Friday, December 19, 2014

Everything rides on hope now

This morning, the sky is as dark as sin's aftermath. The sky is as deep purple as what comes after messing up the next mess up. You know what I'm talking about.

We try so hard to fix things that we fix them not. And God watches in sheer joy at the humanity he bathed us with.

Paul wrote about all this in his letter to Corinth.

"Let me come back to where I started -- and don't hold it against me if I continue to sound a little foolish. Or if you'd rather, just accept that I am a fool and let me rant on a little. ... I didn't learn this kind of talk from Christ. Oh, no, it's a bad habit I picked up from the three-ring preachers that are so popular these days. Since you sit there in the judgment seat observing all these shenanigans, you can afford to humor an occasional fool who happens along. You have such admirable tolerance for impostors who rob your freedom, rip you off, steal you blind, put you down -- even slap your face."

Three-ring preachers so popular these days. Uh, I just might know a couple of those.

The kind who speak out one side of their mouths and allow the foam of folly to slide gently out the other side. Truth as powerful as lies is a plentiful subject.

In younger days, I used to watch Elsie (so help me, Elsie was a cow our family owned and enjoyed watching her watching us). Elsie could and often did stand to the side reading me and/or studying me and/or giving me the deep playful eye. We figured she would have been a great reader of palms. She certainly was a good reader of people.

Did I mention she was a cow?

This morning as that strange substance called rain falls on the earth around us, I have done some thinking about our loves, about our lives, and what I've reasoned is God has flattened the land before us, taking away pebbles and stones like a spiritual road-grader. All in the simple little effort to make tomorrow better than today.

Christmas is coming, quickly. Bells are ringing around our house and in our neighborhood. Music is gently massaging the area. Love is correcting our mistakes and hope is wrapping our gifts as if we were all delightful paper and ribbons. Today, let's all think just a few moments about what glorious things we've been given by God. Let's pause to reflect on the Friday's of our lives. Let's love till it hurts, and give till it smiles.

Today, let's all be three-ring preachers, giving all we have in an effort to soften the hearts of the lonely.

Today, let's love. Hot dogs for the world. Fries for the tots.

What a time to live.



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