As I grow older, it becomes easier for me to see that God’s power is in God’s kindness. Everything I read in the lessons today gives support to the relationship I’ve developed with a kind and compassionate God over the years. Life can be long, and the burdens are great. Yet, God calls us all by name and knows how we struggle. God gives strength to the fainting and vigor to the weak. Isaiah certainly knew God’s faithful kindness to God’s people. It has been also my experience that the Lord is always there to renew our strength if we call on the strength of the Lord’s power. I pray today, that all God’s people would know and not forget that great kindness.
Over the years, that kindness amounts to a very easy relationship with God, if we are open to it. Just look again at Psalm 103. We should be saying “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” over and over again all day long. There are indeed many benefits. We are pardoned, we are healed, we are redeemed, and we are crowned with compassion by our Lord who is abounding in kindness. Yes, life can be long for some of us, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Jesus also calls us with kindness, even tenderness when he offers us rest. But that rest is not from life, but for life. We are called to share the burden of Jesus, yes, but if we learn from him, he promises he won’t make it hard for us. He can do that for us because his power is indeed in God’s kindness.
Barbara Dilly
I came to Creighton in 2000 and retired in 2020. My twenty years of teaching, research and service in the Jesuit tradition enhanced my own life. It was an exciting time of celebration. I loved teaching and interacting with Creighton students because they responded so eagerly to the Ignatian pedagogical emphasis on the development of the whole person. It is this spirit of whole person development and celebration of life that I hope to infuse in my reflection writings.
My academic background is eclectic, preparing me well for the Liberal Arts academic environment at Creighton. I earned my BA in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA in 1988 and my Ph.D. in Comparative Cultures from the University of California, Irvine in 1994. My research focused on rural communities in the American Midwest, Latin America, and Australia. I taught Environmental Anthropology, Qualitative Research Methods, Social and Cultural Theory, and Food Studies courses.
I retired to Shell Rock, a small rural community in Northeast Iowa where I enjoy gardening, cooking, quilting, driving my 65 Impala convertible an my 49 Willys Jeepster. I have lots of fun playing my guitars with friends from the Cedar Valley Acoustic Guitar Association. But most importantly, I am still working to make my community and rural America a better place. I host a community quilt studio and serve on the Mission Board of my church. I also serve as the Climate Committee Chair and on the Executive Board of the Center for Rural Affairs.
