When we say we sense something in the marrow of our bones, we mean that we sense some truth deep down inside us, at the very core of our being. And although we say this in a metaphorical and perhaps even metaphysical sense, there’s some physical truth involved in the saying. As someone who has had my bone marrow tapped a couple of times (a wonderful experience…) I know what the doctors found there. They found my stem cells, those building blocks of who I am, telltale signs of what makes me, me.
Those of us who feel called to lives of faith sense that call deep down at our centers in a way that is even more profound and meaningful than the biological material that makes us who we are. We sense a quiet voice that beckons us toward a presence that has been named God for us, a divine light that both urges us to serve others and invites us into communion. That’s what we feel, in the marrow of our bones, and so we respond.
Ask yourself in silence: What do I sense in the marrow of my bones? What is at the very core of my being?
With thanks to my wife, Sue, and our good friends, John & Karen and Larry & Dianne, for this “word of the day challenge” and for good conversation and lots of laughter around the table last night. These kinds of evenings remind me of all that is important in life. Yet another thing I can sense in the marrow of my bones.
