Responding to Rilke

God speaks to each of us as he makes us,
then walks with us silently out of the night.

These are the words we dimly hear:

You, sent out beyond your recall,
go to the limits of your longing.
Embody me.

Flare up like a flame
and make big shadows I can move in.

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.
Just keep going. No feeling is final.
Don't let yourself lose me.

Nearby is the country they call life.
You will know it by its seriousness.

Give me your hand.

-Rainer Maria Rilke. Translation: Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows, published in Comment, Spring, 2011

Lindsey pointed this poem out to me a few mornings ago, and I couldn't keep the tears from my eyes as I read it; it captures much awareness of the brokenness of life, the boldness of God's call, the struggle for faithfulness, and the desperation for the ultimate fulfillment of God's promises.

I was so touched by Rilke's words that I took a little time to read about his life, and what I found there both shocked and intrigued me. The picture I've selected here (artist unknown) is the most flattering I could find, and the raw solemnity his face holds on all the others belays the abuse he faced and the challenges he encountered (really, do an image search of his name and see what I mean). Walking in the circles of Freud, Nietzsche, Tolstoy, Rodin, and many others, Rilke's mind was steeped in many of the people that have asked some of the most bold and challenging questions of our time. While some might shy away from these types of interactions, for Rilke, the beauty of God's character emerges in his work is all the brighter for it. What a delight!

I find myself simultaneously inspired, humbled, and emboldened by his words.

It has been fun to hear from people about the words Linds and I have recorded on this blog, not to mention all the locations around the globe that people have been looking from, but regardless of location, vocation, race, gender, or even religious conviction, Rilke's words call for response:

...go to the limits of your longing.

For me and Linds, this has taken us through several states, four years of furthered education in multiple fields, an intimidating foray into trans-cultural youth ministry, many profound struggles, even more grand joys, and always an ever-deepening conviction to pursue faithfulness beyond security.

Will you "go to the limits of your longing"? If you were to try, where would it take you? It you are going already, how has it grown you? Seriously, if you've got a minute or two to post, we'd love to hear.

-Drew