A Prodigal's Path

Right Here. Right Now.

 

"So if what we sometimes call luck is 'Being in the right place at the right time',Then shouldn't we be where we're supposed to be, when we're suppose to be there?" is what I asked myself.

 

Funny that this thought came to me yesterday when I was out on my motorcycle heading for some twisty roads to carve up.  It's only humorous because when I'm out on the bike I often try to be no where at no particular time.  Yesterday afternoon was one of those "no where" destinations.  No map, no real plan, just a general direction and then to find my way home.

 

But when I'm taking things a little more serious and back in the rhythm of "busy life" I become driven by the clock.  I'm often so conscience of time that I find myself arriving 10 minutes early to appointments.  So much so that I've had to drive around the block several times to burn off a a few minutes.

 

I like being on time.  I like arriving a few minutes early and having time to catch my breathe and relax into the situation.  There's a sense of calmness about arriving on time . . . being early is being in control.  Being timely, and by "timely" I mean a few minutes early,  you get to pick the best seat; which, at times, may be the one closest to the door.

 

Like money, time is also something created and given to us by God.  Time, like the cash in our pockets, is of great value and we should be mindful of it and manage as good stewards.  A friend and mentor in business once told me that Time was the one thing that once spent I couldn't make back and to use it wisely.

 

Unlike money, each of us wakes up with the exact same amount of time in our accounts for the day.

 

This morning I found this,

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Ephesians 5:15-17

 

Even Christ himself is sensitive to "timeliness".

"My hour has not yet come" ~ Jesus, John 2:4 speaking to his mother.  Read the passage and you'll find that Mary was intuitive about timing too. 

"My time has not yest come" ~ Jesus, John 7:6 talking to his brothers.

"See, the hour is at hand" ~ Jesus, Matthew 26:45 speaking to his disciples

"the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." ~ Jesus, John 4:23-24

 

And I like this contemporary quote,

"God has given me this day to use it as I will. I can waste it - or use it for good, but what I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it."~ Heartsill Wilson

 

God’s Green Curse

 

I like doing things. I like work and working. I enjoy the process of creating and making. I like changing things and leaving them better than I found them. That yearning to "make and create" has led to an extensive collection of tools, both carpentry and mechanics, in my basement. But I don't really enjoy routine and repetitive task. The things we seem to do over and over with no end in sight and little purpose other than "you have to." That may explain my extreme dislike for mowing the lawn. I no sooner get it done and within a few days it's time to wheel out the mower and start again. Throw in our two migratory pooping beagles and it makes for an interesting dance with the mower. A little "Twist and Shout", literally, after an errant footing lands in a treasure.

I can't help but to think of "the curse" when I'm wheeling around the yard.

 

17 And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, ~ Genesis 3:17-19

23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.  ~ Genesis 3:20

 

A light goes on in a hidden closet in my brain and out comes the muttering "Thanks guys!" . . .  You really blew it for the rest of us." That, of course, is assuming that someone else in the now lengthy chain of humanity wouldn't have dropped the ball and sneaked a taste from "The Tree". It's an unlikely scenario indeed given our propensity to rob cookie jars, private stashes of ice cream, and our kids' Halloween windfalls of candy.

Onward I push until the final leaves dye in hues of golden yellow, toasted orange, and fall from their perches bringing about yet another scurried routine before it's time for snow. Oh how I long for the monotony of a snow shovel and chilling lake winds whipping icy darts into my face as I toil away. Christmas Snow: a Blessing. Snow in April: a Curse.

To complicate my homestead toils a little more this year, toss in my blog and the thoughts that jostle and tumble around my brain while my body goes through the motions. My last few posts have been partially written while performing my share of our earthly "have to's". So I push the mower while my head formulates and fills, then I abandon it in the middle of the yard and scurry off to my desk to purge my thoughts before losing them. A bit funny how, and when, God would choose fill my time and heart. Even funnier for the friend who got multiple abbreviated e-mail messages from me last week during the lengthened hour I pushed away.

Then I recall Philippians 2:13-14

 "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or questioning,"

And the "why" in versus 15 & 16

"that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,  holding fast to the word of life"

 

Work with purpose and passion.

 

Dealing With Duality: A Safe Place To Hide

When I started my blog, Prodigals Path, I made one conscious decision, and a very hard one at that.  There would be no hiding, no boundaries and no limits. That I would share my life, the good, and the not so good, honestly and in a form that would enlighten the path we tread.


Sometimes thoughts, ideas, realizations, and understanding come flooding over me at a pace that I can't write fast enough.  Other times, I can scarcely put a more than a scribble on a scrap of paper.


I don't believe I have anything unique to offer.  No original thoughts.  No grand ideas. No break through insights.  As the author of Ecclesiastes 1:9 says "there is nothing new under the sun." It's all been out there before.  My task is simply to relay a message that there is hope for the broken, safe haven for the worldly weary and a place far better than here waiting for those that will take hold the master's hand and adopt his heart.


My struggle, at times, is I find it difficult to maintain my balance with what feels like one foot on the "the path" and one still in the world.  While I've gotten better at making decisions, breaking habits, and choosing the right direction at the forks in the road, I'm not always the best ambassador for the great message of love and hope.


I'm really good on Sunday morning.  I'm really good when I choose to be around friends from Church.  I'm really good when I insulate myself from the distractions, temptations, and situations that challenge my character, attitudes, and behavior.  And then I'm not so good when I isolate my "outside life" from those same friends, brothers and sisters who help me reach higher and keep me focused on Christ and The Cross.


At times Church becomes my safe place.  A haven, of sorts, while the world outside spins wildly around me.  At times I focus on the struggles within me and lose sight of those who struggle around me. I drag my baggage down the street and I become cocooned in the "my God and my problems" thinking that blames Him rather than seeks Him out.  At times I'm engulfed by guilt and forget about grace and drudgery overtakes delight.  Sometimes I hide my light and the darkness that I harbor wins out in the moment and a day is seemingly ruined.  I despair when I falter.  I despair over opportunities lost and my heart feels the weight and burden of the message of great hope I've been given to share.

 

One thing God has shown me these last few years is that realization, or awareness, of our short comings is the beginning of growth if we're open to it. It's the planting in our heart that chokes our joy; but now brought to light allows us to pray for wisdom and strength to overcome. We learn and we grow.


Contrast often helps me pick the better footing as I journey.  Scriptures for today as I travel down the road:


"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."  Proverbs 13:20


"Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals."  1 Corinthians 15:33


 "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17


"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.  For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?  And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him - a threefold cord is not quickly broken."  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12


"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." ~ Jesus, Matthew 18:20