The Rev. Canon Anne E. Kitch
Canon for Ministry Formation and Transitions
You have not shut me up in the power of the enemy;
you have set my feet in an open place.
Psalm 31:8
Despite my vigilance, the particular worry crowds my morning routine, gnawing at me as I mull it over again and again. It becomes a conversation in my head with myriad declarations, suggestions, concerns, opinions. In my mind, I bat at the voices as if they were a swarm of gnats, trying to clear a path for calmer, more productive thinking.
The more I pull at the stands of this unruly tangle, the deeper I become mired in its complexity until I am lost in a maze of problem solving and cacophony. And there the enemy lurks, whispering at me. I begin to feel battered by annoyance, frustration, and the most treacherous weapon of the enemy, the temptation to demean and belittle.
Yet even in the midst I hear my friend reminding me that I know the antidote. Gratitude. I start over and offer thanks for the possibilities of this day, thanks for the stumbling blocks, thanks for all the people I will meet along the way. And all at once my heart clears. I take a grateful breath and offer thanks to God, who once again has set my feet in an open place.
Image credit: Harman Wardani