Friday, April 25
Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter Zion.
—Song of Solomon 52:2
What we don't realize is that our very sleepiness and resignation is all that keeps us bound. We may feel precariously wedged within the web, but the web truly is surprisingly frail.
When we are ready to break free, we need only shake ourselves, see the dust fly, feel the filament being broken, and step into the divine grace of freedom.
To begin, try this. Take a few moments to quiet yourself and then imagine the web of work, relationships, demands, financial concerns, advertising gimmicks that surrounds you. Feel the pressure that it puts on your mind and soul. Observe yourself going limp in the middle of the web. Watch particles of dust drop silently over you until you are as foggy as the ocean behind a cloud of mist. Then notice that the Spirit of the Holy One is calling to you to wake up.
At first the voice is faint—no more than a whisper. Then it becomes stronger, and you can feel your heart beginning to beat more quickly. You long to respond. You lift your head and begin to stretch your limbs. The threads of the web push out in tandem with your cat-like stretch.
Note that the web is not as taut as you thought. Begin to shake yourself and witness the dust and filament of the web disappear like the tiniest atoms into the unseen air.
O God, wake me from the cobweb of life that keeps me from breathing, and fill me with the possibility of freedom.
The Signposts for April are written by Renée Miller and originally appeared on explorefaith.org in May 2004.
