Skip to main content

HU!

 

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:6)

          Fall is upon us. What does that mean for you? Is it a nice, new season with its own traditions, priorities, and enjoyment? Is it a time of closing down and preparation for winter? It is harvest time? Is it time to gear up for school? To buckle down to studies or work? Are you ready? Do you have your pumpkin spice? Your sweaters? Your hoodies? Have you gotten apple cider yet? What are your goals for between now and Christmas?

          Like so much else since last March, this fall is being both familiar and strange for me. Over the past five years, I’ve torn plants out of the garden (which was maybe half the size it is now or left them until spring. I’ve started tear plants out. Today’s victims were some marigolds and some turnips. There are more of both. Too many marigolds, and none of them the dwarf variety. (Note to self.) But the focus is harvesting rather than just tearing out. There are a couple handfuls of marigold flowers in the kitchen, waiting for research to be done about whether and how to preserve them. Fennel and echinacea seed heads, and some onions are in the garage drying/curing. It feels strange to be bothering with these things, but I’m finding that it feels right, too. I’m collecting free supplies and I’m following a cycle that brings me back to reality.

          There’s another part of me, of course. It screams, “Hurry up!” I look around in anxiety. How am I going to get ready? How can I possibly do all I need to do? OK, let’s start cleaning up and packing! Except, well, I can’t load up the truck yet. Why risk stuff getting stolen, or damaged if I get in an accident? No, it won’t do to pack yet. Besides, I might want to use that, and that, and this before I leave. Hurry up! Not yet! (HU!NY!)

          In the midst of the HU! of the season, I’m trying to build in unhurried cyclical stuff. I’m not just ripping the fennel out. I’m taking time each day to find the seed heads that are ready for harvest. I’m saying NY! Yes, there is a straight line forward, and I hear the HU! of it. But I’m trying to listen to the NY! as well.

          With God, time seems to be both linear and cyclical. There is both HU! and NY! There is room for ritual and tradition within the march. God’s ways include stopping to smell the flowers, but not building cathedrals among them. NY! gives us time to acknowledge God. It gives us time to understand the directions He has given us. There are times when He’ll say “HU!” but I suspect there are more times that He says, “NY!” And it’s in the times when we’re struggling between the two that we need most to seek His direction.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Pure...

            The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (I Timothy 1:5)   I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16) I’m probably cheating - or mishandling the Bible, but earlier I was thinking about love being pure and purifying. And hatred being pure and purifying. And anger…joy…patience… fear… jealousy… courage…lust… and other strongly felt feelings, attitudes, and beliefs. Today’s verse brings purity and love together, so it’s the verse of the day, but it’s not really the focus. That means my motive for sharing it with you probably isn’t pure. As you read through my list, you   probably thought, “Yeah” about some, and “What’s she on?” about others. But consider how much hatred, a...
Post a Comment
Read more