blessed week to you!
i decided to try and post once each week; i shared last week on a monday, but as yesterday was labor day, i decided not to labor....even though putting thoughts to paper isn't that much labor, i am posting today. i will try and post early in the week, for the most part....
for those in merced and in the surrounding area, i invite you to take time to see playhouse merced's production of 'joseph and the amazing technicolor dream coat'. what a fun-filled show, and exciting costumes! this last week-end, they supported the community by fund-raising for the 16 displaced families from a recent merced fire. entertainment AND community support; awesome! and, because so many people think the old testament is not worth a read....seeing this production reminds folks that this kind of living continues in our day and time. family strife, unique business planning, natural disaster, and reunification. this could be 21st century america, rather than b.c. egypt!
a reminder from sunday's sermon on what jesus meant about ... hate: hate is what we express in many ways, but for those on their journey of christian faith, hate is meant by jesus to mean an action that responds to anything that gets in our way from following jesus. the 'church phrase' we use is 'discipleship'. but for those on this journey of faith, we realize that it is difficult to always faithfully follow jesus, because....well, let's be honest, jesus can get in our way. and i believe that is what jesus knew all along. striving to live faithfully is really hard work. it is probably the hardest thing we do on a daily basis.
but i don't know what i'd do in my life if i weren't on this path....and i'm not sure i want to find out; do you? i already know those times in my life when i'm focused on myself exclusively. i forget there are others around....not such great results. do you know what i mean? (you could even share an example if you'd like!)
so, instead of working on labor day, i stopped to smell the roses. i actually sat in my little yard that i worked so hard to make a retreat center ... but never really was able to enjoy. i listened to my 'crack-ed pot' fountain, heard the sounds of neighbors and the sounds of our community, and enjoyed the flowers i planted in spring -- that have, for the most part, survived the summer heat! it was the reward i received from actually hand-watering a number of my plants throughout the summer; usually hearing myself say, 'i really need to enjoy my yard...some day!' labor day was it; listening to classical music from the house, enjoying morning coffee, lunching on a chef salad and freshly brewed iced tea -- i was even the chef! it was a wonderful morning, as the sun consumes the yard in the afternoon.
the heat came, and off to see eat-pray-love. who says there's nothing to do in merced?! if you haven't seen a movie in a while, why not see eatpraylove -- based on a book i have yet to read, but i suspect it is a good read, also! there are many great 'one liners' in that movie, with a great cast. it has been out for a while, but the theatre was full! the story revolves around a woman who needs to find her center -- kind of like trying to find yourself, only from a spiritual sense. anyway, she spends a year away -- eating, learning to meditate, and discovering love (for really the first time). one of the lines i remember is 'to get to the castle, you have to swim the moat'. profound. true. honest.
nicely put. and as i look at my life, the goals i yearned to achieve, were not accomplished without the swim. the swim can feel daunting. sometimes i'd rather just veg, honestly, thank you very much. and then that's what i feel like; a veggie that's sat; limp, drying up, and aimless. when i risk the toe-in-the-water, i feel much more accomplished -- even when i haven't reached my goal. the castle is really about the journey, isn't it? who you meet, the relationships that develop, the decisions you make and the things you do, as well as the 'you' that you discover, by the grace of god.
so my question to you is, what is preventing your swim....today? blessings.....
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I like this a lot! I'm glad you had such a nice labor day weekend. I still have yet to see Eat Pray Love, but it sounds like a movie I would really enjoy. I have decided that life really is about the swim... and I know what my swim is: college! Some might laugh at that, but it's true. I think the right path for me to take is college. I think I can do much more for God by doing the 'swim' - getting through undergraduate, graduate, and PhD education - and reaching the castle that way. My castle will be my psychologist career. The swim is hard, and daunting; I almost cry when I think about what it's going to be like taking the GRE and applying to many graduate schools. But if I wasn't working so hard learning all of this stuff and trodding forward, what would I be doing? Nothing, most likely. And 'nothing' is not what you are supposed to be doing with your life.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this awesome post! Cheers!
Priorities (and/or laziness) is almost always the problem. I really don't mind the swim. And interestingly enough, the swim I have been avoiding is in fact swimming (where the castle is better overall health and fitness). But other priorities are obviously more important and it is easier to keep in old habits than work for the new ones. But as always, you have given me something to think about!!
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