Relationship

Being Chosen…

Anticipation…thrill…excitement…some of the feelings that accompany the thought of being chosen. As a child, I recall feeling a surge of these and more while raising my hand and waiting…longing to be chosen for one of the “premium” tasks during the school day. That is, the tasks that would get one out of the classroom (bringing books back to the library, clapping out the chalkboard erasers, etc.). I also recall these feelings while waiting to be chosen for a team during recess or gym class. So many times of waiting to be chosen during recess games of “red rover, red rover send … right over,” where the object was to break through the chain of hands on the opposite side.

As I think about it, I also remember feeling worry and anxiety in the instances where I was not chosen until further down line, or at all. Then there were the times of not breaking through the red rover line or not performing as I had hoped when it was my turn to “step up to the plate.” It is interesting how as we grow up, the aspects of the games of childhood follow us. They remain, only the structure morphs into adult forms (competing for a job, putting an offer in for a home, etc.). Just as in childhood, some seem to end up better off than others and the temptation is often to fend for oneself only.

Thankfully God does not play the same way that we do. In the Gospel of Luke, Zacchaeus, the tax collector, who is short (both physically and in the eyes of the crowd due to his profession) is trying to see Jesus. We are told it is Jesus’ intention to simply pass through Jericho. There is a crowd in between Zacchaeus and Jesus. He cannot see over or through them. He cannot break through the “red rover line.” In human terms, “game over.”

However, Zacchaeus, led by his desire to see who Jesus is, notices a sycamore tree, runs over to it and climbs up. Jesus sees him and calls to him. Imagine what it was like for Zacchaeus to be seen and called by name by the One whom he was trying to see. Not only that, but Jesus is moved from his original intent of just passing through Jericho to instead stay at Zacchaeus’ house.

How wonderful for Zacchaeus! But that’s not what the crowd seems to think. They “grumble” in disbelief. They are not able to share in the joy with which Zacchaeus receives Jesus’ invitation. I wonder what it would have been like if the crowd had been able to be happy for Zacchaeus.

Perhaps, though, what matters most is that Zacchaeus and Jesus are not affected by the crowd’s dismay. They continue in the direction they have been called. They continue their encounter. As a result, we see a moment of conversion and the grace of God which reaches far beyond any line. Like Zacchaeus, we are all invited, we are all chosen by God. What a thrill!

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At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
“Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house.”
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
“He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
“Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times over.”
And Jesus said to him,
“Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost.”
– Luke 19:1-10

Roots…

As I look around I see trees of autumn colors, squirrels foraging and leaves falling and drifting…floating…turning and twisting…blown around in the breeze as they make their way to the ground. It is striking how marvelous God’s handiwork is. There is so much motion, so much work, in one way or another, almost all the time.

I find it intriguing that so much in nature tolerates and adapts to changes in the air, while maintaining its essence. For example, at its core, a tree remains a tree whether or not it has leaves. Its roots, trunk and branches, for the most part, remain the same season-in and season-out. One could say that a tree remains faithful to its purpose despite the shedding of its leaves and the scurrying and flurrying of animals around it. Also, while a tree may sway with the wind, it is rooted in its stance, often bending and rarely breaking, in the overall scheme of things. How important healthy roots are.

Many years ago, I recall so vividly seeing the roots of a tree as it was being pummeled by gale force winds. With each gust, the tree swayed. The grass around it started to lift as the winds continued and the roots underneath were exposed.

It seemed certain that the tree would topple, but it did not. My father and a neighbor braved the storm and worked quickly to tether the tree. In those moments, despite the storm, the root of humanity was exposed. My father and the neighbor were drawn out of the safety and warmth of their homes, helping each other and the tree to weather the storm. As a result many roots grew stronger that day.

Be faithful and helpful, and allow others to do the same.

roots

Action flows from Passion…

“One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.” I recently heard this E.M. Forster quote while listening to a eulogy. I am sure we can all think of people whom we consider passionate.

I wonder though, what makes me see someone as passionate? How do I recognize passion? Do I seek to support and encourage it? Am I intimidated by passion? Do I only encourage that which falls within my understanding or my way of doing things? How do I try to see the root of my, or another’s, passion? Or, do I just make assumptions about desires, whether they are mine or someone else’s?

Over the years, I have come to believe more strongly that God places desires within us and when we are attentive, looking more closely at our desires, God helps us to sift through them. God helps us to focus on our desires that are best, helping us “to stir into flame the gift of God…” (2Timothy 1:6). In this process, as one continues to pray with a desire, passion is often born and a path begins to unfold.

The more consistent the prayer…sharing with God one’s thoughts and feelings…the waiting and listening, the stronger the passion, trust and patience grows. Anyone can care about something, but unless one cares enough to not only do something, but to do something that is born of prayer and fueled with a passion shaped by God, little changes in a way that is truly beneficial.

“The thought of God’s presence will put us in the habit of doing God’s will.”
– St. Vincent DePaul

Why is that important? Simply put, God’s will and way is the only One that truly benefits all. Try as we may, or give up as we may, in terms of desire and passion, there are always things that are beyond my control, but not beyond God’s. God’s will sees possibility and solutions when all we may see is roadblocks and impossibility.

“If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.” – Psalm 95

In order to hear God’s voice, I must stop using mine, at least temporarily. I must take time regularly for solitude and prayer if I want to have a sense of God’s will for me. How can God reveal the way to me without having my attention? I must listen with open ears…open mind and heart.

There are times when we all get off track or take what we believe God wants for us and run with it. Times when we are off to the races only to have things unravel down the road. Sometimes we can get impatient when things are not happening fast enough, or in a way that we can see, and we leave God behind. We can be tempted into interactions with God that are more like a baton being handed off to us along the race, rather than like a tandem. We can forget that we (oneself and God) are in it together, and for the duration.

“For the vision is a witness for the appointed time,
a testimony to the end; it will not disappoint.
If it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.” – Habakkuk 2:3

I need to remind myself “The word of the Lord remains forever…” (1Peter 1:25). It helps me to grow in faith. A faith that is not stagnant, but that challenges me to be all that God created me to be. I need to listen and allow myself to be directed.

action

Wondrous…

When you love you should not say, “God is in my heart,” but rather,
“I am in the heart of God.” And think not you can direct the course of love,
for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
– Kahlil Gibran

A young seal slowly traverses the sand toward the shore. A sight I have never seen before in the location where I stand. As it journeys, it pauses along the way, sometimes a longer, more drawn out pause, as if it were giving up. The three to four hundred feet to the shore seem more like miles as I observe. The seal is not alone though. With each stop, a steady, patient companion encourages the seal on, and soon a couple more join in support.

As I witness this journey from sand to shore, it makes me think of what happens when one catches a fish. As it is reeled in and out of the water, you can see it floundering. Then as it is removed from the hook or net, it continues to flounder back and forth, with even more vigor. However, once it is released back into water, it finds its bearings and once again, it swims.

We all have moments in life where we flounder as well as moments where we see others floundering. In some of those times, we may be close by or intimately involved and in other times, we may be watching from a distance. In either case, we can pray in a way that is up close and personal. Whether we realize it or not, our hopes and prayers are often the beginning steps toward God’s wondrous love flowing through us.

When we begin with and persevere with prayer, the path frequently becomes clear, showing us when and where it is time to act and when and where it is time to stand by, silently supporting and encouraging or allowing others to support and encourage us…waiting with hope and confidence…always trusting that we will reach the sea.

seal

“What wondrous love is this” arranged by Peder Eide

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this
That caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down Beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

What wondrous love,
What wondrous love is this.

To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb,
Who is the great I AM,
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
While millions join the theme, I will sing.

To God and to the Lamb I will sing.

Waves of opportunity…

About a week ago, I was at the beach experiencing the powerful, driving wind and waves created by a storm that was off-shore. As I watched there was one wave after another. At times there were waves on the way out crashing into ones that were incoming. As wave after wave came, there were also gusts of wind that were almost constant, some carrying with them droplets or a fine mist of sea water.

While I would not want to be offshore, in the throes of the storm, it was an invigorating experience from where I stood. There was so much movement around…awakening so many senses…stimulating body, mind and soul. With each wave, sand, rocks, seaweed and more washed on shore, some remaining there and others swept back out to sea by the outgoing current. All of them, though, changed, whether visible or not, to varying degrees and, at the very least, by physical location.

Sometimes with lots of motion around us, things…more than things—people, values, sense of direction—can get lost or distorted in the shuffle. The moment of encounter can slip away…the opportunity for birth or re-birth that comes with each wave, whether gentle or rough and tumble, missed. Like the waves though possibility often reaches the shore, and beyond.

In the Gospel according to Luke, the tax collectors and sinners recognized Jesus as a source of Light, found treasure (their lost coin), so they draw near to him. The Pharisees and scribes had chosen a different kind of treasure. They believe they already “have it all.” They hold, or manipulate and control, power and all that they can. They are filled up with this “treasure” and all the illusion that comes with it. There is no room for anything else.

In order for the Pharisees and scribes to receive Jesus, they would need to let go of their love of power and control, and their fear of losing it. They would need to look beyond themselves. Without openness and meaningful encounter, living with greater purpose cannot occur.

“Never mistake motion for action.” – Ernest Hemingway

nantasketwaves

In the Clouds…

A calm peaceful feeling stirs within as I watch the clouds make their way across the light blue sky on a breezy, sunny Sunday morning. Looking on I see clouds that vary in size, some even appearing to stretch…grow…spread out as they drift by. How similar to life.

Each event in one’s life varies. Although some experiences may seem to be the same or “repeats,” oftentimes there is something, even if ever so slight, that differs. The opportunity for change, of any kind, is always within and around us.

Some days there are storm clouds. Other days there are puffy, cotton ball clouds that seem like a soft place to rest. Then there are the streaking, strained or dissipating clouds, and still, other days there are no clouds at all. Whatever the day, the clouds are always passing. Sometimes they pass slowly and sometimes more quickly. What remains throughout and beyond though, is hope…possibility…Light.

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”
– Walt Whitman

Clouds

How Now?

Sometime ago I came across a poem titled “Wage Peace,” by Judyth Hill*. I found the title so striking as I had never seen the words “wage” and “peace” side-by-side before. How fitting. Given the current state of civilization, it seems to be exactly what we need. Instead of each person’s outrage, disbelief or heartache turning to anger, a sense of helplessness, hopelessness, or even worse, indifference, imagine what could be if it was turned into a passion for peace….a drive toward love.

While it may seem impossible or too big for individuals to make a difference in such a way, it is not, nor has it ever been. Throughout time, many an obstacle has been overcome and humankind been made better off through movements begun by an individual(s). In much the same way, movements that have led to our falling down…to our detriment, have been started. As always, the choice of which movement is ours, but indifference is not.

Movements fueled by hate and intolerance at the center can only continue if we allow them to be bigger and brighter than our passion for peace, love, and all that is truly good. There is no limit to the power of God. We have to believe in order to retrieve the passion to withstand and rise above the chaos and confusion…to stand up for what is right and just…to restore unity in our homes, in our communities, in our country, and in our world.

We are One. We need to take that to heart, to own it and promote it, before we are none.

How? Know yourself. Dive deep down into your core. Rediscover who you are, who you were created to be. Be rooted in that place, and be sincere to your true self in all your endeavors. By doing so, no matter what comes your way, you will be saved as will the world around you, through you. For God is faithful to those who are faithful to God.

LilyPadFlower2

“Believe! Everything is possible to one who has faith.” – Jesus Christ

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” – Buddha

“Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.” – Dalai Lama

“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” – Rumi

“There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” – Mahatma Ghandi

“How wonderful is it that nobody need wait a single moment
before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank

“To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; To put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; To put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; We must first set our hearts right.” – Confucius

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water
to create many ripples.” – Blessed Mother Teresa.

“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.” – Rabindranath Tagore

“We cannot live in a world that is not our own, in a world that is interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a home. Part of the terror is to take back our own listening, to use our own voice, to see our own light.” – Hildegard of Bingen

“There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled.” – Rumi

“So I say to you, ‘Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find;
knock, and the door will be opened for you.’” – Jesus Christ

 

*http://voiceseducation.org/content/38-judyth-hill-wage-peace

 

Angels Among Us…

This past week as my daughter celebrated a birthday, I found myself recalling an experience I had on the day that she was born. The circumstances were such that my husband needed to stay with our 2-year-old son and so my daughter and I were alone at the hospital that night. I remember being exhausted as well as happy and then later, so sad.

No explanation beyond labor for being exhausted. I was happy…grateful…that my daughter had been born and was doing okay and then I felt so sad that my husband wasn’t able to be there for the birth of our daughter. He was able to come for a short visit afterward, but now as the day was coming to end, it was just me and my daughter. We were alone in the room and she still wouldn’t nurse. She kept falling asleep.

At one point, I remember wishing so badly that my husband was there. I was feeling very overwhelmed by the experience of the whole day, and so alone. Then a nurse, one who I had not seen before, came into the room to check on us. She had such a peaceful presence and a gentle smile. During the brief time we interacted my feelings of being overwhelmed disappeared completely. As she was wrapping up and preparing to leave the room, she re-swaddled my daughter and gently handed her to me with a smile. She left and my daughter and I fell sound asleep. When I awoke a few hours later, I felt so refreshed and so at peace, and as my daughter continued not to nurse, I found myself with a renewed patience, and strengthened spirit. It turned out that I never saw the nurse with the peaceful spirit and gentle smile again, but to this day, each time I think of that experience I feel blessed and grateful for the angel sent to me in that hour of need.

As one goes through life, there are many signs; some are acknowledged perhaps almost immediately, some are recognized in time, and some remain hanging in the balance, waiting to be discovered.

“Then Peter recovered his senses and said, ‘Now I know for certain that [the] Lord sent his angel and rescued me…’.” – Acts 12:11

We Have Each Other…

About 15 years ago, my husband and I attended a party celebrating the anniversary of one of our relatives. It was a joyous occasion for a person who has been fulfilling her vocation with great devotion and passion, and most often with a smile on her face. At the end of our time together and as we were exchanging hugs and “so longs,” she said to us, “thank you for coming, for being part of this occasion. Did you get your gift?” We had not, but almost as soon as our faces shifted to what must have been quizzical expressions, she was off to get the gift, and before we knew it, we had it. The gift, a framed saying – “Joy shared is joy multiplied” – so appropriate for the person who gave it and the occasion on which it was given.

JoyShared

Over the past week, this saying and different variations of it have come to mind so frequently, across a number of settings. As I have stayed with it, I am reminded how through the years, in sharing, most definitely, joy has been multiplied, grief has been made bearable, and faith has been strengthened. As I look around, it seems we have everything we need…we have each other.

You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban 

When I am down and, oh, my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up to more than I can be.

 

 

Dinosaurs and Birds…

“None of us is as smart as all of us.” – Ken Blanchard

In the course of being part of many different kinds of groups over the years, in both the for profit and non-profit arenas, as well as for business, ministry, and pleasure, it has been interesting to see how the spirit in which the group members come together far outweighs any talent, intellect, or circumstances that may come into play. More often than not, it does not matter how difficult the goal is to reach or the obstacles that may be present so much as it does the spirit and attitude with which each member enters and participates in the group.

In groups where members have helped to shape a clearly stated purpose(s) and remained focused on it while embracing diversity, listening to one another, and being open to the sharing of ideas and different approaches, seeing them as opportunities from which something might be gleaned, even if they seemed foreign to some within the group, much has been accomplished. Not only that, but through meaningful communication and working together, bonds have developed between group members. Through a spirit of cooperation, each individual has been better for having been part of the group. In addition, the fruit of the group has served a greater purpose; it reaches beyond the group.

In groups where this has not happened, far less has been accomplished and members have often either walked away in frustration or stayed, but with a diminished spirit and sense of purpose. Usually, these members become occasional participants or observers (more on the outside) rather than an active, engaged part of the group. Also operating within these kinds of groups, and larger than the collective purpose of the group, is often a smaller group of two or three driving things mostly to the exclusion of the rest of the group and all that others might bring to the table. There is not much working together in a sustainable way and the fruit of the group, as related to its purpose, doesn’t reach very far and is little to none.

The other day, a friend and I were talking about how sometimes it can be hard to know when to walk away and when to stay. Initially we talked about what would happen if more often than not people walked away. Then we discussed what it is like when they stay, diminished in spirit, present but not really vested; an environment of apathy. The more we talked the more we agreed that the latter was worse, but still as with most situations, for each seeker, eventually the path becomes clear and the way made known.

As I continue to reflect on our discussion, I think about how people and things come and go…as they have since the beginning. Then, I remember, as another friend said a while ago, sometimes it has to die in order to be born again with a new, enlivened spirit. Perhaps the choice is not to leave or to stay, but to embrace and face the unknown and the uncertain (death of what is known and of what we are sure) or to become extinct. For that, the location makes no difference…only the spirit.

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