This last week on this Sabbatical journey was very fulfilling as well as interesting. I will get to the interesting part in a moment.
We have been preparing this month for our big event, the baptism of Patrick Nello Strickland! Completing the finishing touches on honey do chores, re-working all of the flower beds for the front and back yards, and getting the food and accommodations ready for our out of town and out of state guests. So fulfilling to see our children, grandsons, parents and other family members arrive at our home with such joy and then for all to gather at the church for this wonderful occasion. It was a beautiful ceremony filled with emotional laughter and tears as well as deep spiritual ritual, meaning, reflection and perspective. God is so good and kind. So all is well, right? Oh, did I forget to mention my son became extremely sick the day before and my daughter-in-law during the night. Well you guessed it, while everyone was gathered at our home, my wife and I both had to retire from the party to our bedroom suite because we became terribly ill. The celebration for Patrick’s new spiritual journey continued on regardless of our non-presence or hosting the party we had planned all month! Talk about perspective, celebrating with others even when we were in our sick bed! What a great lesson (looking back but not during the time it was actually happening to us)! My children and family are great hosts and our home is set up for everyone to make themselves at home and they did! It was a great celebration! Come to find out it was not the flu but evidently bad sushi the four of us shared Friday evening! Never again sushi from this particular place, however, the lesson learned was more than just about bad sushi but about how to see this event and the journey from a different perspective. A perspective, viewpoint of joy and celebration from a sick bed! How odd?
The Bible is full of faith heroes (some call saints) who could see joy and celebration of the journey from the particular perspective they were experiencing whether it was pleasant or very unpleasant or even to the point of death. Jesus is our finest example and hero:
Hebrews 12:1-3 “So then, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us, too, put aside every impediment — that is, the sin which easily hampers our forward movement — and keep running with endurance in the contest set before us, looking away to the Initiator and Completer of that trusting, Yeshua — who, in exchange for obtaining the joy set before him, endured execution on a stake as a criminal, scorning the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Yes, think about him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you won’t grow tired or become despondent.” (Complete Jewish Bible Translation)
Now to the interesting part? It so happened that my wife and I while resting from our sickness (yes, this is the first time we were both sick together) watched a movie called “Tracks”. The movie tells the story of Robyn Davidson, who in 1977 set upon a 1700 mile journey in Australia’s most roughest terrain and desert by herself, her dog and a few camels to reach the Indian Ocean. The “Camel Lady” as she was called, took to this journey to find maybe answers for her mother’s death and other losses in her life. Through her journey she found the kindness of others to guide her along the way. OK, I’ll get to the interesting part. At the end of the movie this is her quote. Something I was not expecting at all. Here is her statement, “It is not what we pack on the journey that matters, it is rather what we leave behind”. So the journey has meaning and significance when its events are viewed from various perspectives and these include ahead, during and behind. Whether the perspective is from a milestone church event, a father’s and grandfather’s (Pa) eyes, a sick bed view of helplessness, a 1700 mile camel journey movie or a 56 year old birthday, God allows life events for us to experience His kindness, grace and love. Nothing can change or separate us from His Perspective and that’s my view these 56 years today! Amazing.
Blessings,
Don (Donie)
Romans 8:28