I love fringe, those whisps of fabric cascading from the edges of a garment. Like the ever-quieting sound, fringes are whispers. And, like whispers, they can remind us to listen more closely. Thunder demands our attention; fringe silently beckons it.
My Mysterious Mind
Lightning. Thunder. Whispers and fringes. My mysterious mind has been pondering life through these mysterious lenses.
Because light travels faster than sound, we notice lightning before we hear thunder. A flash of light, then a delay as we wait for the thunderous boom. Flash: pay attention. Watch and wait. Then boom.
During the sunrise service on Easter morning, a thunderstorm was brewing in the background. In the middle of the sermon there was a flash of lightning. I held my breath in anticipation of the thunder to follow, waiting to see how God would use the thunder of punctuation. The pastor was describing the encounter Mary Magdalene had with Jesus by the empty tomb, clouded by her grief and confusion, assuming Him to be the gardener. In a flash of recognition, she realized who He really was. “It is the Lord!” BOOM! God provided the exclamation mark with perfectly timed thunder. Like an exclamation mark, thunder makes a statement of something highly important. Lightning alerts us to that something important has arrived.
Scientists discovered there is a flash of light at the moment of conception. Nine months later, for humans, the rumblings and groans of labor are followed by the roaring arrival of a new person. The room grows eerily silent as all wait to hear the whispers of life, the breath, and then the cries of a squirming infant.
Days, weeks, months, years, and usually decades pass. The whispers of breath continue, quietly, usually unnoticed, until suddenly, in a flash, something happens. A stroke. An accident. A heart attack. The exit from life may be coming soon. We wait and watch. Then boom. Death arrives and a life is over.
But most days are not days of lightning flashes and booms of thunder. Most days are the “whisper days,” quietly passing by. Much of life is a whisper. We’re born – BOOM! We live. We die – BOOM! Like lightning and thunder, we notice the flashes and the rumbles of birth and death. The in-between, the whispers, the fringes of life, too often slip by barely noticed.
What kind of day is it today? Has there been a flash of light and you are waiting for the thunder of a birth or a death? Has a storm just passed through, and your world is different because of the arrival or departure of someone you love? Or is today another day of quiet breathing, the whisper of life flowing in and out? Like the fringes on a garment, life is always tapering to increasingly more delicate whispers. And all of it, the lightning, the thunder, and the breathy fringes, are the stuff of life.
Message of Mystery Acres
Thunder is intense in the forest. Perhaps it is the lack of a substantial shelter in which to hide, the sound shaking the flimsy motorhome walls or reverberating off the metal sides of the garage. Rumbles of thunder are unhindered as they echo through the trees and across the hills. No other form of weather makes the forest vibrate.
My husband and I love sleeping in the motorhome during a thunderstorm. Actually, we don’t sleep very well on those nights, but oh, the excitement of it all! During a recent overnight trip, we even had a bit of hail. WOW! The noise was overwhelming. What sounded like boulders hitting the roof wasn’t even noticeable on the ground.
Life in the forest is usually just a whisper. A breeze through the trees creates a gentle hushing sound. On a windless day the sounds of life are limited to occasional bird noises, or, on a heavy, humid evening, the frogs calling. The forest is usually peaceful, full of peace.
The message of Mystery Acres is the sound of life, sometimes a barely audible whisper, at other times a thunderous din. All of it is life. Most days are quiet, the noise of life is easy to miss. The times of thunder remind us to wake up and notice. Life is happening now.
Ancient Mystery’s Voice
“And these are but the fringes of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?” (Job 26:14)
There is only one use of the word “fringe” in the Bible, and that only in one translation, the NIV. The original Hebrew word means edges, parts, or pieces. Job, famous for his tenacious faith during a season of crushing sorrow, described, in the 26th chapter, some of God’s creation. After highlighting the power of the seas and skies, Job summarized these pieces of creation as but the fringes of God’s work, a faint whisper of Him. And, Job wondered, who could possibly comprehend the thunder of God’s power?
Creation whispers of the power of God; thunder proclaims it loudly. Echoing from somewhere far beyond us, thunder makes us feel vulnerable, reminds us that we are vulnerable. Life is here but in a flash then a boom, it may be gone. The day after Easter, lightning flashed as a sudden illness for someone in our church; the next day, boom!, he was gone.
God’s power is displayed in thunder, but it’s also demonstrated in fringe. There’s a story of a woman who merely touched the fringe of Jesus’ clothes for healing. He felt power flow from Him, through the fringe of His garment, into her. She was healed. Sometimes I want a majestic, thunderous miracle; but a tiny fringe one will suffice.
We are living in the fringe of the vast universe of God’s creation. He reminded me of His power during the beautifully timed thunder to punctuate a declaration of “It is the Lord!” Sometimes he reminds me of His authority through thunder in the forest. But He also can be found in the whisper of a breeze in the trees, just a wisp of fringe that holds power.
Ancient Mystery’s Voice challenges us to consider the incomprehensible vastness of God’s power. We experience only a whisper of it, just a fringe, even when it thunders in our lives. We are mortal and vulnerable; He is spirit and invincible. In His love He holds the fringe of us in the limitless garment of His might.
Living in Mystery
What does it mean to live in the mystery of fringe, and the whispers and thunder of life? I love thunder but I wouldn’t want it every day. When life thunders, it gets our attention. Wake up! The quietness of daily life can make us sleepy and complacent. Lightning flashes. Death comes near. Wake up! Pay attention. Life is finite.
Thunder, like death, reminds us to huddle together, with echoes of God’s majesty from somewhere far beyond us. Embrace the knowledge of vulnerability. We are mortal, fragile, whispers that will end. Live in hope and love and joy. Live at peace.
Meanwhile, listen and watch and cherish. Quiet days. Stormy days. All are limited. Punctuated by flashes of lightning, followed by thunder. Seek shelter from the One who is beyond the fringe, behind the thunder, master of the lightning.
On calm days, it’s easy to forget about the whisper of life. So quiet. So constant, like breathing, continuing in the background. Perhaps fringe can serve as a reminder to listen for gentle breathing, evidence of life. When someone breezes past you wearing a garment with fringe, pause and notice your breathing, listen for the breath of those near and dear to you. Here it is, the stuff of life, in the whispers.
As an old mom to young parents, cherish the gentle breath of life in your children through the stormy seasons of childhood and adolescence. In a flash, each child was conceived, in thunder each arrived. In a flash, each departure is signaled, in thunder to depart. Between the flashes is the precious fringe of life, the whisper season. Listen with great care for its beautiful background in your world. This is life, the endless, but someday ending, whisper of breath in an out.
Like the barely audible sounds of breathing, much of life is but a whisper. Like the tapering fringes of a garment, cherish the beautiful whisper season. When lightning flashes, pay attention for the thunder to follow. Huddle closely in unity with those you love. Embrace your vulnerable finiteness. Listen closely, with gratitude, for the whisper breath of life.
Connecting with Mystery
Dear Lord of All Mystery, in this moment help me settle into the beautiful whisper of life, the mere fringe of all You have created. Help me stay awake to the precious finiteness of life during the long seasons without lightning or thunder. When lightning flashes and thunder disrupts the peace of my world, help me huddle closely to those I love, surrendering to the power of Your authority and love. Amen.
Notes from Dr. Mac
If you want to do your own investigation of any of the scriptures I use, I suggest you go to Bible Gateway. This free online version of the Bible allows a search of words or phrases in various translations. I encourage you to read Job 26, starting at verse 7.
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