“Know that I am with you; I will protect you wherever you go,” God tells Jacob and his descendents. And Jacob responds with a vow of faith and trust in God as he journeys through a life of uncertainty. Jacob’s story is our own. God does not promise to be with us in a life of certainties. Indeed, the Psalms reveal there is never a dull moment in the lives of the faithful. God’s people are always in danger, distress, despair, and denial, to name just a few of our predicaments. We aren’t promised a life devoid of challenges and chaos. We are instead promised refuge, rescue, relief, and renewal. This dynamic and exciting relationship is not as risky a lifestyle as some might think. It doesn’t mean we are always walking a tightrope or engaging in daring death defying acts like an action adventure hero. But God’s people are a specially challenged population. We are called to a faith that is professed in trust. It takes courage to activate trust.
The Bible contains stories of faith heroes like Jacob, the woman who touched the hem on Jesus’ cloak, and the official who thought his daughter had died. Their faith was not just a profession of belief. It was an active faith in a time of distress and despair. It was made active by their courage. If we read the words of the Psalm several times today and actively apply them to our own lives, we will see where we need to be more courageous in placing our trust in God. Is it our fear of a new journey in life like the one Jacob confronted? Is it the distress of ill health? Is it the despair over the death of a loved one? Is it refuge from an ever present temptation? What ever it is, Jesus calls us to pray courageously, “In you, my God, I place my trust.”
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.
