That Which Connects Us

We've all been through tough times.  None of us are immune from pain, struggle, or brokenness.  The commonality of pain and brokenness binds us together as humans.  We may not all be in the same socio-economic bracket or drive the same car or live in the same suburban neighborhood but it's the reality of pain, struggle, even death that binds us and reminds us all of the fragility of life.  

I'm reminded in my own life of what was once strong and vital becoming weak and powerless.  My mother gave life to me, raised me, soothed my hurts as a young boy.  She calmed my aching heart when my dad died when I was ten years old.  She listened to me non-judgmentally when I was 11 and told her that I had stolen a toy car from a local neighborhood store.  She stood proudly as I graduated from high school; the first of her children to do so.  And when her life became too weak in that she could no longer take care of her own needs she trusted me to care for her, love her, watch over her.  She trusted me to make the tough decisions that pertained to her physical health and when she could no longer offer me wise counsel she became a child; my own.

Pain and struggle come to us all.  We might be fit and active today but there will come a tomorrow when the strong become weak, when the independent become needy, and when the proud are humbled.  It's what connects us as human-beings.

I'm reminded in the Hebrew Scriptures in the book of Isaiah of these words:  

"...those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength;
they will fly up on wings like eagles;
they will run and not be tired;
they will walk and not be weary." 
(Isaiah 40:31 Contemporary English Bible)

May you fly with the eagles.  May you run and not give out of breath.  May you walk the path that God has laid before you.  May you see your life in holy connection to those around you which ultimately binds us together even in the face of pain and struggle.