This morning I read a quote from Parker Palmer that goes like this:
“We need a coat with two pockets. In one pocket there is dust, and in the other pocket there is gold. We need a coat with two pockets to remind us who we are.”
The quote resonates with me because I remember my great need for God when I think of the dust of my life and sad things happening in my community and all over the world. I think of death and illness most of all. But, in this next pocket, I touch gold.
I cannot know the gold without the dust that reminds me of that from which I’ve been rescued. It’s right and good to walk around with this kind of coat that keeps us dependent, humble, and tender.
Without the gold, we stay in the dust, so I keep a hand in each pocket all day long.