Confession… I’ve got nothing! Nadda. Zilch. The well of my brain has run dry.
Recently in one of our worship services I shared with the children that I’ve broken both my arms and legs in my life. Once was when I fell out of the back of a truck and got run over, and another time was when I fell out of a tree. You could say I’m accustomed to pain. Well, you could say that I prefer the physical pains over the pangs of frustration and emptiness I’m feeling as I sit here staring at a blank screen waiting for the inspiration for this article. There’s nothing I can do, and the harder I try, the worse it gets.
Ugh. That’s when it happened. The screen of my phone lit up. “Bubbling Up and Bursting Out!” was the title of the text I received from my good friend Carl. He sends me—and about a dozen other friends—a text every morning at 9AM, and it usually includes a picture or two, an inspirational thought, and a few sentences about what’s going on in his life. I can always count on Carl’s text. On this day when ideas desert me it was especially appreciated.
His message was about a mural that hangs in the corridor between Midway Airport and the “L” in Chicago. It was created by Chicago teens in the After School Matters Prolevel Painting program. The mural started with the boards that covered the ground floor windows of BMO (Bank of Montreal) U.S. headquarters during the protests following the killing of George Floyd in May 2020. BMO invited Chicago students to transform the boards into works of art calling for a more inclusive and just community. Each student shared an individual message in a “bubble” to inspire change.
We are now in a time after Easter. It is a time for bubbling up and bursting out—both literally and metaphorically. Life has burst forth from death.
“For death could not keep him in its grip.” ~ Acts 2:24 NLT.
New life is bubbling up all around us in spectacular and simple ways. We see it through grand revelations and gradual evolutions. We experience it by profound transformations and private conversations. We see new life all around us, if we’re paying attention.
Through death comes life! Through desperation comes inspiration. Through others comes connection. Thank you Carl. Thank you for seeing beauty all around you and for sharing the beauty you see. This is what it means to be Easter people!
Grace and peace,
