Lightbulb moments
Moments of clarity & other forms of illumination
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When in doubt, follow the instructions
Every now and then, and apparently out of nowhere, a question will flit into my mind. It might not demand much attention at first, but when something unexpected reminds me that it’s there, I tend to take more notice. Exactly this kind of question arrived in my mind on the second of January last year. I know this because I wrote it down. Is God fair? Is God fair? I wasn’t asking this question because I had an opinion on the matter. I hadn’t really thought about it before and so I wondered what the answer might be. The same question came up over cheese and crackers when I had…
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Simple, unexpected and beautiful
Last Sunday as I sat in church, something happened that made me smile. Something simple, unexpected and beautiful. We were celebrating the Lord’s Supper together. We don’t do it frequently, but somehow that makes the remembering more particular and significant. The way we go about it is not very formal, and yet somehow that pared-back plainness makes it easier to focus on what’s essential. As we read the biblical narrative once more of Christ’s death for us—his willing sacrifice to save us from the guilt and penalty of sin—the significance of the remembrance is not lost to familiarity. We use tiny cubes of bread (rice crackers for the gluten-free folk)…
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To do or not to do?
Do you have a to-do list? Do you even like to-do lists? I write to-do lists because it helps get the buzz out of my head—a swirling confusion of many things yet to do. To-do lists help ease a lurking dread that if I don’t write things down I will forget something important or urgent or boringly mundane. Taskmaster Although preventing my head from exploding is an honourable goal, I often immediately regret writing a to-do list. Too soon it becomes a severe taskmaster that rules my priorities and conscience. And it seems only to expand rather than reduce. As soon as I begin ticking things off the list, any sense…
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Prepared for rain
So I went for a walk and it rained. Hard. Yes, I had consulted the meteorological radar on my handy phone app before I left and I was prepared. But without my nifty folding umbrella that expands generously to dimensions suitable for golfers, I would have returned home much wetter. And much sooner. Choice & uncertainty I guess you could say I made an informed choice. I didn’t want to forgo a fresh air walk just because I knew there were marauding showers lurking out there in the uncertain clouds. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to breathe deep into my lungs the easterly autumn breeze that often comes…
