I revisited Psalm 139 today and it seems like an old friend.
The first section reminded me of how God is everywhere and made me wish for a life where I walked in awareness. Can I keep my senses alive and my mind open to this reality? It is my hope.
The second section reminded me of being part of creation. If God did knit me together, then God missed a stitch here or there and didn't go back to make me perfect. Oh well. I just finished nine months of teaching anatomy and I have decided that my body is as understandable as God is, both can be experienced but not fully understood.
The third part is that part of a friend we may choose to forget about... until we experience it again. The Psalmist speaks of enemies and vengeance and asking for God's assistance in the dirty work. It made me think. Do I have enemies? Should I have enemies?
It made me think of two men standing in line behind Mosaic Woman and myself at the jazz festival. They were being negative about the musicians, the venues, the sound systems... The doors opened late and I stood there wanting to say... "Why are you here? Do you enjoy life at all?"
Then I thought of people I work with who are negative and who I wonder why they work at a place that causes them so much angst?
Are they my enemies? Or are they folk who I can spread joy to if I am aware and stay connected to God?
You bring to mind my mother, whom I used to take to the Bingo because she "enjoyed" it so much. The whole evening all she would ever do is complain. They either were calling the numbers too fast, too slow, or her numbers not at all. People at other tables played too many cards, won too much, or annoyed her in some other manner. It was humorous to me, but we eventaully just stopped going...
ReplyDeleteJim-- I think Ignatius would say that your mom was not finding God through Bingo.
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