand on sacred ground.
I urge you to regard your relationship
with a proper sense of holy awe,
to honor the soul of your relationship
with the same sense of quiet wonder
that you feel in the presence
of other wondrous doings of God.
Yes, there will be times
when respectful analysis of your relationship is necessary,
counseling critical,
discussion imperative,
but much of the strength of your relationship--
the secret to your intimacy--
is to let it live without dissection.
Recognize it as a living thing,
a thing with its own power,
sometimes healing,
sometimes painful,
but always resilient and tough,
always growing and evolving,
always trustworthy.
Intimacy...your relationship...is a grace, not a project,
A project we plan for,
we organize,
we schedule,
we measure,
we evaluate.
But a grace?
A grace is a gift.
A grace is unearned and unexpected,
beyond reason or measure,
beyond analysis or evaluation.
We control a project;
we nurture a grace.
We observe a grace.
We receive and embrace a grace.
We appreciate it,
honor it,
celebrate it,
revel in it,
respect it.
And so,
standing before this grace
so beautifully seen
in the committed relationships in your life,
I have the urge to take off my shoes...
and shut up.
Text and image © 2017 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.
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