SMALL WORDS BIG INSIGHT

GOOD MORNING WORLD

This morning in church our pastor referred to the book ‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff’ and the self-help craze that was upon us 15-20 years ago.  The number of books written then and since on how to improve yourself would probably fill a small library.  There were certainly aisles of them in Borders when it was around.

Today is the Baptism of Jesus in our church so I was hard pressed to follow where he was going with this theme.  He mentioned one chapter of the book, “Remember You Become What You Practice Most’ and the light bulb went off in my head.  Of course John baptized Jesus in love and Jesus spread it throughout the whole world and beyond to today and infinity.   He expounded more than the one sentence and I got it.  The thing is our pastor does not keep copies of the words that come out of his mouth so I am going to just have to give in and take a steno pad to church.  My dad usually had a pen and would write notes on the bulletin.  I need to do that at least.  Much of what our pastor says is great and I need reminders!

I went to look at the book online  ‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff’.  I am surprised I do not own a copy as this seems philosophy right up my alley!  Maybe that is why I do not own it.  I live it most of the time!

The Index of this book, which can be seen on Amazon if you click the link to search inside the book, reads like an inspiration journal all on it’s own.  There are topics such as: to choose being kind over being right, to tell people you love them right now, to understand different realities, relax, become a less aggressive driver, breathe, argue for your limitations and many many others.  I may just have to go get that book.  Then again maybe I really do have it – will have to do a good search!

The point of all of this is, not to sell books for Dr. Carlson, to say that a lot of this is what I have been trying to say all along.  Jesus also said it amazingly in many different ways and of course by example by the love He practiced most.

This is the second time in as many days that words have hit me right between the eyes.  Ears!  Heart!  I may or may not have mentioned that usually I get a word to live out every year from somewhere.  In the beginning of the year I listen.  I read.  If a word or phrase pop out more than once I am assuming that this is something God wants me to review in the coming months.  Right now I am hearing love over and over.  Not just regular love of family or friends.  This is a call I am hearing to love perhaps even when I really do not want to do it.

Small words big meanings.  Big insight if I read them and listen to them and absorb what is the message.

The other place the words caught me were in the 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Scripture that we all know, ‘Love is patient etc etc…’.  Well our son gave me a plaque of this for Christmas.  Needless to say I am crazy about it.  It has been sitting on the counter since Christmas while I have been waiting for it to tell me where it wants to hang.  (I did tell you I let my interior decor find their own spots in the house?)  My first thought was a spot in our bedroom on the cathedral high peaked
wall over our bed.  I have three up there and thought I could make another arrangement and incorporate this one.  It sat.

Yesterday as I was trying to get moving to accomplish at least my one thing to justify my existence I read it again.  One specific phrase jumped out and kicked me in the stomach.  Have I really been doing that was the next thought.  As I read it and started looking around from the kitchen another phrase hit not quite so hard.  Well there it was.  This plague had to stay where I could see it regularly as I had lessons to learn.

I hung the plaque up over the sliding door going out to our deck above my welcome blocks.  I can see it from the sink, the stairs as I come down in the morning and go up at night as well as from the kitchen table.  I may just possibly have found my word/words for the year.

  4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13&version=NIV)

I wonder what lessons will be learned from pondering this and not sweating small stuff if that becomes another source?  Oh each day is a new revelation for sure!!!

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

SHOES OF A DIFFERENT COLOR

GOOD MORNING WORLD

In church this week I sat behind a mother with four daughters.  They were very pretty girls.  I am thinking they aged from 13/14 down to about 5/6.  The youngest two were very busy ladies and the littlest knew all of Mom’s buttons and pushed away during the service.  The mom must have been tired by the time they left.  It was the third daughter that caught my eye.

This little girl was a beauty.  While her sisters were pretty and cute she had a little bit of a different air about her.  The oldest two girls had the ‘required’ long straight hair and the littlest had hers in a ponytail/bun atop her head.  The third girl had a nicely cut one length bob and her hair was a bit more blonde than the others.  It was a perfect style for her.  I looked further.

She had on a shiny athletic jacket with white piping on it.  Her skirt was layered ruffle and looked to be more like a tu-tu in fabric.  It was then I noticed the shoes.  She was wearing flip flops.  Now this whole picture really was a statement in and of itself.  Either her mother was rushed and did not care about clothes when it came to her or she came from dance or she chose her outfit carefully.  Since all the other girls and Mom were dressed nicely I am guessing she chose what she was wearing.  Then the shoes became a focal point.

The flip flops were different colors.  How clever!  I believe this too was intentional.  When a child does not like what they are wearing they shy away from notice.  This little girl was very comfortable in her skin.  I thought “Good For You!!!”  I wish I knew more about her.  It is my bet that she is a spitfire of intelligence and very creative. 

Our children both wore shoes of different colors. There was a fad with Chuck Taylor sneakers that you owned a couple of pairs and wore one of each.  Our son had plaid and our daughter had a lime green pair and a pink pair and often wore one of each.  My Grandfather was quite a joker and if he wore mismatched socks would say, “I’ve got  another pair home just like these!”   Aside from the fad what does it take to be original and different?  I think it takes intelligence, creativity and courage and determination.  Both of our children, and I am guessing the blond girl in front of me with two different colored flip flops, have these attributes in spades.

Not to negate the service going on around me in which I really was participating, it occurred to me that Jesus indeed was different as well.  He struck out on a different path and brought the world a new day.  Our priest used the song ‘Day by Day’ from Jesus Christ Superstar in his homily.  On my way out the door I told him he was copying me as I had used the song in a blog three weeks before. 

So how different is our faith?  It tells us to turn the other cheek.  It calls us to be faithful in marriage.  It calls us to respect life.  It calls us to truth.  It calls us to love our enemies.  This was a very different path when Jesus spoke it and today comes up against the more worldly values. People who choose to live their faith may be seen as counter cultural and need determination and courage.  I wonder if Jesus had sandals that were the same color.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

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SUNDAY QUESTIONS FROM CHURCH

GOOD MORNING WORLD

This is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it has been running around in my head all week long.  It is telling me that I planned to write something about faith all week long.  I simply did not know to what direction until this morning at church. 

I left church with two questions.  Deacon Watts left us with the words, “If you were on trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?”  The question before that came from the scripture when Jesus asked ‘Who do you say I am?”  It is almost too much to think about for one Sunday morning.  This will certainly give me something to ponder all week long and isn’t that what we are supposed to do – take the service home with us further than the parking lot?

The first question I have written was actually the question with which Deacon Watts ended his homily/sermon.  Would there be enough evidence to convict me?  That is a real life examination I believe.  There is a famous quote that says the unexamined life is not worth living.  Well I have enough to examine this week.

Are my efforts to help people enough evidence to convict me?  I think this goes more to just help physically and financially.  I believe this also calls us to examine our words that we have spoken to others.  Does what we say leave others uplifted or browbeaten?  Do we speak in the tongues of angels or like a clanging gong?  Do we revere our Lord and sing His praises? Do we give Him time by our prayer?  Do we honor him by visiting His house weekly or more?  I am going to have a thoughtful week with that question alone.

On top of all of this the Deacon reminded us that Jesus asked who did we think He was.  Who is He?  This question is the easiest of all for me.  Jesus is our loving Lord who told us that where two or more of us are gathered He is there.  He told us that whatever we do to the least of us we do for Him.  So these words lighten my burden a little.  I can see clear things I have done for others.

My volunteering at school for years, my volunteering to help the parks and rec program of our town all helped the kids so that will probably be a good mark for evidence.  In the course of my life I have served in groups that were two or more so another point covered.  I think you all can look at your lives in these terms and come up with some good evidence that you can say you know Jesus through some of your works.

The best place I see Jesus is in my everyday life.  I see Jesus as a woman helps a stranger with her bags at Wal-Mart.  I see Jesus in my parents as Dad at 91 continues as the head of our family to keep us all in his prayers.  Millie, mother and wife, does the same with her prayers as well as take care of Dad.  I see Jesus in our children, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends as they care for their families and we care for each other. 

I saw Jesus in Mr. and Mrs. Fuller every Sunday, as I said in an early post, when I was younger as they cared for each other.  I saw Jesus in every person in the town of Southwest Harbor, Maine as they brought food to Dad and my sister and I when my mother died young at 35.  I know what it is to grow up in a village that takes care of everyone.  It is warm and wonderful like I believe it would be resting in Jesus arms.  I saw Jesus in Rev. William Mitchell as he came by our house daily to see how Dad was doing with two little girls age 10 and 12.  Mr. Mitchell stopped by our home at least once or twice a week for a very long time.  It did not occur to me until years later that he was being Jesus in our midst.  He left his own wife to fend with their three little children and ministered to us.  I was blessed to have the opportunity to write him a letter telling him that I saw Jesus in him and to thank him for his ministry.

The same is true for Rev. Bradford Payne.  My step-mother Marie died after she and Dad had been married for 10 years only.  The town and Mr. Payne repeated what we had experienced many years earlier.  Jesus came to visit our home yet again.  Jesus brings joy and peace and these men were living examples of this for us. 

This morning in church Jesus was Clare and Lewis and their parents sitting next to us.  This morning Jesus was at home in the tender touch of my husband as he put his around me while I was making coffee and said he liked to be close to me.

This all seems so familiar like I have written it before.  If I have I apologize and believe it can stand repetition.  The larger thought is: Who is Jesus for you today?   An even better question may be – How can you be Jesus to another this day?  Make it a great one.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE….