Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Shout for joy (I didn't say happiness) in your pain

Like one of the Foreign Frog's clumsy China days (http://www.whatspider.net/laowai.html) I also have...one- of -them-days, days. Those days where you don't feel like you fit anywhere on earth. You are not only the square peg in the round hole but you are a shape not even defined in the annals of non-Euclidean geometry . God knows my shape. He made it. I suppose then he can define and refine it. But how come it seems,at times, it just doesn't fit into any niche on this earth. Not in my clothes, my job, my relationships, my family or myself. At other times it doesn't seem as if I could fit any better. Why does life have to be so fickle and sometimes so miserable? Why do humans have to misunderstand one another and think before speaking or acting. Why anything? I suppose a good as answer as any is "Because life is"
Because life is what? It is what it is. It is messy ,sloppy, and with no guaranteed results in this lifetime on earth; often exceptionally obstreporous as well as wonderful. As someone said on tv I think the other day that "I said the answer was simple...not easy" Rather. Hats off to whoever thought of that gem and it's very clear truth. There is a Zulu word, from a song I heard and have been listening to over and over. That word is Zanele (za-nay-lay). It means 'enough' as in "He is enough" or "My grace is sufficient (or enough) for thee" <2> That also happens to be the name of the song. The Soweto Gospel Choir sings it joyfully and victoriously along with the caller and drums. It is a forceful and soaring song, that cuts through lethargy and makes you want to get up and dance. I heard it this morning as I drove at sunrise around 7:30 am I played it over and over and imagined myself dancing with the choir during an African sunrise as we sang together. Nice picture. A joyful picture. I still don't know where I fit except in His heart. I have barbs and rough spots all over my shape that just don't seem to fit anywhere else perfectly. Even then the shape isn't that easy to always bear. What can I do though, except dance His Zanele and shout for joy, as a woman who is in labor ...the shout is of both pain and joy...even if I don't feel it all the time?

1 Comments:

Blogger Tracie said...

That's beautifully written Andrea.

February 25, 2005 at 3:32 PM  

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