Your one "wild and precious life"

23Jul
We can never ransom ourselves, 
or deliver to God the price of our life;

For the ransom of our life is so great, 
that we should never have enough to pay it.
-Psalm 49:6-7

Have you ever really contemplated the infinitesimal chances of your birth? I mean really thought about it? In my career, I had a chance to work closely with an embryologist who clearly understood the chances. One day, a woman was complaining about something not life-threatening, and implied that life wasn’t worth living if that particular thing didn’t go her way. My friend Kay, said, “I don’t think she understands what a gift life really is.” Kay went on to talk about the science. A baby girl is born with all the eggs she will ever have, and at puberty her ovaries release just one most months. Sperm on the other hand is more plentiful—35 million to 750 million “per use”. So…a particular woman has to meet up with a particular man on a particular day and one particular egg and one particular sperm must find one another, and implant in a good spot. Then, there are a large number of miscarriages before a woman even realizes she is pregnant, and further along in pregnancy, there are more miscarriages and stillbirths. You get the picture. Each one of us is a cosmic miracle-a singular gift to the world—a most precious child of a loving God.


Given this gift, I believe there are questions to be answered, probably daily: 

Will I honor and fall in love with the precious creation that I am, with all my warts and imperfections— actually forgiving myself my mistakes and imperfections?
Knowing what causes me suffering, will I refuse, under any circumstances whatsoever, to inflict that suffering on someone else?
Will I do what is in my power to alleviate the suffering of others?
Will I take the time to stop and really see the beauty that surrounds me?
Will I stop scrolling on my phone to really listen to someone? To have an intimate conversation?
Will I attempt to hold my pain, sadness, worry, in one hand and joy in the other?
Will I take another look at Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Summer Day”, and once again ask myself, “What is it I plan to do with my one wild and precious life?”


Poetic Reflection - The Summer Day - Mary Oliver


Loving God, help me to grasp fully Your phenomenal gift of my life and to respond with “thank you”, “thank you”, “thank you”. Amen

PsalmsThankfulnessPentecost

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