Sept 6, 2026
Dear church,
As the weather and our schedules turn towards fall, with all of the busyness and grief and newness this season can hold, I wanted to offer this blessing by Kate Bowler.
"A Blessing for the Life You Have"
Blessed are you who
hold hope with an open hand.
You who try not to fix your gaze
on time’s far horizon or
get drunk on what might yet be.
And blessed are you who
avoid walking too far down memory
lane, getting stuck wondering if that
was as good as it gets,
if you’ve peaked,
or feeling resentful about all that
has disappointed before.
Blessed are you who know
that sometimes you need
to stay right here.
At least for a minute.
Blessed are you who look
wide-eyed, maybe timidly,
at the present moment,
gazing at those things that
are gently, actually within
the reach of your fingertips.
Blessed are you amid the
ordinary details that define
what life is for you, right now.
And as you see them,
greet them—each one—
as you smile and
call them by name.
Everyday joys. Small pleasures.
Birds chirping. Cat cuddles.
A cold glass of water.
A little child calling your name.
The breeze on your cheeks.
The ocean rhythm.
The perfect pillow.
The kindness of a friend.
Loves that are and were
and ever will be.
May they seem even lovelier,
even more delicious because
they become gifts offered anew.
May gratitude fill you,
reaching all of the spaces within
you that disappointment
left behind and fear has gripped.
May something rise in your heart
that feels like a strange
new kind of contentment.
Because this isn’t what
you had planned, but it
surprises you that even here
it can be good. Satisfying.
In a way that you know you
can come back to. A place that can
sustain you through
whatever may come.
Blessed are you,
finding that life is good
because it is enough.
If you'd like to carry a reminder of this community with you as you go about your beautiful, challenging, everyday lives, we have more "Be Kind" backpack tags available at the front office, or at Kickoff on Sunday, September 13th.
In Christ,
Pastor Reed