Isaiah (6A)

After writing this morning’s post on Isaiah, during my devotional time with Vickie we read the following (it was the first time I have read it). When I was finished reading aloud I said, to Vickie, “This is along the lines of what I was writing about this morning.”

It is by Mary Hull Mohr, who is a retired professor of English at Luther College, it appears on page 56 of Daily Readings from Spiritual Classics, edited by Paul Ofstedal, Augsburg Press.

“ ‘No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.’ John Donne

“The temptation to make islands of our lives is a powerful one. Islands are places of escape. They represent for us idyllic retreats where we can indulge our fantasies and take refuge from the hectic pace that drives our lives. On islands we seem to be capable of going it alone, protected by water from unwelcome visitors.

“But Donne says, ‘We are not islands, but pieces of the continent, parts of a whole.’ There is no retreat from other parts of God’s creation. We are connected to each other. We are part of each other.

“We cannot think of our actions as private, affecting only us or our family. We contribute to the whole of God’s creation. Just as no country in today’s world can afford to consider its own future apart from the world situation, so no individual can go it alone. About this we have no choice.

“Why do we have this illusion of privacy? Why this belief that we can create our own lives in any way we wish if we do not consciously harm others? Our desire to control our own futures on our own private island is strong. But this desire to control is, in fact, a sign that we are out of control, that we are not willing to be a part of God’s plan, a part of his creation, a part of the continent.

“Dear god, help us to control our desire to create our own little worlds, to make islands out of our families, our own communities, our own churches. Teach us to feel at home in the continent of your creation. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

AMEN