Ramah Faith

       “A voice was heard in Ramah,
              wailing and loud lamentation,
                      Rachel weeping for her children;
                             she refused to be consoled, 
                                   because they are no more.” 
                                             (Matthew 2:18 NRSV)

The above passage, drawn from the book of Jeremiah by the writer of Matthew’s Gospel, takes us to the bone. Transported to Ramah, we feel Rachel’s loss and suffering. We stand with her in the timelessness of her grief.

Perhaps you, too, know inconsolable loss
              of loved ones,
                     of health,
                            of relationships,
                                   of childhood,
                                          of dreams,
                                                 of innocence,
                                                        of job,
                                                               of....

Standing in the truth of loss and choosing faith is a hard thing. A Ramah Faith is one baptized in tears—and in fire. It is a gritty, hard-edged faith that has moved beyond politeness and into fierce-eyed determination. It is a faith that asks questions that may never, in this lifetime, meet their answers. It’s a faith that gets us out of bed in the morning when we want only to curl our knees into our chest, close our eyes, and sink into unknowing. It’s feeling that…and getting up anyway.

A Ramah faith lives with its scars.

Do you stand alongside Rachel? Have you have survived or are you dwelling this moment in Ramah? Then please consider joining our online community. Beginning next week, visit our site at www.RamahFaith.com, where you can express the truth of your loss in a variety of creative forms. Also, you can suggest ways we can serve as your supportive community in your Ramah season. Have questions?