So you want a revelation

Khalil Gibran Garden, northwest DC. 2012.

The revelation occurred as I was chugging through my to-do list. It didn't come via lightning bolt or earthquake. No heavenly chorus or sudden blindness. It was not about my past or future. It did not bring answers or invite questions. It was simply a fact, quietly stated: Everything is as it should be.

The revelation stood there with its head cocked to one side, hands in its pockets, rocking slightly on its heels. It didn't want acknowledgment; it just wanted to sit with me as a bruising weight lifted off my heart and a deep, comforting solidity -- like being under three wool blankets in winter -- settled over me instead.

Secure in that warmth, I understood it signaled rightness. Not right in the sense of correct -- right in the sense of good. Moreover, it did not signal that everything was perfect, or happy, or easy. But it did show that I was surrounded and buoyed, supported and believed in -- in short, loved.

I encountered a quote from Kahlil Gibran earlier this week that said, "When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in the heart of God."" That's where my revelation put me: square in the heart of God, to-do list and all.

I better write this down. I might need it later.

Prayer #210: Jailbreak

Spirit of subtlety and strength: Dismantle the cell that has welded itself around my faith and left me no room to swell with love for You. Disregard the padlock. Tear it off. Reach in and pull out what's left of my groggy, soggy soul. Resuscitate at will. Remind me what it -- and You -- are capable of when you're together.

Amen.