Quiet moment
It is about as lovely a day as any that Philadelphia offers its residents. Oddly, this is at least the third day in a row of perfect weather. Should I hope for one more day like this, to round out my current four-day weekend? More perfectness for the big Laramee cookout tomorrow?
There is supposed to be a Woodland Church cookout today at 5pm, in Clark Park. It is now about 5:20. Angela is sleeping, as is Abigail. Hopefully we'll get there in time to eat some warm food.
What can I say, about the more than two months that have elapsed since my last post? God was speaking to me, again, about the next step in his plan for my life. I didn't hear him very well, so he started speaking louder. I brushed his voice off as a distraction. He tried to gently turn my head, away from the thing I was obsessed with. I stiffened my neck, to avoid breaking eye contact with my goal.
And so on and so forth. I was both Balaam, and Balaam's Ass (see Numbers 22). Other people were also Balaam's Ass, to my Balaam. I am sorry for striking these people (I am thinking of a few strong women in my life). "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Jesus meant that. If you're stressed out, afraid, anxious... vicious... you've probably strayed from the narrow path of Jesus.
What an incredible paradox! His yoke is easy and his burden is light, but it is *hard* to stay on that path! Why is it hard? Because so many are going the other way, which is in fact harder and more painful, in the long run, and imperils your eternal soul. Who are you hoping to please? If it's any human being or group of human beings, you're in for a world of hurt.
There's another reason it can be hard. What, after all, is the narrow path? It is a delicate, magical balance between living *fully* in the present, while making sure to glance forward and backward frequently enough-- but not too frequently. This is hard! It takes *practice*.
I'm not going to go into all the "stuff" that has happened, especially in July-- that would make this not so peaceful a moment. Suffice it to say that God has reminded me that he is God and I am not. And he has given me rest.
There is supposed to be a Woodland Church cookout today at 5pm, in Clark Park. It is now about 5:20. Angela is sleeping, as is Abigail. Hopefully we'll get there in time to eat some warm food.
What can I say, about the more than two months that have elapsed since my last post? God was speaking to me, again, about the next step in his plan for my life. I didn't hear him very well, so he started speaking louder. I brushed his voice off as a distraction. He tried to gently turn my head, away from the thing I was obsessed with. I stiffened my neck, to avoid breaking eye contact with my goal.
And so on and so forth. I was both Balaam, and Balaam's Ass (see Numbers 22). Other people were also Balaam's Ass, to my Balaam. I am sorry for striking these people (I am thinking of a few strong women in my life). "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Jesus meant that. If you're stressed out, afraid, anxious... vicious... you've probably strayed from the narrow path of Jesus.
What an incredible paradox! His yoke is easy and his burden is light, but it is *hard* to stay on that path! Why is it hard? Because so many are going the other way, which is in fact harder and more painful, in the long run, and imperils your eternal soul. Who are you hoping to please? If it's any human being or group of human beings, you're in for a world of hurt.
There's another reason it can be hard. What, after all, is the narrow path? It is a delicate, magical balance between living *fully* in the present, while making sure to glance forward and backward frequently enough-- but not too frequently. This is hard! It takes *practice*.
I'm not going to go into all the "stuff" that has happened, especially in July-- that would make this not so peaceful a moment. Suffice it to say that God has reminded me that he is God and I am not. And he has given me rest.
posted by Joel GL at 5:22 PM
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