Day 73 The Every-day-ness of things

 

     Woke up at 3 am today. Wide awake, projects needing to be done beckoning me. I thought over the cost the change to my schedule might bring and decided against getting up to tackle any chores. I sang hymns in my mind until I fell back asleep. Then at 5 am, the alarm, still forgottenly set for work, woke me up again. So here I am, Sunday stretching before me.

This morning, I can't help but wonder what I'm supposed to do. The every-day-ness of my life sometimes seems to be so far away from a grand plan. There used to be an expression when I was young, "They are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good." I guess in some ways, I am that person. Looking for the divine plan to be revealed for a greater good, a broader scope, a bigger outlook, and all the while somewhat disdaining the mundane such as laundry, dishes, paying bills, washing pets, and the like. Where does this illusion come from? Why is it that many of us are forever planning our tomorrows and ceasing to live to the fullest in the now?

I'm not sure, this I do know. Each moment is a mixture of all; thinking about the past, living in the present and planning for the future. The Bible is full of this anomaly. We build on the past, it's triumphs, failures and lessons. We give, live, and interact in the now. We plan, prepare and look forward to the future.

So, with that being said, how do I learn to be happy in the moment, accepting what I have, who I am, and having the awareness that God supersedes, superintends, orchestrates and watches over every step I take? For me, it is a journey of faith, as if I am walking on a suspended bridge over a deep ravine. Occasionally that bridge starts to swing and I lose my footings. I have to reach up, grab God's hand to steady me. The bridge is enormously long, and the end of it gets hidden from view by the mountain clouds filling the deep ravine. I call out, I pray, losing hope that the end will ever come. Sometimes, there are missing places in the bridge and I have to move carefully, placing each foot in front of me with care. I hang on tightly to the edges of the rope supporting the bridge, making my way along.

  Analogy aside, the song, "Each step I take, the Savior walks besides me, and with his hands he gently leads the way" runs through my mind. All of the devotionals I read written my anyone who has had a substantial time of walking with Jesus agree on one thing, this walk is a journey. In that journey there are mountains to climb, valleys to go through. Through all of these obstacles, God will help us through as we turn to Him, seek His face and will, and trust and obey. He will never forsake us. We may suffer, we may go through the fire, but we will make it through the to the other side, whether in this world or the next.

And so, what is the practical application for how to be grounded in this world while preparing for the next? Well, I believe it's finding the right balance. My understanding of what God wants for my life, can't be your understanding. It's a very personal walk where each individual finds the path God has chosen for them. Yes, there are some givens, some mutually accepted premises that it's the wiser course to follow. That's where religion, law, culture come in. They define a code of behavior that is mutually agreed upon. In Christianity, it often happens that the standard norm of the culture contradicts what we believe, and it is there that the challenges begin.

So back to the every-day-ness of life, the basics. We need food, we need shelter, we need water, we need clothes, we need money to get those things, we need a job or resource to get money. Those elements prescribe that certain things need to be done. In this country, most of us have the luxury of being able to achieve those things with time left over. It's not that way everywhere. Many places people have to work all their waking hours just to achieve those things. The fact that thousands, maybe millions aren't achieving even the basics is a sobering thought that challenges each of us to look at how we might help.

For this short moment, I am in a work routine where I work five days a week, support my family, and have time left mostly on the two weekend days to pursue brief moments to myself and my family. Often I feel rushed to try to get things done, and accept that some things never get done the way I wish they could get done.

Working towards the greater good, I have to accept that as I do my job, the hope is that as I show care and understanding to my clients, perhaps they will change and "pay it forward" so to speak by stopping their criminal activities, and addictive use. Perhaps I can be light in a dark place at work?

My family, pushed to the side often by my work schedule, I can pray for. Often I'm too tired, or too busy to spend time with them, and the nagging awareness of this lack comes knocking on my mind. Moms and grandmothers who work miss out on so much. But then, if I broaden my horizon to a global outlook, there are mom's and grandmothers in other places who suffer because they don't have the food to feed their children, the medical care to help their sick children, the strength because of their own illnesses to care for their children.

I guess, it's important to use the Bible as a resource to gauge my life by, "Having food and clothes, be content." There was another song sung in the church I grew up in, "Brighten the corner, where you are. Brighten the corner where you are. Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar, brighten the corner where you are."

An Oregonian, who loves the Columbia River, this song is especially significant. Near Astoria, where the mouth of the mighty Columbia River meets the ocean, the sand collects in vast, underwater bars. These bars have sunk many ships over hundreds of years. Now we have "bar pilots" who are required to be on the huge ships to pilot them safely across to deep water.

Jesus is the God of the now, the every-day, and the future. Celebrating his birthday, Christmas, I will try to be in tune with Him and the season, learning to celebrate in the now and the every-day-ness of my life.

Today, in your every-day life, take hope in the knowledge that God loves you. He will guide you across the troubled seas to a safe harbor as you continue to place your hand in His. Have a blessed day and I'll talk at you soon.

(P.S. getting ready for church just now, the thought came to me to look in a certain place for my camera. (After looking for several weeks without finding it). I looked and it was there! Hurray! I will transfer the photos today. Thank you God!)