by Sister Beverly Raway
There are days when God’s message – to take life lightly and with a big dose of humor – is so clear you have to laugh out loud. Thursday, March 9th, was one of those days.
After seeing one of our Sisters off, I was heading back to my room, and boarded our elevator on the ground floor. I had just used the elevator to help transport luggage, and so was not anticipating what happened next. The elevator closed, moved up almost one floor, bounced and stopped dead.
I knew right away that I was in for a long stay. I tried a few buttons but to no avail, then pushed the phone button for help. A pleasant voice responded and let me know someone would be coming. She encouraged me to ring the alarm bell every few minutes to let people know on what floor the elevator was. After responding to a few questions, I sat down on a folding chair kept in the elevator for just such emergencies.
I was heading to my room to meditate on the readings for the day, and so had a copy of Give us This Day in hand. It was quiet and comfortable so I settled in quickly to read and reflect. The day’s readings began with Psalm 37 and seemed tailored especially for me. In verse seven I read, “Be still” … “wait in patience”, and I started to laugh and rang my bell.
Next, the Lord said, “Calm your anger… do not fret” – more laughter and more bell ringing. And finally, “Wait for the Lord”… “The Lord helps them and rescues them.” By this time I was laughing a good belly laugh, and then the final word from the Gospel of the day was Matthew 7:7-12, “Knock and the door will be opened.” By that time, there were people outside asking me if I was ok, and between much laughter, I shared the reason for my glee.
I was rescued after 30 minutes, and these good words followed me for many days. I hope you too, in this Lenten season, are finding a time of stillness, patience and joy, knowing that, in any troubles you encounter, you can call on the Lord who rescues those who knock. God talks to us wherever we are, even stuck between floors in an elevator.