By Bettie Reddick
Isaiah 11:6‐9
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
And, until then?
May I not harden and brace in the face of life situations, but may I soften and yield to what is and not to cling so desperately to my perspectives and even to life itself
And, until then?
May I not put off joy. Human beings have the God-spark in us and may I be conscious of it in myself and others
And, until then?
Embrace what is. Respect and cherish others which is possible only if I respect and cherish myself
And, until then?
Know that someone is dancing with me; that is faith
And, until then?
Experience and share grace, which makes people fall in love with God
And, until then?
Be at ease with not knowing
And, until then?
Be the person God intended me to be
And, then?
The earth will be full of Knowledge when the word spoken becomes the word heard
And, then?
We will swim in the ocean of God’s mercy and that ocean will heal creation and cause all of creation to co-exist in harmony.