Last weekend there were fifteen of us who gathered at our farm in Western Maryland. This is a parcel of land we call "the meadow" and is carved out for friends, family and spiritual gatherings. It is picturesque and far removed from the daily distractions of our everyday life. It is a place to regroup your senses and become engulfed by God's love and nature's simplistic and profound beauty. Our purpose or what we thought, was to develop planning strategies for The Meadow's Spiritual Development Forum, beginning in October. From knowing these fifteen friends, I knew they have been walking deeply with God for many years but what began as a group to plan the Meadow's SDF became much more.

 

      As the weekend moved on, we shared meals, personal stories and the stories of several who had walked and are still walking in the dark challenging afflictions of this life. We identified with our God as our rescuer, but more importantly the God who never leaves us and loves us much deeper than our own comprehension. The roads we had traveled, debilitating illness, death of ones so dear, troubled marriages, and stresses of everyday life, we found were travelled by us all but differently. The stories we shared opened questions filled with raw pain and the mystery of why. Why had we experienced such pain?

 

      No answers were found to the mystery of why we experience these things, but we discovered that's not what's important. The important common thread was that in our times of darkness, God had never left us. Not one! In fact He seemed even closer, wrapping His arms around us with an embrace so tight that our only outlet was not to lean on our own understanding of our circumstances but become encompassed by the power of God's unending, ever perfect love and grace for us. The honesty exposed in the depth of reaction to pain, despair, and sorrow was so rich, so deep, and so refreshing that this response to God became breathtaking!

 

It says in Psalm 133:1

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in unity"

 

      At the very heart of The Meadow, it became a place of healing and safety, a place of beauty and growth. We experienced a richness that only those in community can experience.  As we dwelled in the Meadow, the Meadow became not just a place but a culture designed by God. The culture of fellowship with others and with Him. A place to enjoy and love God and each other. A place of self-examination, confession and forgiveness, praise and thanksgiving. It was a closeness that comes through intimacy and honesty with others and the One who created us!

 

 

www.meadow4.org

The Meadow | 1933 Shanklin Ave | Parkville | MD | 21234| 443-425-4729 (Bob Arnold)