大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Nadiyka Gerbish, a Ukrainian writer and podcaster

Happy Chatter

Good morning.

Looking at my daughter鈥檚 friends chatting happily around the table in our small living room, I think about the joy and concealed strength of a community. It's never about one person, but extending myself into caring for the other - and receiving the same kind of care in return. At the end of the day, for me, it all boils down to seeing Jesus in the eyes of somebody and recognizing the divine purpose of care in every single act of service, however small and mundane.

Then cleaning up the post happy chatter mess, I also think that vibrant hospitality, an attitude so crucial to community nurturing, might not be the tidiest thing on Earth. It leaves smudges on our walls, a dented corner or two, the greasy handprints of happy children. They land (and stay) there as if to remind me that a real, full-bodied life is happening right in our small comfort space and that it's far more precious than the ivory-tower-ish neatness of my rules.

It makes me both grateful and weary, but as soon as I'm willing to accept it, the imperfection of it all somehow makes me feel unburdened and, for that matter, freeer and stronger than before. Unreserved kindness, too, inevitably exposes the heart to bruises, smears, and memories not-so-pleasant. But still, somehow, I know it will bear its fruit in its time.

Dear Lord, I thank You for the neighbours You gave me to love and care for. I pray that You would help me be a bridge-builder, always choosing love over fear and courage over self-righteousness.

Amen.