Benedictions…

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Benedictions…

March 30, 2012 by Erica Staab

In talking with a friend who is finding his way through the ending of a relationship I wrote these words to help ease his transition:

Know that you are held in my love as you transition, as you honor you, as you leap into the love that the Universe has waiting for you now in different forms, and in the future as that love takes the form of another human…

His response: “That’s like a prayer and a blessing wrapped into one.”

And it got me thinking about prayers and blessings, and the power our words have – to help heal, to share certainty when our worlds feel uncertain, and the gentle reminder we are so loved as the words and truth travel from heart to heart.

When I was in high school Pastor Paul Gauche would always end the service with the following Benediction. To this day my heart still smiles and I can hear his voice echoing in my ears when I read it:

And now as you go from this place, go knowing that you are saved by grace; you are justified, you are forgiven, you are sought out, you are beloved, you are hidden in Christ and made for the glory of God.

You are known, you are never forsaken, you are held in the palm of God’s hand, you are loved.

May God’s peace and power go with us until we gather again, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

I never tired of hearing those words. There were many times I would find refuge in them, in the certainty with which he conveyed them to the congregation. I would close my eyes and for a moment it was as though God himself was bestowing blessings upon me.

Those words spoken each week reminded me that we are known, we are loved, we are sought out, that we need to be reminded on a regular basis that we are chosen, we are so very loved.

We need to be reminded that love seeks to know us, to embrace us, to give us the gifts of presence, the security of being held. We are given the opportunity so many times to share that with others, to offer those very same gifts that love longs to share with us and we are invited to receive the love that the Universe has waiting for us.

My own faith journey has taken twists and turns since sitting in those pews so long ago but the love that was woven through and held together those words has never left. The assurance of something larger than myself, something beyond my comprehension, some mystery that holds us close has always drawn me back. Back to the questions, to the certainty, to the struggle of trying to convey what my heart knows and my head wants to dissect and “prove”.

God is such a heavy word, laden with so much that sometimes I fear using it because I have more questions than answers and so often I don’t want others to think that I have confined God into a little box. All I know is the closest I have come to God is a swelling from within my soul of love, a deep sense of gratitude for all that I have been given. I know that in the darkest moments I have been held, that something has threaded my life together to create a beautiful tapestry from bits and scraps that have woven into something beautiful, and sometimes I choose to call it God.

All I know is that there is a homing device of sorts within me, a still, small voice, a sixth sense, a deep knowing, intuition perhaps, angelic guidance, acestoral assistance, perhaps all of those things, perhaps none of them… and for me it is not so much about naming it as living in the intimacy and ecstacy of being near to such lightness of being, to the vibrating core of light and love that I can see but can’t quite seem to explain that guides me, that surrounds me, that heals me. This healing, this love, this pure goodness, this light, this energy, this something… brings me peace, leaves me feeling bathed in love and overflowing with gratitude.

For someone who loves to put words to experiences, who strives to name things, who wants to share intimate experiences of the soul with others to deepen relationships it is hard to not know what words to use. The words that we have are so small, so shallow, so insignificant when faced with the reality of a love that large, that deep, that powerful, that full, that radiant… and I am torn between trying and failing and just sitting in it not trying to explain it just sharing it without words… and I suppose that is my happy medium… to do both… to do my best to try to explain and when words fail to radiate love from the very depth of my being.

15 Responses

on March 30, 2012 at 7:23 am | Reply Barb Brown

From the very depths of me, thank you, I yearned to read these words and hear his voice in my heart once again! Most definately a keeper, thanks again!
- on April 2, 2012 at 12:16 am | Reply Erica Staab
  
  I was thinking of you and our conversation as I hunting through my files to find Pastor Paul’s words :).
on March 30, 2012 at 8:01 am | Reply Marie McCarthy

What a timely post, getting ready to go into Holy Week.
We have spent our “lent” taking care of family, and your words just ring thru..
Thanks Erica
You truly have a gift to share with others, and Thank You for Sharing..
Marie
- on April 2, 2012 at 12:13 am | Reply Erica Staab
  
  Thank you Marie! Sending love and prayers for your family. I hope to see you soon, just seeing your name makes me crave something sweet!
on March 31, 2012 at 4:02 pm | Reply cory

Wow! Always lead in the right direction to see what I need to see, to hear what I need to hear or to read what I need to read! This was one of those… read what I need to read. Thank you from my yearning and acheing heart! You have a very special gift! Keep it up! Bless God! God bless!
- on April 2, 2012 at 12:11 am | Reply Erica Staab
  
  Thank you! That is what I love the most about being able to share in such a public way, that somehow it might find it’s way to the heart that needs to hear it… returning the favor for how many times other’s words have found their way to my heart to provide healing and comfort 🙂
on March 31, 2012 at 4:36 pm | Reply Marlene Jezierski

This was a particularly moving and lovely post. Thank you.
- on April 2, 2012 at 12:14 am | Reply Erica Staab
  
  Thank you Marlene! I appreciate your words… I was a bit hesitant to post it and your words remind me that I made the right choice to press publish 🙂
on April 3, 2012 at 8:41 pm | Reply ☼Illuminary☼

I found here in the beauty of your words, The understanding that sometimes there are no words, that love is, and it always is.
~thank you~
- on April 28, 2012 at 6:13 pm | Reply Erica Staab
  
  I somehow missed this comment… thank you!! I appreciate your words! As always your presence and your words make me smile and bring peace to my heart 🙂
on April 7, 2012 at 12:55 pm | Reply Kind Eyes: The Road to Self-Love… « Erica Staab

[…] delving more deeply into my relationship with something larger than myself (aka God, the Universe, the Mystery) and shared some of that in the Benedictions post, […]
on May 18, 2012 at 11:32 pm | Reply mark lloyd richardson

This is a beautiful post. Blessing is so powerful, I think, because we all long to know that we are loved, valued, known for who we are. You speak of a sense of love and gratitude at the center of our spiritual experience, and it happens when we feel blessed. Thanks. I enjoy your blog very much.
- on May 31, 2012 at 2:13 pm | Reply Erica Staab
  
  Thank you for your kind words! They were a blessing to stumble upon today 🙂
on August 13, 2012 at 10:24 am | Reply Computer Logic

…..May God Pour His Grace upon even farther and Bless your heart and soul so that you can continue to bless with your words of love and blessings. Keep being obident as you are, yield to God when necessary and His light will continue to shine through you like a lighthouse on the edge of the ocean.
on November 5, 2012 at 3:00 pm | Reply Welcome! « Erica Staab

[…] If you are in need of a prayer and blessing wrapped in one. […]