By Lori J. Taylor, M.D.V., October 20, 2014
Jazz great John Coltrane once profoundly shared, “No matter what–it is with God. He is gracious and merciful. His way is through love, in which we all share. It is truly a love supreme.”
Coltrane later released a studio album titled “A Love Supreme,” which is generally considered to be among his greatest works.
As a woman in ministry, I was mainly interested in this album because I had read it was intended to be a spiritual album dealing with struggle and gratitude. The concepts of struggle and gratitude are very familiar to me as I navigate life in the 21st century. I am ever mindful of God’s love toward me in spite of the fact that God knows me as one who is frustrated with the daily grind, yet grateful for the grind; one who is frustrated with being frustrated with being frustrated with the grind, yet grateful to awaken each morning; one who understands that I am made in the image of God, yet live within a structure that is intent on assigning God a gender of masculinity–as Coltrane’s profound statement suggests. However, I know that no matter what the pain, the suffering, or the circumstances, God is gracious and merciful and fully understands my struggle as a woman–as only another woman can.