"It's not a bad idea
to occasionally spend a little time thinking
about things
you take for granted.
Plain everyday things."
(Evan Davis, BBC host)
The floor under our feet, the air we breathe, the pumping of our heart... we seldom think on these things - until they are in jeopardy or are gone. We walk miles upon this earth rarely considering the solid foundation beneath us, until an earthquake shakes our world. So much at play in the background that sustains life in quiet, subtle ways.
I once asked a woman who had been married 40+ years what a husband was (he was sitting beside her):
"A husband is someone you take for granted."
"Really" I say (with eyebrows raised in surprise)
"Yes - because his care and love are so constant, like the air I breathe, that I never think about it. He is always there for me, supporting me, loving me; I never have to worry about it"
Wow!
So much that gives us life and we give it nary a thought till we must do without it. April 24 will mark two years since my mentor died. Michael was one of those pieces of life that I took for granted. We did not get together often, however, when we did he helped me set my compass, reminded me who I was. Between our visits he faded to the background, and like air and sunshine and love, his presence in this world gave life to me even when I was not thinking about him. I always knew though, in the back of my mind, that he was there, and at a whim I could call him up or send an email and my bubble would return to center. But Michael died, as we all must do, and life goes on.
Most, perhaps all, of this corporeal world is transitory - it crumbles, fades, and turns to dust over time. The people and the structures that we rely upon for support will some day be gone, and us with them. Not a particularly comforting thought, but it is a helpful reminder that while husbands and wives and mentors and all the other subtle-in-the-background pieces of life are delicious and important, they are not the source of life. All these rely on something older, greater, deeper; these, while life-supporting, rest upon a foundation that is unshakable, unending and infinite in scope and breadth - God's Love.
"In the beginning God created..." Before all, the absolute "prior," the quintessential start - God's Love. Everything that exists stands upon the foundation of this Love; all of life draws its breath from this Love; our compass, our identity, our centered bubble, these depend upon God's Love. And this is good news for it means that no matter who dies, no matter what changes challenge us, we will endure, more even thrive because Life and Love always surround and suffuse our being.
I miss my mentor - and this is a good thing, for it reminds me to be aware of where I get my strength from. Michael, like so many in my life, was not the source but rather was a funnel, open to God's love pouring through him to me, and many others. I too am a funnel, as are you. We are not the source, rather, we stand upon the source and our Creator's Love pours through us to support, heal and endlessly recreate our world.
So give thanks today for all of the in-the-background pieces of your life that hold you up. Then, take a quiet moment to breathe, to listen to the whisper of Spirit, to feel the thrum of God's life pulsing through your heart. You are alive and Love pours into and through you. You are someone's taken-for-granted support. God is good, life is great, Love is who you are!
I leave the last word to Paul:
"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our
(Romans 8.37-39, NKJ)
In this life with you,
Pastor Bill
Relax
It
Is
In
God's
Hands
All is well
Breathe
Pray
Play
[First published April 10, 2013]
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