“We Dwell in Possibility”

My maternal grandmother, my Nana Windsor, was my best teacher in the faith. She always wore an apron in the pocket of which she kept a small, well-worn New Testament. Her favorite Bible verse was Matthew 19:26b, “But with God all things are possible.” She quoted this verse so often that it became somewhat of a family joke. But when times got tough, our first response was “With God all things are possible.” And you know what? It was true.

I began my doctoral program under the tutelage of a wise, powerful, African-American, ordained Presbyterian woman, the Rev. Dr. Joan Martin. As my doctoral colleagues and I looked at the mountains for work ahead of us and ran into the usual roadblocks of dissertation writing, Joan began every pep-talk or period of taking us to task with, “We dwell in possibility” – a phrase not just from Matthew, but also found in an Emily Dickson poem. And sure enough – as we shifted our outlook from the stress of producing flawless academic prose to the work the Holy Spirit inspired within us, we did begin to see that we did, indeed, “dwell in possibility.”

My Nana and Joan taught me much about looking at the difficult, the challenging, the complicated pieces of life, through the lens of “possibility.” It seems to me that Lent is a place where we can practice “dwelling in the possible”. So much Christian teaching is full of negativity around Lent. Lent IS a time of penitence, of self-reflection, self-denial, prayer and study, but these are the tools, not the goals of Lent. Through these tools, we are invited to experience the “possibility” in being God’s people. We are invited to move away from distraction and catch the glimmers of what God intends for the new creation always in process around us. Silencing the usual din of our lives, we find ourselves called into the “possibility” of walking with Jesus and becoming co-creators of the Kingdom of God. Now THAT is “dwelling in possibility!”

“Possibility” has changed my and my family’s Lenten practice. Yes, we do the prayer, discipline and study, but we also find ways to celebrate the “possible.” It has become our tradition to begin again our family walk (discontinued in the snow and ice) as the days lengthen and pick up the trash we find along the roadside as we go. By caring for the part of the Kingdom in our corner of the neighborhood, we offer our stewardship of God’s creation as a light for others to follow. We volunteer on the Saturday’s in Lent at our local animal shelter for the same reason – we “dwell in the possibility” of God’s Kingdom where all are loved and cared for, even the tiniest of creatures. And in the living of it, we make it real for others to see and follow.

This Lent, I invite you to “dwell in possibility.” Let your prayer lead you to something concrete that you and your family can do to show others what is “possible with God.” Invite a lonely neighbor for a tea party, shop or make a meal for Rosie’s together, spend some time reading to folks at the nursing home. In each of these small ways and in countless others, we are beacons of God’s love that point to the “possibility” inherent the Kingdom of God.

Here is Emily's poem as well:

I Dwell in Possibility By Emily Dickinson


I dwell in possibility-
A fairer house than prose-
More numerous of windows-
Superior for doors-

Of chambers as the Cedars-
Impregnable of Eye-
And for an Everlasting roof
The Gambrels of the sky-

Of visitors – the fairest-
For Occupation- This-
The spreading wide of narrow Hands
To gather Paradise

Faithfully,
Elizabeth