Games of the Throne

A recent TV show had a popular tagline “Winter is coming.” And although in the show “Winter” stood for a lot more than weather, snow and cold were often part of the story. And as we transition from a rather harsh winter of our own (although perhaps not as bad as some a long time ago), we so yearn for the green of Spring or the warmth of Summer. It’s the yearning that drives us.

Yearning is the world of religion, poetry, and metaphor. We struggle to put thoughts into words, our ideas in actions, and our actions towards God’s preferred future for creation. Our hearts, minds, and souls seek God on so many levels of consciousness and experience, and that one—usually brief—moment when all is right in the world.

Throughout my life I’ve saved some quotations that have struck me as profound. All of them, it turns out, revolve around a yearning for God’s presence. Some, like St. Augustine’s “Our hearts are restless Lord until they rest in you,” are pretty self-explanatory. Others, like Samuel Johnson’s “It seems that while searching for the meaning of life you have neglected to live,” take some time to ponder and pray about. But in all there is a yearning.

As I now approach the last third of my life (at least according to insurance statistics) the yearning seems more profound. It’s not that I expect answers, or even to satiate the yearning, but rather how grateful I am to still be here to yearn at all. The smile of my grandson transports me to dimensions of reality I had not known existed. Amazing.

My prayer this summer for us, and all our friends, family, and neighbors who are part of lives, is that the yearning finds a home in God. The yearning finds love in the cross of peace. That our yearnings soar on the wings of eagles to bring us to the final throne, the throne of God.

May your tables be full and your conversations be true.

(a little music to pass the time)