Crowning Glory

Picture: Dahlia "Karma Pink Corona" flower

Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.

Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

Esteem her, and she will exalt you;

embrace her, and she will honor you.

She will set a garland of grace on your head

and present you with a crown of splendor. Prov. 4:7-9

Corona.

We can hardly hear the word without

a spasm of insecurity,

a near-seizure of fear,

a shortness of breath.

News flash:

The invisible has made its power known;

The potent is where we least expect it;

The mysterious has befuddled human minds; and

The transmitted has moved beyond our ability to contain it.

But we are reminded to breathe

because

"corona" actually means garland or crown

and can prompt us to ponder:

What is the crowning glory of our lives -

the greatest,

the most beautiful,

the most defining?

Do we call to mind a crown of gold,

or of thorns?

"Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer...

Be faithful, even to the point of death,

and I will give you the crown of life." Rev. 2:10

To what or whom are we faithful,

and so connected that we are willing to suffer?

Are we faithful in loving

the bodies we're in,

the lives we've been given,

the people with us,

the earth around us?

Could the Quarantine to consider "corona"

be a call to order,

to re-order ourselves,

a forced retreat

into the essence of us

and our crowning glory?

Could the limits upon us and around us

test whether we can access

the limitless in us?

Could the reassessment

cause a restructuring of our days, our time

in which we conference with the Creator,

Zoom-In on our existence,

fix our eyes on virtually everyone,

and reduce our own image of self-importance?

Woe to the crown of pride... Isaiah 28:1

In Revelations, it is the "elders," the holy and the wise,

who lay their crowns before the throne (of God) and say:

"You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for You created all things,

and by Your will they were created and have their being."

Rev. 4:10-11.

What might we consider,

in casting aside our crowns,

to achieve a posture of humility?

Could social distancing give way to

an individual intimacy,

a realization that we are not apart at all -

The glory of the children is their (Heavenly) Father. (Prov. 17)

but part of Good-

part of God-

part of a Body which has no beginning and no end?

Just as there are many parts to our bodies,

so it is with Christ’s body.

We are all parts of it,

and it takes every one of us to make it complete,

for we each have different work to do.

Romans 12:4,5

Could we begin to experience

an eternity and infinitude

inseparable?

For I am convinced that neither death nor life,

neither angels nor demons,

neither the present nor the future,

nor any powers,

neither height nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the love of God

that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom:38-39

Casting our crowns together,

our coronas,

might prove infectious.

Because there Is a Good News flash.

The Invisible is making its power known;

The Omnipotent is where we least expect it;

The Mysterious knows what we cannot;

and The Intangible is touching us, whether or not we feel it.

Let's surely hope and pray

that the word "corona"

will change us all

forever.

You will be a crown of splendor

in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem

in the hand of your God. Isaiah 62:3