I don't know about you, but this week has been such a long and busy one at the LCOS office, I swear it should be Saturday by now. Busy can be either good or bad. Busy has a way of distracting one from accomplishing what needs to get done, which can be bad. Busy can also produce some really key results at the end of the day, things that need to get done--which is good.
I don't know about you, but busy often gets a negative connotation in my mind. The thought of being "busy" usually creates lethargy within me, and I instantly feel a little more tired. However, I also know that, particularly in my own family, some people thrive on busy-ness. In fact, when they stop being busy, they don't know what to do. They don't know how to rest.
In Psalms 46:10, the psalmist sings out: "Be still and know that I am God." In Exodus 20:8, God calls all people to honor and keep the Sabbath day holy. Resting, finding breath in one's schedule, and not doing are things God calls to God's own creation. If God had to rest on the seventh day when creating the heavens, the earth, and everything in between, how much more our limited human bodies need rest. This isn't to say that during the busy times, you can necessarily find those periods of rest, nor does it mean that resting should ever be longer than necessary. For the early Israelites, resting was only a day long and included six other busy days before another day of rest would come along.
In the summer time, it's important to find rest so that one can carry out the next program year without becoming stressed out, burned out, or overly tired. It's also important to realize that there are still things that need to get done in the midst of our rest. Thanks be to God who gives us purpose and the energy to carry everything out.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
Cats and Closets
Now before anyone calls the ASPCA on me, if you ever owned a cat, maybe you've learned that cats have a mind of their own. In fact, the cats I've known often get into trouble either because they are looking for some attention or because they are, in fact, very curious. This is a story about the latter.
There was a frantic search this morning for one of my cats. What was unusual about this particular cat is that she liked to sleep on the master bed throughout the night... but only on her terms. You couldn't put her on the bed and expect her to stay there. She often is a little edgy, and for at least one particular dog, she can be unpredictable with her emotions, at one time acting friendly and then at the next taking a big old swipe at your nose. Between her and her litter sister, she is the more moody and quite frankly, "queenly" of the two. She rules with an iron paw! She's also very adventurous, which is surprising because as a kitten, she was very timid; but she has been known to break out of the house just to take a stroll in the backyard.
So, it should have come as no surprise this morning when she was missing, but her two parents were very concerned and didn't want to leave for work until she was found. I must say, I thought I looked in all the closets, under every sofa, and even bribed the cat with "kitty treats" if she would just come out of hiding. I'm sure she would have come... if she could. She was found in the supply closet upstairs. Last night, I was refilling a soap dispenser and she must have sneaked into the closet while it was open. Then, without making a sound, she "enjoyed" her solitude once the door closed on her. Let me tell you, now that she has been found, she is incredibly moody and wants nothing to do with "kitty treats", back rubs, or even cuddling! I think I might be in the doghouse when I go home tonight.
Might this be a metaphor, though, of some people's reaction to God? In yesterday's Gospel text, Jesus seemed very cranky, saying things like he did not come to promote peace but rather to bring division. Might this division be because of our own closet experience (and I'm not necessarily speaking about the gay term here, although I think this might fit many in the gay community). Out of curiosity, maybe we were the ones who went to places God never wanted us to experienced, we were the ones who got trapped, and even when God opens the door to us, might we still feel loathing due to the experience and feelings of abandonment?
Just remember, God opened a door to something that was very valuable, something God wants to be in relationship with. God wants to hold us and remind us once again that we are loved. Let go of the guilt and shame, and feel God come in. Or, to quote scripture: "I came that [my sheep] may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10) and "But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine" (Isaiah 43:1). You don't need to be afraid anymore and for goodness sake, stop letting your curiosity keep getting the best of you! Don't keep God at a paw's length... er, at a arm's length away!
There was a frantic search this morning for one of my cats. What was unusual about this particular cat is that she liked to sleep on the master bed throughout the night... but only on her terms. You couldn't put her on the bed and expect her to stay there. She often is a little edgy, and for at least one particular dog, she can be unpredictable with her emotions, at one time acting friendly and then at the next taking a big old swipe at your nose. Between her and her litter sister, she is the more moody and quite frankly, "queenly" of the two. She rules with an iron paw! She's also very adventurous, which is surprising because as a kitten, she was very timid; but she has been known to break out of the house just to take a stroll in the backyard.
So, it should have come as no surprise this morning when she was missing, but her two parents were very concerned and didn't want to leave for work until she was found. I must say, I thought I looked in all the closets, under every sofa, and even bribed the cat with "kitty treats" if she would just come out of hiding. I'm sure she would have come... if she could. She was found in the supply closet upstairs. Last night, I was refilling a soap dispenser and she must have sneaked into the closet while it was open. Then, without making a sound, she "enjoyed" her solitude once the door closed on her. Let me tell you, now that she has been found, she is incredibly moody and wants nothing to do with "kitty treats", back rubs, or even cuddling! I think I might be in the doghouse when I go home tonight.
Might this be a metaphor, though, of some people's reaction to God? In yesterday's Gospel text, Jesus seemed very cranky, saying things like he did not come to promote peace but rather to bring division. Might this division be because of our own closet experience (and I'm not necessarily speaking about the gay term here, although I think this might fit many in the gay community). Out of curiosity, maybe we were the ones who went to places God never wanted us to experienced, we were the ones who got trapped, and even when God opens the door to us, might we still feel loathing due to the experience and feelings of abandonment?
Just remember, God opened a door to something that was very valuable, something God wants to be in relationship with. God wants to hold us and remind us once again that we are loved. Let go of the guilt and shame, and feel God come in. Or, to quote scripture: "I came that [my sheep] may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10) and "But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine" (Isaiah 43:1). You don't need to be afraid anymore and for goodness sake, stop letting your curiosity keep getting the best of you! Don't keep God at a paw's length... er, at a arm's length away!
Monday, June 16, 2014
Experiencing HOME
"You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." -- Deuteronomy 10:19
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. Thinking gets me in trouble all the time, because my thinking turns out to be ideal and yet there are large gaps between the ideal and realistic world. In particular, I recently have been thinking about people who long for a sense of home. I have met several over the past few weeks, and the music I am listening to right now just emphasizes that point. Home is a sense of security, peace, and love that we should all experience, but our broken world sometimes hides or even denies this possibility at times.
The early Israelites were constantly reminded that they were aliens, foreigners, or in the above translation, strangers in the land where they lived for hundreds of years. That's a long time not to feel home. Maybe the problem isn't with those who are lost, looking for home. Maybe the problem is with those who have found home. How can we open ourselves up to exhibit the traits of love, peace, and security so many are looking for? How can God's people reach out to those still searching for home so that all of us can experience HOME?
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. Thinking gets me in trouble all the time, because my thinking turns out to be ideal and yet there are large gaps between the ideal and realistic world. In particular, I recently have been thinking about people who long for a sense of home. I have met several over the past few weeks, and the music I am listening to right now just emphasizes that point. Home is a sense of security, peace, and love that we should all experience, but our broken world sometimes hides or even denies this possibility at times.
The early Israelites were constantly reminded that they were aliens, foreigners, or in the above translation, strangers in the land where they lived for hundreds of years. That's a long time not to feel home. Maybe the problem isn't with those who are lost, looking for home. Maybe the problem is with those who have found home. How can we open ourselves up to exhibit the traits of love, peace, and security so many are looking for? How can God's people reach out to those still searching for home so that all of us can experience HOME?
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