Yesterday I went to the doctor for a fasting blood test. After the nurse checked my pulse and blood pressure, she withdrew the requisite two viles of blood. Then there was a period of time, maybe four minutes, before the doctor came into the room.
Because it has always been my creed that you should "never stand when you can sit; never sit when you can lie down", I pulled out the footrest shelf on the exam table and laid down. I was in the midst of a relaxing rest when the doctor came in. It was a perfect "pause that was refreshing".
How many times in our day do we have two, three, four minutes between appointments, stuck in traffic, waiting for someone to show up, watching the meal bake in the oven or the laundry spin dry? In those moments we can rest and relax, breath deeply and pause in an awareness of the goodness of life, the nearness of the presence of God. Leaning back into the arms of God can bring immeasurable peace and refreshment in the midst of the hectic scramble of everyday life.
Such a simple practice with such profound results. What a habit to cultivate for better health, physical, emotional, and spiritual.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Whose Fault Is It?
Over the weekend there were three headlines in the news that caught my eye:
1. Tiger Woods: Sorry For Behavior
2. Texas Man, Angry With IRS, Crashes Plane Into Office
3. Lawyer: Prof Accused in Ala Slayings Doesn't Remember Shootings
It goes without saying that all three of these situations are sad and tragic. The lives of many people have been negatively impacted by the actions of these three individuals; some have died, others have had their futures changed drastically in a very short period of time.
But what strikes me most with these unfortunate occurrences is how typical they are of a prevailing theme in our society, namely, choices and actions made without thought of consequences. It seems, in my humble opinion, that our society is afflicted with a cancerous growth which has infected the attitudes and behavior of people from the highest profile politicians to sports heroes to church leaders to teachers, parents and not surprisingly even down to children themselves. This growth has choked off the lifeblood to a vital part of our human person, our conscience. Without this "small voice within", we end up witnessing (and perhaps engaging in) behavior that is self destructive and socially harmful.
We revert to all kinds of excuses and rationale, blaming upbringing, addictions, our educational system (or lack thereof), friends and enemies. Yet, in the end, our choices are our own responsibility, no one else.
The power of our choices and the consequences that they carry with them is infinite in its ramifications. As God tells us through Moses in Deuteronomy: "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him" (Deut 30:19-20). All around us, each day in the news headlines, we see examples of people who are making choices that are not life-giving, either to themselves or to those around them. Yet, somehow, in our modern society, we expect to be immune from the consequences of those choices. We believe that we are more enlightened than previous ages and hence free of the limitations and boundaries of human existence. How blind we are.
Lord, protect us from ourselves and our own blindness. Help us to see reality from Your perspective so that we can judge our own choices, actions and behaviors in the light of Your love. Awaken us to the full picture of the responsibility that goes with the powerful gift of making choices.
1. Tiger Woods: Sorry For Behavior
2. Texas Man, Angry With IRS, Crashes Plane Into Office
3. Lawyer: Prof Accused in Ala Slayings Doesn't Remember Shootings
It goes without saying that all three of these situations are sad and tragic. The lives of many people have been negatively impacted by the actions of these three individuals; some have died, others have had their futures changed drastically in a very short period of time.
But what strikes me most with these unfortunate occurrences is how typical they are of a prevailing theme in our society, namely, choices and actions made without thought of consequences. It seems, in my humble opinion, that our society is afflicted with a cancerous growth which has infected the attitudes and behavior of people from the highest profile politicians to sports heroes to church leaders to teachers, parents and not surprisingly even down to children themselves. This growth has choked off the lifeblood to a vital part of our human person, our conscience. Without this "small voice within", we end up witnessing (and perhaps engaging in) behavior that is self destructive and socially harmful.
We revert to all kinds of excuses and rationale, blaming upbringing, addictions, our educational system (or lack thereof), friends and enemies. Yet, in the end, our choices are our own responsibility, no one else.
The power of our choices and the consequences that they carry with them is infinite in its ramifications. As God tells us through Moses in Deuteronomy: "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him" (Deut 30:19-20). All around us, each day in the news headlines, we see examples of people who are making choices that are not life-giving, either to themselves or to those around them. Yet, somehow, in our modern society, we expect to be immune from the consequences of those choices. We believe that we are more enlightened than previous ages and hence free of the limitations and boundaries of human existence. How blind we are.
Lord, protect us from ourselves and our own blindness. Help us to see reality from Your perspective so that we can judge our own choices, actions and behaviors in the light of Your love. Awaken us to the full picture of the responsibility that goes with the powerful gift of making choices.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Spring Will Come!
With this being Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, I decided that it is a good time to get back to the practice of writing my blog with some regularity. There is a healthy discipline in putting my thoughts down in a readable, and hopefully sensible format, both for myself and, maybe even for others.
The word "Lent" comes from an old English word meaning "Spring". If ever there was a winter that begged for the coming of that season of renewal and rebirth, it is this one. Snow upon snow, moved around by wind after wind, followed by cold, clouds, fog and occasional sunshine have tested the mettle of many a hearty soul these past months. Even the toughest of the tough are ready for a break as cabin fever surpasses the common cold as the illness of conversation.
Two weeks ago, a woman who had moved here to the Midwest from her native country of The Philippines, came into our auto dealership to have her car serviced. She commented on the severity of the winter we are experiencing. As I commiserated with her by telling her that it was severe even by the standards of those who grew up in Iowa, I was able to offer her a little hope. I told her that in the 68 winters that I had lived, there has never been one that was not followed by spring at some point. I expected that this one would be no exception.
But when, on this past Monday, I became stuck in a snow drift on our country road and required assistance from our neighbor to get pulled out, I knew that I too was ready for spring. Lent is the season to remind us that change, new life, rebirth is available to us if we only acknowledge our limitations, our imperfections, our inability to "pull ourselves out" of the mess we are in. When we accept being "stuck in the drift", Lent can happen to us again, and new life can spring forth in the depths of our hearts. May this Lent be such a time for all of us.
The word "Lent" comes from an old English word meaning "Spring". If ever there was a winter that begged for the coming of that season of renewal and rebirth, it is this one. Snow upon snow, moved around by wind after wind, followed by cold, clouds, fog and occasional sunshine have tested the mettle of many a hearty soul these past months. Even the toughest of the tough are ready for a break as cabin fever surpasses the common cold as the illness of conversation.
Two weeks ago, a woman who had moved here to the Midwest from her native country of The Philippines, came into our auto dealership to have her car serviced. She commented on the severity of the winter we are experiencing. As I commiserated with her by telling her that it was severe even by the standards of those who grew up in Iowa, I was able to offer her a little hope. I told her that in the 68 winters that I had lived, there has never been one that was not followed by spring at some point. I expected that this one would be no exception.
But when, on this past Monday, I became stuck in a snow drift on our country road and required assistance from our neighbor to get pulled out, I knew that I too was ready for spring. Lent is the season to remind us that change, new life, rebirth is available to us if we only acknowledge our limitations, our imperfections, our inability to "pull ourselves out" of the mess we are in. When we accept being "stuck in the drift", Lent can happen to us again, and new life can spring forth in the depths of our hearts. May this Lent be such a time for all of us.
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