Things people have taught me

"Knives are sharp... be careful."
"Don't plant outside before Good Friday, you will always be disappointed."
"Faith isn't about a moment in time... it's about a lifetime of moments."

I think these statements run the gamut on what wise people have taught me over the years.  They go from the grossly obvious to "really?" and then on to "ah ha."  I think that that one of the reasons that I've been thinking about them lately is because they are things I needed to be reminded of, even in the last week.

My first year of ministry, I talked with a college student at my church who was selling knives on consignment with a nationally known company.  He asked if he could come by and show me the knives.  I didn't need to buy anything for him to get credit for seeing me, so I agreed.  By the end of his visit I was the proud owner of a new set of four kitchen knives, four steak knives and a wooden block thrown in for good measure.  One of the things I like about the knives were that they were really sharp, and they made the process of preparing a meal so much easier.  But within the first two weeks I cut myself four or five times.  I forgot what I was supposed to know.... that knives are sharp.  Over the years, I have gotten more knives from this same company, and there's not a single one of them that I would give back.  But every time I get a new knife or have them sharpened, more likely than not, I cut myself.  Again and again I have to learn the hard lesson that everyone knows... "knives are sharp - be careful."

Spring is slow to come to New England this year.  We had snow last week and it's still only in the low 50's, which probably sounds good to some of you, but I've been sleeping on flannel sheets for almost 6 months and I still have to wear a jacket in the house so that we can keep our thermostat below 65F, thus being able to afford both heating oil and food.  But that doesn't mean I'm not itching to plant something outside.  In my head it's time for geraniums and begonias and tomatoes.  But my grandfather, who was a farmer in North Carolina, always said, "Don't plant outside before Good Friday... you will always be disappointed."  And no matter where we have lived, I have found his words to be true.  Sometimes wisdom comes from others' experiences.  But mostly we have to test them ourselves before we really learn the lesson.  I've replaced a lot of geraniums in my life, just because I was too intent on making things happen on my time schedule and not waiting for things to happen just as they would.

I come from a religious tradition that tries to find a balance between a personal experience of God and the living out of faith. It's a "call and response" relationship.  The way I try to live my life is a response to the love that I have experienced through Christ.  It would be so convenient to be able to have the living of faith compartmentalized, but I haven't found that to be very practical or effective.  For me, faith is lived one day, one hour, one step at a time, and hopefully I am better able to reflect God's love and grace today than I was yesterday or last year or when I first committed myself to this Christian life.  That's why this statement is so helpful to me... "Faith isn't about a moment in time... it's about a lifetime of moments."  You can judge me on how well I am doing... but it is my prayer that in my life there will be more faithful moments than not.

We are more than halfway through the Lenten season... we can see Easter just around the corner.  May we continue to hear the call of God to live and love and serve others every way.

Peace, Deb