The countdown continues here on this
Wednesday, August 14, 2019. The countdown is now at minus 4 days. Vacation. I'm not really fixated on our planned excursion, but, I thought it would be good to at least show a modicum of interest, if, for no other reason than it gives me something to write about. I am well aware of how reality has a way of putting those envisioned calendar views into a more clear focus. I've mentioned many times how easy it is to be immune to the beauty around you. I was at a meeting once outside of Denver and one of the glaring views of the mountains through a large window absolutely took my breath away. I was the only one from out of town and it didn't take long to figure that out since everyone else was pretty much indifferent to the majestic display of God's handiwork seen from their workplace window. It happens to us all. Every single day most of us go about our busy premeditated lives and rarely stop to notice our surroundings. Be it people or places. Preoccupied. I suppose that's the idea behind the admonition that we all should take time to 'stop and smell the roses'. That saying is a cliched way of saying slow down, enjoy life, notice the beauty along the way. That would be a really good thing for some of us to do, especially, yours truly.
That reminds me of the Duck Dynasty episodes where the entire family made a vacation trip to Hawaii. Willie was 100% focused on the itinerary, the program, and the schedule, so much so, he had no time to enjoy the surpassing beauty around him. It's not just a vacation situation. We recently heard someone talking about a fellow who led music at a Church in our area. They said he was acutely focused on the execution of the voices and the instruments, obsessively so, to the extent it was hard for his people to enjoy the worship they were attempting to project. It's the 'can't see the forest for the trees' mentality. Immersed in the minutiae to the point of never seeing anything but the next bit of detail. I was visiting with a lady the other day and she was talking about the current heatwave we are experiencing. She said there appeared to be no relief in sight. What would we do if the power were to go off? Sad to see the yard and plants so wilted. I countered with how blessed we had been this year with enough rain to keep everything so green and vibrant. I told her this too will pass. And, in the meantime, everything still looks pretty good for it to be in the middle of August. I am prone, at times to the same type of negativism. It can be a scene-stealer as we focus on something other than the beauty that God has surrounded us with.
Even KFC gets it. Their current commercial trumpets their full meal deal that is so good it will cause the children to lay down their phones and even look at their lovely parents. Last Sunday evening the youth at our local fellowship rehearsed with us their recent missions endeavor down in Brownsville, Texas. One of the requirements for them to go on the trip was they had to leave their phones at home. These kids were observed throughout their week of ministry doing something unique in our world today. They were actually talking directly to each other, getting to know their neighbors, and, being able to focus their time and attention on the ministry efforts they came to pursue. They did a week-long vacation Bible school in a large apartment complex. They saw 25 kids that week who heard the Gospel and as a result, they came to profess their faith in Jesus Christ. We talk a lot about distracted driving, however, my guess is, distracted living is a much larger issue for us all. Me too. I think I've worn out my confessional for one day, therefore, I'll just say we all stand in need of this reminder. Yep. We do. One last time: Me too! Have a great rest of the day and may God bless each one.
Amen. ....More later.
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