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Prairie Ponderings |
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Ever so smugly it just sits there peering down at me like a librarian looking over her glasses that are perilously perched on the end of her nose. There’s a look and an attitude that is conveyed by the positioning and posture as it restores order without saying a single word. With its vaunted view it figures it belongs as it looks down on books that have deep theological overtones: theological dictionaries, books on hermeneutics and commentaries. Of course there are books that go beyond the doldrums of plowing through the pages: books like Laugh Again or Make Love Last Forever. Other books push the boundaries with titles like The Ethics of Star Trek or Finding God in the Lord of the Rings. And then there are those that provoke thought such as The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind or The Divine Conspiracy. And yet, with all these learned books, there is one which stands alone; its orange, white and green striped cover is graced by a yellow car in a cloud of dust as its intently focused driver peers down the way. His scarf is flying in the wind and his driving goggles are firmly in place. The logo in the top corner of this master piece features a cat in a hat encircled by the words: I can read it all by myself.” The name of this beginner’s book is Go, Dog, Go. And, yes, that’s exactly what the book is about: dogs on the go.
It makes a person wonder if there isn’t more to the message than meets the eye. Aren’t we on the go to the point that busyness justifies our behavior? Got time to pray, read the Bible, visit someone the Holy Spirit has placed on your heart? Sorry, Lord, I’m busy!
Go, dog, go! The authors of Why We Are Driven note the distinction between humans being and humans doing. “Humans being are persons who have a healthy feeling of self worth, know their value, and have a comfortable sense of how they fit into their families, their work, their system.
Humans doing are convinced they have to prove their worth every day. They feel they must always be doing, accomplishing, performing, and perfecting in order to deserve their place in their family, their work, and their system. Their motives are all wrong.”
Yet, how many of us approach life in general and summer in particular as a season for “doing” instead of a time for “being?” Do we schedule so much in such a short time that we fail to hear: Stop. Man. STOP! Can you hear God saying to you: “Stop the doing. Quiet yourself. Wait on me. Listen for my still, calm voice.” As you look at your summer plans and gaze over your summer calendar, are there times and places carved out for you to be alone with the Creator of Summer? Is it time to put the “go, dog, go” mentality back on the shelf? Is it time to once again rediscover the green pastures and quiet waters of the psalms for the first time? As we enter the summer season may this be our prayer: Lord of summer warmth and renewing rains, warm my heart and nurture my being with the rains of your Spirit. When I get on the fast track of busyness, pull me over. Ticket me with the letters S..T..O..P. And then give me the grace to be grateful that you love me enough to say, “I miss you. Why not come on over to my house for a visit? I’ve got a bunch of people stopping by on Sunday, say around ten.” Enable us, O God, not only to hear your invitation but to respond. For we pray in Jesus’
July - Aug 2010
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