Category Archives: meditation

Time…

07 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Christianity, meditation, prayer, time

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imagesThere aren’t many reality TV shows that I will watch. I don’t care what housewives in Some City, USA are doing. I am not captivated by barns full of old stuff and the people who sort through them to find that one special nugget of nostalgia to purchase and re-sell. Survivalists and their primitive experiences with bugs, snakes and rodents bring me to the brink of a full-blown panic attack. And, please, don’t get me started on pawn shops, car dealerships, communal living, stage moms or the plethora of lives that have been hooked up to a video camera, directed and edited into some crazy series intended to show us how other people supposedly live.

That said, I love contest shows about fashion or food with weekly eliminations. Give me a season of Project Runway or MasterChef and I am glued to my corner of the couch. The contestants scurry around their respective workrooms creating fabulous outfits or tantalizing meals challenging the viewer to emulate a style or stretch their culinary abilities. Both shows tease the viewer with clips from interviews with the contenders. Comments can be just plain snarky while others seem to be genuinely caring – creating villains and heroes to confuse the audience. A beautiful dress or fabulous meal are nothing less than ugly when the viewer has been guided into thinking the person responsible for it is despicable.

Then…there are the judges. Who picks these people and on what level do they feel it is appropriate to act like out of control bullies when they dislike something? Their caustic comments about the work of an aspiring designer or chef – complete with smug expressions that give an air of haughty exclusivity – are inappropriate and unnecessary. However, the more they vilify an underling, the more bound to the show we become.

A unique challenge is presented each week. Sometimes it seems ridiculous – like designing an evening gown out of disposable diapers or making a 3-course gourmet meal featuring peanut butter, brussel sprouts and bacon. I suppose, given enough time, either is genuinely possible. Yet, time is the critical insufficient factor, heightening the intrigue as the clock mercilessly advances. At some point designers are sent to the runway with their creations whether a garment is finished or not. Chefs are given a countdown, then told to raise their hands in the air with the intention that everyone stop at once, however, the effect makes one think that they are indeed surrendering their magnificent meals to the scrutiny of the judges. Yes, the same pretentious group mentioned above. I sidebar – but, there truly is a way to guide and mentor someone without kicking their knees out from under them.

Time…and the race against it…

A recent movie featured a restaurant committed to French cooking. Food was prepared slowly – allowing flavors to bloom into something unexpected and magnificent placing the establishment on a world-class list. Trips to the market procured the freshest, finest and, at times, exotic ingredients. A view of the dining room showed guests dressed for a special evening slowly sipping cocktails, wine, and coffee while savoring course after course. Not a cell phone was in sight. No one looked stressed or anxious for the meal to be over.

Time…and the beauty of it…

So much of our lives are spent like the fashion and cooking reality shows. We race to complete tasks simply to get them done, as if finishing is the most important achievable factor forcing the value of creativity to become secondary. Our lives turn us into human pinballs bouncing and ricocheting off deadlines that are perceived to control us. Our culture has become captivated with the concept that success is the result of abundant productivity. Sleep, rest, and leisure become overrated. We strive to do more in less time than any generation before us. As a result, we must also claim an abundance of stress related illnesses ranging from physical complaints to emotional, spiritual and relational instabilities.

Time…and our inability to appreciate and respect it…

A Buddhist belief is that if you don’t have 30 minutes to meditate, you must meditate for an hour. The great religions of the world all have deep roots in the need for prayer as a means to refocus and center our lives and attitudes. Yet, we tend to ignore these practices as we spin out of control, claiming that there isn’t time to add yet another ‘to do’ to our list of potential accomplishments for the day. We are surrounded with expectations from family, friends, jobs, the media, and a plethora of forces that claim a piece of us – and our time.

Time…and the things that we let claim it…

The Apostle Paul reiterated the importance of prayer in his letters to the Philippians, Thessalonians, Ephesians and Colossians. Somehow, we have twisted his teaching to mean that we can and should ask God to make the world what we want it to be through our petitions and it will work as long as we approach God with the right measure of adoration and a dab of humble thankfulness.

In reality, I believe Paul was trying to guide the young church toward prayer in a deeper, meditative sense. Prayer, when approached as a centering, meditative practice will calm the chaos in our lives. No, it doesn’t change the events around us as they unfold. Rather, prayer transforms us and, changing our reaction to life. Meditative prayer forces us to pause long enough to still our aching hearts and jumbled brains so that we might recognize the presence of all that is good woven throughout any given situation. In seeing the presence of that goodness, we are able to adjust our attitudes and behaviors to live in and through the stuff of life with compassion. We become true servants of God as we act as Gods eyes, hands and heart in the muck of the world.

Honestly, in a world as crazy as the one we find ourselves living in, we don’t have time not to pray…to meditate on what is right and good and true…to spend time letting all that is goodness – the thing we call God – guide as we navigate the mine fields that are ever in front of us.

Time…

 

 

 

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An open letter to my children on Mother’s Day…

11 Sunday May 2014

Posted by in Christianity, compassion, meditation, Mother's Day, relationships, spirituality, Uncategorized

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imagesFirst, and most important, I love you guys. Of course I have great memories and lots of pictures of the days you were born; preschool, high school, and college graduations; birthdays; vacations; dance and music recitals; sports; proms; and all the milestones of the growing-up years. I have attempted to fill photo albums with your lives. Honestly, they are pretty tacky. That’s no surprise since we all know scrapbooking is not one of my strong suits. More recently, I’ve started making slide shows of my digital shots, although it is slow and laborious for me. No, it’s not the technology. It might surprise you that I actually have that somewhat under control. My problem is that I keep hampering my progress to savor the memories and, subsequently, hunting for a tissue.

Although we have succeeded in capturing the major moments of your lives, I hold even dearer the remarkable times that Hallmark hasn’t yet dedicated to a card campaign. I think of you, Bill, asking me where you should go to college…when you were two. “Honey, let’s get you to preschool first!” But, that was the theme of your life – always ready for the next chapter before I got past the table of contents. And, Christie, with your gentle approach to life and recognizing the need to live and let live you taught me to slow down and recognize the beauty in a situation. Two children with opposite, yet equally amazing, approaches to life.

You see, neither of you came with an owner’s manual. It’s probably a good thing! It would have scared the tar out of me to read ahead about what to do for chicken pox, ear infections, visits to the principal’s office, adolescent drivers, broken hearts and all of the crazy twists life sent your way. It was far better to experience each day for what it was and worry about the ‘stuff’ when and if something occurred.

The lack of instructions also meant I wasn’t prepared for the last bedtime story. When did that happen? I don’t even remember what book it was. When was the last time I held your hand to keep you safe in the parking lot? When did I stop sewing cute little dresses or spend the afternoon outside while you played in the sandbox and on the fort? When did you stop arguing over Happy Meals at McDonald’s or the special toy at Burger King? Or when was the last time you crawled in my lap for hugs and snuggles while we watched TV? In the thick of your growing up, some events passed right on by, unnoticed until I looked back and realized you both became adults…compassionate, honest, independent, responsible citizens…all that I could have hoped for. Yet, I am afraid I blinked several times too many, allowing you to shoot into the next stage before I knew what was really happening.

I remember shopping one day and hearing the store’s pianist playing “Sunrise, Sunset” from Fiddler on the Roof.

Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?

I don’t remember growing older
When did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?

Wasn’t it yesterday
When they were small?

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears.

Yes, you guessed it. I had to leave the mall before I made a scene.

Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to say thank-you to you, my beautiful children. You have challenged me, stretched me, honored me, and loved me – even when I didn’t fully understand that you were the only ones who couldn’t do something that everyone else’s mothers let them do. You gave me the opportunity to discover how to function with very little sleep; to hear playful activities over the hum of the shower; how to stock my car with hand wipes, spot cleaner, kleenex, napkins, trash bags, snacks and 100 other items you may need on any given outing; and to organize schedules so everyone got to where they needed to be on time – which is no easy feat for someone who has never respected the clock.

More importantly, you taught me to care about someone’s life and well being more than my own and to love unconditionally. And, for that, I cannot tell you how thankful I am.

You see, children are indeed a gift from God. I don’t care if they are your own, nieces and nephews or the kids next door. Children challenge us to think creatively and to question why things are done the way they are. They help us to see frogs and flowers and mud puddles. They remind us that the world is a beautiful and amazing place for us to touch, taste, smell, hear and see God’s presence threaded throughout all that is. I love, even today, experiencing life through your eyes. You challenge me to rethink old notions and thoughts; to hike on muddy, rocky paths…both in reality and metaphorically; and to embrace all that life has to offer. I am deeply grateful for that, too.

So, on this day, thank-you for the flowers and the dinner. Thank you for the phone calls and the “I love you’s”. But, most of all, thank you for the memories and the assurance that we will continue to navigate this crazy thing called “life” together. 

I’m done with Easter…

20 Sunday Apr 2014

Posted by in Christianity, compassion, Easter, human nature, meditation, spirituality

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imagesI am done with Easter! I should probably clarify that I am done with what seems to be some general beliefs about Easter.

First, there is the Easter that has been hijacked by consumerism. Discount and grocery store shelves are filled with chocolate candies wrapped in pastel colors…the same sweets that sported orange and black just a few months ago. Kitchen appliance and decor stores boast chicks, eggs and bunny-painted plates that seem to guarantee a fabulous Easter dinner, complete with perfect families and a stress free day…as if there is such a thing. Department stores and boutiques have their window mannequins decked out in floral dresses and seersucker suits. Hats are not only everywhere; they seem to be a mandatory purchase. We are bombarded with the consumer version of the holiday – complete with promises that if we buy just the right stuff, our Easter will be as magical as the moment when Mary Magdalene realized it wasn’t the gardener she was speaking to.

Then, there is the other Easter. You know the one where we are supposed to become joyful because Jesus died on a cross to atone for my sorry life and filter how I appear to God? Like, I am supposed to be glad that this perfect, amazing man who died a gruesome, painful death simply because of me…okay, and all the rest of humanity…came back to life and I am somehow supposed to trust the god that planned this horrific event that happened to his “beloved”? I mean, love a god that slaughters innocence? I know, I know…it’s about the resurrection not the crucifixion; yet somehow in this theological format the emphasis always ends up on the wrong event.

The thing is, there is an Easter that I not only believe in, it’s one that I can find embedded with joy, trust and love for God. It’s one that absolutely recognizes Christ’s death on the cross and His return to life. The difference is, the Easter I believe in also celebrates Christ’s life simply because it is through his life that he taught us how to live. It’s so obvious in the text of John 14: 6-12.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.

Do you see it? Of course, it’s all about the semantics. Who hasn’t experienced a zealous Christian evangelist who preaches belief in Jesus is a pre-requisite for salvation by using this text? But, what is it we are supposed to believe? That there was a virgin birth? That God is so angry at humanity that only Christ can convince God not to turn his back on us forever? That if I follow a prescribed set of religious behaviors then I, too, can be saved? That God hates certain groups of people? That God is gender specific?

It seems to me that Jesus said it all and humanity spent the next couple of millennia not only defining what he meant, but making rules that have very little to do with the message of God’s love that Jesus preached and modeled through his life and ministry. In this passage from John, Jesus basically says, “Look at me. Look at how I love even those who others think are unlovable. Do you see how I was compassionate even with someone who everyone else hated? Someone who was outcast? Someone who was unclean? Someone who was alone, forgotten, crippled??? I spent time with tax collectors, women, social misfits, zealots, Pharisees and a whole litany of crazy, mixed-up people and enjoyed them all! And, you know what? To know me is to know my father. You see me, you know who I am and how I am excited about every single person I meet! Well guess what! God longs to know you, too! The thing is, God wants you to know God as he/she is…not the ogre humanity has made out of convoluted images of God. I am like God and God is like me. Isn’t that good news???!!!”

That said, I find it impossible to believe that God mandated Christ’s brutal, painful death. What I do find plausible is that certain groups saw Jesus as a threat to their power and authority. Others saw him as disruptive to their way of life. To maintain the order of life, as they knew it, Jesus had to go away. But, he wouldn’t! He continued to preach and teach God’s ways even when his own safety was threatened. He knew it was a matter of time and he attempted to prepare his followers for the day when he was gone. Jesus loved people, but understood the dark side of human nature well enough to know that his time was limited. Is that what God wanted or intended? I sincerely doubt it. I believe God wanted humanity to embrace the message Christ brought to them from God. That message showed people the “way” which was “truth” and offered “light” to the dangers of a life lived honoring wealth, power and authority. Jesus’s way showed humanity what it meant to live life as God created us all to live.

I often use the example of a toaster. It comes with an instruction booklet to let the owner know how to use it safely, limitations of its function and what to do if it isn’t working. The bottom line is, the toaster is designed to do certain things. If I decided to make pancakes in my toaster – not the pre-made frozen variety, but homemade buttermilk pancakes – I would create a horrible mess. My toaster would be dripping with batter, the heating elements would likely blow out, there would be the stench of burned goo, and I not only have to make other plans for breakfast, I would probably need to send my toaster in for repairs. A toaster is not made to make pancakes. However, if I make toast in my toaster, I will be happy with the results and my toaster won’t wear out quite as quickly. Maybe I’ll try to make a grilled cheese sandwich in it, or toast a frosted pastry. If I do, I again run the risk of damaging my toaster. If I keep expecting my toaster to do things that it was never intended to do, I might need to have someone show me how to properly use it. The engineer who designed it might come to help me. Most likely, I would get my tutorial from someone else who knew what the engineer intended in his/her design and could guide me along the way.

God lovingly created us and the world we live in. Throughout time God has attempted to hand us an owners manual. Take the 10 Commandments for example. They are a guide for living by loving God above all things and loving others as we love ourselves. When humanity had issues following the rules, God sent Jesus to show us what living as God designed us to live looked like. Jesus is the way…God’s way. Can anyone picture Jesus nailing someone to a cross? I can’t. Yet, to know Jesus is to know God. It doesn’t fit that God’s vengeance came in the form of murder. Killing unrighteous behavior with love, kindness, compassion and mercy is more likely.

You see, I believe that the crucifixion is a minor event in the fascinating story of God’s love. Even when humanity attempted to destroy God’s message of love and hope, God won. Jesus went to the tomb and on the third day…a day that should have found his body decaying and smelly, a day that the ancient culture would have identified as verification that he was really, REALLY dead…Jesus lived. Furthermore, he didn’t live to tell us that God was done with us and that the only reason he had to die was our fault for being such failures. He lived to tell humanity that, in Paul’s words, “…neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Now, that’s an Easter I can get excited about! Alleluia!!!

 

So… what about Monday?

05 Saturday Apr 2014

Posted by in choices, compassion, Lenten Meditaion, meditation, Sabbath, spirituality, Uncategorized

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Monday has many promises attached to it. Traditionally, it’s back-to-whatever-your-work-is day after the weekend.  It might be a job, school, work out routines, yard work, household chores, errands and the litany of things that keep us busy and, theoretically, our lives running smoothly. Well, maybe not smoothly…but running. You know, back to the ‘old grind’, vacation’s over and the longing for a quick week so once again we can enjoy the change of pace on the weekend. That is, if we allow our pace to change. I am referring to the weekends that are filled with athletic events, social gatherings, yard work, house work …wash the car, tidy the garage, sweep the walks and try somehow to finish all the things we didn’t seem to have time for during the work week. Before you know it, Monday’s sunrise forces us to peel our eyes open and grudgingly pull our bones out of bed. It’s easy to feel like a hamster chained to the spinning wheel of produce, accomplish and succeed.

We know that Sabbath rest is a time for us to say, “no” to routine tasks so we can drift into the things that restore our souls and our outlook on life. Worship is one of those things. Picnics, baseball games, gardening, family gatherings, long walks with the dog, and peaceful naps are too. Sabbath is about remembering who we are and Whose we are. It’s a time to remember the One who loves us more than we can ever imagine and, out of gratitude for that love, seeing the world around us as a place to enjoy and nurture. It’s a time to laugh with loved ones and friends. It’s a time for compassion for all of creation. It’s a time to put aside the pressures of the week and remember who and what is important. It’s a time to refresh and restore.

So…what about Monday? The New York Times has reported that more heart attacks happen on Mondays than any other day of the week…a day when we should actually feel ready to meet the challenges that come our way.

The problem with Monday is how we practice Sabbath rest. When my kids were young and played organized sports, they were told, “how you practice is how you play.” Imagine a coach teaching detailed soccer skills at practice in preparation for a tournament. Unfortunately, it’s a basketball tournament. Did the wrong skills become routine? Or, were they headed toward the wrong competition?

The transition between Sabbath and Monday isn’t much different. Sabbath is an opportunity to practice what it means to be human – the kind of human that God intentionally and lovingly created. It’s not about practicing religious legalisms that show nothing except that we know how to follow the rules of our denomination; rather it’s about living life as God longs for us to live it – loving God above all things and loving our neighbor are ourselves. We have scripture and the example of Christ’s life to show us what Sabbath looks like. The Gospels offer stories about Jesus spending his Sabbath laughing with friends, caring for the sick and needy, sharing a meal, extending a hand and offering hope to those who have none – even if those things looked like something that ‘shouldn’t’ be done by a good religious person on a day that’s set aside for Godly things. In all reality, what can be more Godly than showing and sharing compassion?

Our theoretical tournament starts on Monday morning. Do we play the way we practiced? Or do we walk into Monday forgetting our Sabbath lessons? Do we get out our claws and methodically use them to further our position on the corporate ladder? Or forget that we aren’t the only person using the road to get to work? Maybe we tie up the line in the grocery store because we forgot an item and ran back to get it? How about our use of household and laundry products that harm the earth? Ever get frustrated and kick the dog? Do we become so obsessed with our desire to produce that we forget what we supposedly spent time trying to remember just a day or two ago? You know – the whole compassion, caring, loving thing?

You see Monday should be about the game…the one God calls us to play. Yes, production at work is a reality and yes, chores can become mundane and boring. But, if we play the way we practice we will “focus on whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, [we will] think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8) Our actions will then reflect that goodness.

If we neglect those amazing sabbath lessons, we run the risk of letting production and power guide our choices. Throw in a little envy for those who seem to have it better than we do, some contempt for those who we think have wronged us and a bit of prejudice and hostility for the things we think are wrong with the world and we have the perfect recipe for stress, anger and depression…the antithesis of God’s longing and hopes for us.

The thing is, it’s easy to get sucked into life as the world teaches it should be lived. So easy that unless we continuously practice sabbath rest, love and compassion we will fall into the abyss of life according to the gods of power, wealth and productivity.

Which life is on your game card? What will your practice be to prepare you for game-day?

Jesus calls to us in Matthew 11:29 as he says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

My prayer is to practice the restorative and refocusing Sabbath rest found in living as Jesus calls us to live and to take that foundation with me as I play in this crazy tournament called life.

 

Words, labels and understanding Sabbath rest…

16 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by in compassion, Lenten Meditaion, meditation, Sabbath, spirituality, Uncategorized

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UnknownWords matter. Really – they do. The words we choose tell a story far beyond the simple sentences we put them in. For example, the word ‘storm’ seems pretty straightforward. Who doesn’t know what a storm is? The general definition is a disturbance in the atmosphere. We typically think of wind and rain, maybe some lightening and thunder. It could include some hail, but basically, a storm is a storm…right? So, what if that storm is a winter storm? Yes, precipitation is still a factor, but scratch the hail, lightening and thunder. Okay, sometimes we have thunder snow, which means lightening and thunder happen with the snow. Then there are sand storms – if you live in a desert. You get the point. The understanding of the word ‘storm’ can be relative, depending on the general conditions and time of year in the given area.

“Bible” is the same way. We have the canon, which is one thing if you are Protestant and another thing if you are Catholic. We have numerous translations of the original text and only pieces of those initial manuscripts. Then, there is the whole discussion about who wrote it and how it was written. Like, did God guide the hand of the writers or did the writers attempt to write about the place where their lives rubbed up against influence from the Divine? Is it history or is it a compilation of stories to tell us something about who God is and who we are in God’s world?

Then, there is the whole God-thing. Who is God? Is he a judgmental ruler who watches and waits until we mess up so he can pounce on us with consequences? Or is God the essence of all goodness that longs for us to move in rhythm with him (or her…) throughout time?

I attended a study last week where several questions came up about the Sabbath and what it should mean to us in our 21st-century lives. I maintain that how one answers, “What is the Bible?” and “Who is God” will determine how one recognizes the Sabbath…as well as how one responds to most of the issues encountered in this crazy thing called “life”. Let’s look at this more fully.

In Mark 23, Jesus is found talking to the Pharisees. The discussion focuses on the Sabbath and what a person can do to please God – like, what does it mean to ‘keep the Sabbath’. Understand they had lists of rules that were designed to help people do what they perceived was right. Jesus used an example where King David broke not only Sabbath law, but also Levitical law when he and his soldiers were “hungry and in need of food”. They went into the temple on the Sabbath and ate bread that was reserved for the priests. Verse 27 states, “Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath.'”

Aside from the obvious discussion of Christ’s statement about the Sabbath, the questions arose, “Why was the bread only for the priests?” and “It sounds like they were starving (in need of food), so what were they supposed to do?” In reality, was the bread only for the priests because it was so holy that only seemingly holy men could eat it? Or was it only for the priests because it assured their daily sustenance? If we fast-forward to today, would we deny a starving person bread that had been blessed for the Eucharist if that was the only food available? Or would we feed them out of compassion and worry about replacing the ‘holy’ food later?

You see, how we define the Bible and God will affect how one responds to this dilemma.

I believe the Bible is holy and a set of writings by humanity throughout time attempting to let others know what a relationship with God looks like. However, what made perfect sense to the writer(s) of Torah becomes muddy as we read their script today. We can recite the words, but the essence of those words become complicated as we attempt to understand the culture and tradition within which they were written. Yet, we say the Bible is timeless and written for all generations, including now and those to come. Maybe there is something we are missing in the interpretation. I for one have certainly broken several laws that were important to the ancients. There are things in scripture about gold earrings and braids that our religious culture doesn’t deem important anymore. However, don’t even get me started on passages about slavery and the right way to treat a slave! To condone human ownership, let alone attempt to claim it is Biblical is cause for me to break a few more of the ancient rules…the silence of women being a trivial start.

The point is, to embrace scripture and what it says to us today must be something other than literal interpretation. If the intent is to let others throughout time know what a relationship with God looks like, then the importance has to be in understanding who God is.

That’s where Jesus comes in. If we believe, as the ancient writers told us, that Jesus is God in human form, then to understand the words and actions of Jesus is to get an idea of what our relationship with God should look like. Jesus loved people…all kinds of people. His list of friends included crazy people, tax collectors, fishermen, shepherds, women, wealthy, poor, widows, children, prostitutes, Romans, gentiles…have I missed anyone? The point is, Jesus found beauty and acceptance in everyone.

In her book, “The Friendship of Women”, Joan Chittister, a Benedictine nun, stated, “…once we are loved we have an obligation to live as best we can.” (p. XIII)

To put this in perspective, think of the woman who was to be stoned for adultery. (John 8:1-11) Jesus told her to go and sin no more. My guess is, she was so grateful for his compassion that she did exactly what he said. I suppose this is where we could go on another tangent about what exactly we mean when we use the word “sin”. Suffice it to say, I have to believe she went back to her life and lived out the tenderness that had been offered to her. She was loved by Him and responded to that love by sharing compassion with others.

That brings us back to the Sabbath. What does it mean to keep the Sabbath and how do we respond to the part where scripture informs us we will loose our friends and die if we don’t. (Exodus 31:1-15) We tend to ignore that part when Sunday rolls around. No, we don’t have to worry about our community stoning us if we prepare a meal on Sunday or walk more than 500 steps. But, we have also moved pretty far away from understanding why God insisted we recognize the Sabbath.

You see, we are created in God’s image. (Genesis 1:27) God wildly created for six periods of time, referred to as ‘days’ in the ancient writings. I have visions of a sculptor that chisels and taps in a frenzy of creative activity allowing little time for rest, food or friends until he stands back to say, “It is good” and sits down to enjoy his work, maybe with a cup of tea and a biscuit. Maybe he calls out to a friend or two to come and see what he’s done, pours tea into their cups and pulls out the canister of biscuits along with some cheese to augment their time together. They talk and laugh, sharing the moment. Then, after they all go home, the artist decides to lie in his hammock with a comfy quilt and rest. The next day, when he is feeling restored, he walks amongst his friends and enjoys their company; he nurtures them when they are enduring troubles, he laughs with them when they are amused and even pops out a miracle or several like turning water into wine.

You see, God knows how important it is for us to rest, to take time to restore our souls and to nurture our relationships…for without these things we will surely die. Because we are human and cannot understand all of God’s ways, we have made the Sabbath into a day complete with laws that define what rest should look like. Jesus reminded us that life happens, even on the Sabbath. Someone gets hungry…someone needs healing…someone needs our love and compassion.

You see, to believe that God needs us to focus on adoration for God and nothing else for an entire day every week is to ignore God’s love for all of creation. On the flip side, to ignore our need for rest is to forget who created us. It can get pretty tricky if we try to put Sabbath in a box of legalisms.

What if we took to heart that God longs for us to be whole and looked at Sabbath rest as our opportunity to restore the things that make us whole – things like loving God with all of our hearts, souls, strength and minds and loving our neighbors as ourselves? (Matthew, Mark and Luke as well as numerous other references) What if we spent time in daily conversations with God – whether we call that worship, prayer or meditation – and what if we did the things that nurtured God’s creation out of the love we experience  as a result of the love God lavishes on us? What if that’s what Sabbath rest is supposed to look like?

Maybe it’s just easier to call it a day…

Clutter, Decluttering and Lent…

27 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by in Lent, meditation, spirituality

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Clutter is making the news these days. I could go on a serious rant about clutter in the media citing a plethora of reports about people or groups of people that have little to do with anything at all. For example, I don’t care which Hollywood-type spoiled young adult did something to stir a media feeding frenzy. Truly, I really don’t care except to rant that those types of articles clutter our media sources with so much similar meaningless ‘stuff’ that it’s hard to find the things that matter. But, that’s not the clutter the media has been reporting.

A recent national publication dedicated their entire March issue to clearing clutter from your life. All kinds of clutter was mentioned from something as trivial as a junk drawer stuffed with unidentifiable, yet saved, objects to the more serious issue of relationships that suck the life out of you rather than being restorative. A Sunday morning show presented a segment on hoarders, people who cannot throw anything away, including things like newspapers, magazines and old cereal boxes hoping that someday they will find a need for them. There are also those who are fundamentally mini-hoarders. They have what appear to be neat and tidy houses…just don’t open a closet door for fear their stashes of stuff will tumble shamelessly onto display when there is nothing to hold them back. The epitome of hoarding can be seen in the story of the Collyer brothers who lived in New York City in the early-1900’s. It was during the removal of 140-tons of collected chaos from their home that the body of one brother was found buried beneath a pile of newspapers and suitcases. He had been crushed while navigating through a tunnel of compiled debris and set off a booby trap they constructed to protect their obsessive treasures from potential thieves.

Clutter. I guess we all have it to an extent. Our preoccupation with abundance and consumerism influences our sense of how much is enough. The belief that if a little is good, more is better promotes a desire for copious amounts of possessions for some. Others collect and hoard in response to deprivation at another time in their lives. Still others are influenced by advertising campaigns or the desire to have what someone else has. Oops, doesn’t that sound something like ‘coveting’…something that got a spot on God’s top-10 list of rules for getting along? I know I digress, but that whole covet-thing could have been written more clearly if the tablets given to Moses said something like, “Just be happy with what you have. It’s not about the stuff!”

Garage sales are common this time of year. When our kids were little, I would drive them around town looking for other’s cast offs of cheap toys and children’s clothes. It helped to stretch our meager budget and it was an afternoon of entertainment for all of us. My perspective has changed over the years from visiting other’s sales to the realization I may need to have my own garage sale as a means to unload some of our clutter. It’s time to clean the closets, basement and attic. Additionally, the garage will need to be de-cluttered so we have a place to store treasures for said sale. Most years I manage to clean a closet or two, haul a carload of boxes and sacks to a donation site and forget the idea of a sale. It also means I neglect to clean the basement, attic or garage where things continue to indiscriminately multiply when I’m not looking. Clutter.

Clutter not only takes over our space, it steals our time. I had a conversation with a friend the other day about finding time to do the things that are important to us. So much of our definition of what’s important comes from the affirmation of those around us. Unfortunately, that affirmation tends to come from a cultural approach that endorses work and achievement to the detriment of taking care of one’s self. Necessities of life like sleep, exercise, and the occasional mani/pedi can be perceived as unimportant events that do nothing but steal our focus from what society deems important. Time for relationship building, particularly our relationship with God, can take a back seat to the presumed duty to acquire more, whether it is status, power, authority and/or the possessions that announce we have achieved some crazy level of lifetime success. Clutter.

I am intrigued by the concept of clutter, particularly as Lent approaches. Although spiritual disciplines are intended to be important practices throughout the year, Lent seems to shake us up enough to remember their value in daily life. We are reminded that fasting comes in many forms, not simply to abstain from eating for a meal or a day. Fasting, or giving something up, for Lent is a means to open our lives to something else, presumably something that strengthens our relationship to God. Yet, we live in a time of abundance. To give up just one thing when we are surrounded by so much seems silly not to mention disingenuous. Give up sugar? Fine, I’ll use honey. No more satellite news? Okay, there’s still the Wall Street Journal. Leave behind my coffee habit? Not on your life…but if I did, I could substitute tea or cocoa when craving a hot beverage. Ice cream? Yup, gelato or sorbet are perfect stand-ins. There is an adequate, if not exciting, replacement for almost everything negating the intended contemplation associated with fasting of any kind. Because of that, I am not going to focus on what I am giving up for the season. This year I am going to pause and give myself the gift of space.

To do so, I will need to make room by clearing out some clutter. The plan is to select one item each day of Lent that can be donated, recycled or thrown away. It is my intention to meditate on the selected item. What did it represent to me? Why was, or is, that important? What am I making room for by letting go of the item? Somedays it will be easy. I mean, how many coffee makers does one household need? Shall we talk about drawers filled with socks? Is there any reason to have a closet full of old pillows and blankets?

The hard days will be the ones when I attempt to clear the clutter from myself. Old hurts and frustrations fill spaces in the heart just as much as tangible objects can be crammed into living spaces. Emotional wounds affect how one receives compassion from another; fears affect the places one goes or the experiences and people one is open to; self-doubt and condemnation can keep one from living into their potential; and obsessing about foibles and problems can limit our ability to see the full glory of God’s love and presence in all that is. These things are the clutter that strangles the spirit by filling personal thoughts with negativity and pain until there is no space left for hopes and dreams.

The promise of Lent is that when we experience the darkest of dark; when we are absorbed with life’s issues whether they are big or small; when we find ourselves running faster and faster and getting no where; and when we are simply tired of stress or frustration or that nagging sore hip, Easter will come offering new life. Clearing the clutter gives us the space we need to recognize which direction we are being called by that which loves us beyond our wildest imagination and which direction is simply extending an enticing hand to pull us deeper into the abyss.

On Being Still

15 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by in meditation, spirituality

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imagesIt happened on a recent flight to visit my daughter. Understand, I am a white-knuckle, anxiety filled flyer. I have been known to play superstitious games with myself all the way from wearing, or not wearing, certain articles of clothing to practicing futile attempts at controlling any thoughts that I perceive to be inconsistent with plane staying in the air. I watch the flight attendants faces for any indication that there might be trouble. I listen for bumps and knocks that seem unusual to my untrained ears, finally realizing they can be different depending on one’s placement in the cabin. None of my tricks work as well as a glass of wine and ear buds blaring calming music intended to soothe my overly active brain.

It’s also important to know that I don’t swim.  I managed to fail beginning swimming at our local YMCA three times when I was a child. I love the ocean, but prefer to experience it from a lounge chair facing said water with plenty of sun and sand surrounding me. Mai tais are not optional. A boat is good, but only if life jackets are readily available…preferable on my body…and sharks are not part of the equation.

It should be said that my daughter lives in Hawaii. The quickest way to get to her is by air…problem #1. And, it’s an island, which means the flight spends a significant amount of time over water…problem #2. My rational brain knows that should the plane experience a tragic failure, it doesn’t matter if we are over land or water. The outcome will most likely be the same. My irrational brain is sure that it is a major miracle if we make it to our destination.

My daughter is an engineer. She tries to reassure me that aeronautical physics can be trusted. I get caught up in the concept that what appears to be nothing (air) is going to hold up an airplane, which by itself weighs a bazillion pounds before you add in the tonnage of hundreds of people in a variety of sizes and all of our assorted flip flops, shorts and swimwear. I hold onto the idea that multitudes of planes fly every day and to worry about only mine is arrogant. Then, I try not to worry about all of the other flights worldwide.

Like I said, it happened on a recent flight. I pulled my nose out of a book long enough to look out the window. I typically don’t want to busy myself with the visual of what 35,000 feet in the air looks like for fear of a panic event. But, when I actually opened the plastic window cover, took a deep breath and perused the view I had been missing, it was breathtaking! No, not in a scary-bad way. The view was beautiful beyond words, which should thrill the reader, as I won’t make a feeble attempt to describe it. Anyone who has ever flown and bothered to look beyond the interior of the plane knows what I mean. It was an angle of vision that the ancients only dreamed about, yet for a 21st Century citizen it is completely accessible if not somewhat routine. 35,000 feet? Nothing! Imagine the view from the moon! Our plane proceeded forward, calmly parting the clouds as we traveled at an amazing rate of speed.

It was then that my favorite mantra flowed through me: “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) No, I am not proficient at meditation. I am wired to think about everything and anything, which makes the art of clearing my thoughts to focus on simply one thing is nearly impossible for me. Yet, when I am suspended in a place where conflicting thoughts bounce around my skull like freshly launched pinballs, that statement does wonders to catch my attention and make my unproductive ruminations momentarily go away.

Let’s look at the entirety of Psalm 46. Biblical scholars classify this as a song of confidence or trust. The word ‘Selah’ appears three times. Although the contemporary meaning of the word ‘Selah’ is unknown, some think it is an ancient musical directive to pause and reflect on specific verses in a song. As you read the passage, know that the ancient writer described unbelievable chaos in terms that his/her contemporaries would understand. The response is always that God is sovereign, God is in control, and God is…

1God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations [solitude] he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Unfortunately, we continue to find our security in things other than God. We feel safe and protected in a warm house with plenty of food and water. We feel accepted if we wear the right clothes, drive the right car or run with the right people. We feel secure as a nation if we have the biggest and most advanced technology and weapons. We rely on our government to keep us safe through laws that are designed to protect what we perceive as our basic rights. We trust that the mechanics that inspected the plane knew what they were doing and that the flight crew has our best interests at heart. These thoughts are reinforced every time we test them for truth and things turn out as we hoped they would. Yet, each of these things carries the question, “What if…?” What if the mechanic hates working for that particular airline? What if the government doesn’t see my basic rights the way I do? What if Iran develops a nuclear bomb and aims it in our direction? What if our business fails and we loose our home? What if our friends or the people we love leave us? Then what…then what…then what…? Anxiety prevails…

“Be still” isn’t a call to meditate or reflect. It’s a call to stop! Stop relying on yourself, creature comforts or others for that deep, down peace. All of those things are special and things to embrace as “good” in this life. But, Psalm 46 reminds us there is something beyond the things we can touch, see, hear, taste and feel. All things are of and from God, but God is more than all things. And, when we truly recognize that; when we internalize the belief that God is our strength and refuge; when we see God as our fortress we will experience what Paul so beautifully describes in Philippians 4:7 as, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding…”

I felt it on that airplane. No, I wasn’t convinced that the plane would stay in the air because God loves me and would do what I want God to do. I felt a deep and comfortable peace knowing that God is always and everywhere and that no matter what happens, God will always be my strength and refuge. You see, when I remember that, I am inclined to be a kinder, gentler person, more willing to see others through eyes of compassion. Paul knew that, too. Philippians 4:7 continues with…”will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Jesus – God incarnate – who came to teach us who we are in God’s world.

I still worry about life in general, but when I remember to be still – to stop mindlessly spinning out of control – and know that God is, I find the calm and begin to see a world filled with beauty beyond my wildest imagination.