Spirit of God, who dwells in all creation,
I allow you to love me without reservation.
Blessing of the Well
If you stand
at the edge
of this blessing
and call down
into it,
you will hear
your words
return to you.
If you lean in
and listen close,
you will hear
this blessing
give the story
of your life
back to you.
Quiet your voice.
Quiet your judgement.
Quiet the way
you always tell
your story
to yourself.
Quiet all these
and you will hear
the whole of it
and the hollows of it:
the spaces
in the telling,
the gaps
where you hesitate
to go.
Sit at the rim
of this blessing.
Press your ear
to its lip,
its sides, its curves
that were carved out
long ago
by those whose thirst
drove them deep,
those who dug
into the layers
with only their hands
and hope.
Rest yourself
beside this blessing
and you will
begin to hear
the sound of water
entering the gaps.
Still yourself
and you will feel it
rising up within you,
filling every emptiness,
spring forth
anew.
~ Jan Richardson
Spiritual Practice: Prayer of Imagination
Still yourself. Imagine yourself walking through a wilderness for hours. You are very tired and thirsty. Your water bottle has been empty for a long time and your lips are parched. If only you had brought more water with you. You come upon a well and just the thought of water, fills you with joy. You sit on the rim of the deep well and look deep down into the well in search for the sight of water. You see it but you have no rope or bucket to reach the water. Your heart sinks! Just then you see a person walking toward you. It's Jesus. He greets you with a smile and sits with you on the rim of the well. He asks you if you would like a drink of water. You tell him how thirsty you are after a long journey in the wilderness. Jesus gets up and dips his bucket in the water. You hear the sound of the water as the bucket is submerged into the water. He draws the bucket up from the deep well. With a smile Jesus offers you a drink. He says tenderly, "Beloved, have a drink. It will quench your thirst and fill you anew". You experience the cool water touching your parched lips, and in your mouth and throat. You feel the water entering the gaps and rising up within you filling your emptiness. You are refreshed and renewed. Your energy returns. You thank Jesus. He says, "You are very precious to me. Let me love you. I hope you can hear these words. Let these words sink into every corner of your being and fill you. You are my "Beloved."
Reflection questions:
What was it like to be tired and thirsty and have no water?
How did you experience Jesus? What was he like and how did he treat you?
What was it like to be filled with fresh cool water?
What has been happening as you say this phrase each day, "Spirit of God, who dwells in all creation, I allow you to love me without reservation."
Song
Thirst No More by Sandra McCracken
Resources:
D'Arcy, P. (2007) Daybreaks: Daily Reflections for Lent and Easter. MO: Liguori Publisher.
Nouwen, H. (1998). Life of the Beloved. New York, NY: Crossroads Publishing Company
Richarson, J. (2015). Circle of Grace. Orlando, FL: Wanton Gospeller Press.
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