Strange intimacy

There is something comforting about attending a church that was established there, in that exact same location, in 1825. Yet the church has a great mixture of the very young, the very old, and lots of folks in the middle. It seems healthy to me.

Yesterday there, my friend Maria who is from China, says to me: "You look different now. I can see it in your face."

"I just don't have my glasses on, Maria. That's all," I said to her, laughing. Maria says things to me that no one else could. Like if I've gained a few pounds or something. Yet she's so innocent and sincere about it, it's not an insult at all. Just honesty.

"No, no, it's not just the glasses," she says. "You have worry now."

I do, a lot of worry, and yet, I have joy, too. I have a lot of amazing, amazing things in my life.

And mostly, I have a real God who is big enough to handle all of the everything that comes along...because nothing surprises Him. He can handle my anger, my stress, my grumpiness, and my frustration, my lack of discipline, even my irreverance...