Saturday, December 17, 2016

Wintertide Tractations: Ready

Wintertide Tractations: Ready

Start:

When one is a child, it's easy to be ready for what is deemed exciting.  Just around the bend an adventure awaits and there's no need for delay or preparation in a child's mind.  "Diving in" and "discovering" are all the focus. 

Last night as my family was visiting with our youth pastor's family at a local lights display, Spice expressed eagerness over the nearness of Christmas.  She was ready for it to be here!  Mrs. Wynneth and I laughingly agreed that we were glad for the days we still have until then!  

That eager, child-readiness is something I do not want to let go of.  Not the hap-hazard, no-worries kind of mentality, not the childishness.  No, I want the childlikeness.  I remember The Grandmother once putting a very definite difference between the two and I've not forgotten it.  Childlikeness.  That anticipation for what's ahead, that sparkle in the eye that loves mystery and surprises.  That laugh that is genuine and comes from the pure joy of Christ.  That friendship that extends hospitality, a willing hand, a favorite possession, and genuine love to others, regardless of warts and blemishes and social taboos.  

I wish I could remember the quote by C.S. Lewis I encountered several years ago.  It had to do with an awareness of what was around a person, a rediscovery, as it were, of all those things that once were new and amazing to us.  His words encouraged me to feel the carpet under my sock feet, or the grass beneath my bare toes, the prickliness of pine needles during a walk through the forest, or the feeling of water running over my hand, a bird chirping merrily outside when adults all around me are engaged in "the important things of life",  the feeling of a freshly-washed pillowcase under my cheek, or the delight of biting into a crisp, juicy apple.  

Sometimes readiness takes the form of flexibility when one is an adult.  It's the transfer of the child-adventure spirit to the adult-leader spirit, the need to change quickly during unexpected hair-pin curves and sudden cliff-drops, keep a clear head, and land on one's feet.  Ha, I have to laugh inside.  That's the type of adult I'd like to be.  

In the Bible, I read of a man who seemed to be just like that.  As a youth he was taken suddenly from his homeland, taught a brand new language and customs, and expected to have wisdom and dignity about him.  He did.  In fact, Daniel had such wisdom, that he dared to stay faithful to his God in the face of possible death or at least punishment.  Because of his allegiance to the Lord, he was promoted again and again.  He was sentenced to death at one point for his worshiping the One True God, but was miraculously saved when the Lord sent an angel to protect him.  Over and over kings realized his insight and understanding of dreams.  One king went out and was replaced by another.  Through it all Daniel's relationship with the Lord seemed to give him level head and gracefulness.  Despite all he saw and suffered, he never stopped following the Lord and for that he has been loved and admired by believers for generations.  (You can begin reading Daniel's incredible story here.)  

I want to be eager-ready, trusting in the Lord.

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