Peripatetics: The Art of Walking
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Maybe it's a case of "good old days syndrome" (where you fail to see the negatives in life of the time when you were younger and over-romanticize those days) but life sure seemed slower for kids back then.
I mean, my dad worked for the same company all his life. He came home every day (well, from about when I was 5 when he got promoted to management) around 5PM. I was home. My sister was home. He would take us outside and goof around until my mom called us in for dinner. He had weekends off.
My mom was a homemaker. She did her work in the home, making sure that the house was kept, she was involved in the PTA at our schools, and she did some minor shuttling to baseball practice or dance or whatever.
But we had TIME. I mean, we had a sit-down, family dinner almost every night. Maybe on Friday or Saturday we'd actually go out to eat, but even then we'd actually go inside a restaurant and eat there. The only time I can remember eating in a car (drive-thru lanes weren't invented yet) was at the drive-in theatre we went to once. The whole family had time to go to each other's stuff. If my dad played softball, we all went. They were all at my baseball games. If my sister was in the school play, we all attended.
It seems like TIME has faded away.
My children's childhood seems much more "warp-speed." All too often there are conflicts with activities, with my wife taking one child to one thing while I take the child to the other. This requires stops at the drive-thru more often than not. They don't get out of school until 4PM (started and ended an hour earlier) and it seems like homework is rushed to get done before the next activity. School clubs are in the mix, too. Friday nights at home with everybody are extremely rare. Same for the Saturday...and my schedule requires that I work Sunday morning and evening, too.
My wife owns her own business and she's doesn't have the time to prepare full course, sit-down meals every night, either.
Now, don't get me wrong. These aren't bad things at all. My children are better educated than I was at their age. They are better at their respective activities than I was at their age. They seem more independent and strong. My wife seems challenged and gets to be innovative and creative. I have interesting opportunities.
But it seems like going through white-water rapids. It's really fun and the adrenaline gets going...but when do you get to the slow water and simply take a look around and enjoy the Big Horn rams butting heads on the side of the mountains you're in between?
That's what the final stanza of Psalm 46 is about. Remember, from the past two days, we talked about what how God is a shelter and strength, and how He is with us even when it feels like He isn't. We're supposed to pause (Selah) and dwell on these things.
Verses 8--11 read as follows:
"Come, behold the works of the Lord; Who has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. 'Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth.' The Lord of Hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah."
We're being invited to take a look at the works of the Lord. Not to talk to it. Not to critique them. Just look. Observe. Slow down and think.
In their particular case, with enemies at the gates (see earlier entries), they're reminded that God will act in human history:
Wars will cease.
Armies will be defeated...soundly.
We know from our interpretation of Scripture that the Messiah will ultimately accomplish these things. The reality should give us hope because no matter how bad things seem or how distant God feels, He has a plan for all of history.
And based on that reality we should "cease striving." It wouldn't be unfair to translate that Hebrew word into modern American English as "relax." Maybe "Let go."
So, we're to focus on God...not our busyness.
When we're alone, we should realize that everything we do here is under the subjection of the Lord of Hosts...that He has a plan into which we fit, and therefore we don't have to be stressed. We can be faithful, try to do our activities with excellence, but trust in God that He will get out of each one of them what He wants. It's part of His plan.
So, for today, in the comments, could you tell us if that is easy or hard to do and why it is that way for you. Can you share a specific time you did this? What was the result? How was God glorified by you "letting go?"
Brent 5:58 AM
Comments:
It seems like every activity that I am involved in is supposed to be the most important thing in my life...or at least to the people in charge of that activity. It makes it really hard to relax and enjoy the fact that God is God, when society is trying to make me think that I have 5 or 6 different "gods" (ex. band, sports, academics, money.) When I am supposed to be the best at all of those things, stress and disappointment come into the picture. Getting "recalibrated" with God is the only thing that can help me to realize the real order of importance in my life.
Post a Comment
