Whispers of Spring dot fields and country roads, and a heart wells up with the multitude of creation. All breadth of a world sublime exults:
"What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"(Psalm 8:4)
Steady stride tends the pace of swirling thoughts:
Who Am I? That He is mindful. Of me.
My morning walk has become my meditation, my inspiration. I walk and hammer out the thoughts all scattered in a disjointed mind.
This morning I was thinking about something I read with the children yesterday.
In the seventeenth century, man had conquered the sea, discovered new lands, and had made much progress in establishing civilization. Thus, it came as a surprise to me when I read the following excerpt of a famed Doctor's writings:
"If you press a piece of underwear soiled with sweat, together with some wheat in an open-mouthed jar, after about 21 days the odor changes and the ferment, coming out of the underwear and penetrating through the husks of wheat, changes the wheat into mice...But what is even more remarkable is that the mice which come out of the wheat and underwear are not small mice, not even miniature adults or aborted mice, but adult mice emerge."
~ Dr. Jan Baptista Helmont
Mice from underwear and wheat. Seriously?
It wasn't until fifty years later that another doctor, Dr. Francesco Redi, proved that spontaneous generation was not possible. For 2100 years, ideas of spontateous generation went unchallenged and believed.
My children, even my five year old, were stunned by such ignorance.
We certainly have come a long way in what we know and understand of science and technology, but the fact remains:
Ignorance is alive and well in the human race.
Let us not deceive ourselves. It is only His mindfulness of us that gives us worth.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." ~ John 15:5
Present -day culture places so much emphasis on material success and being "smart." But in God's eyes, knowledge in itself, has no value:
"Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies." ~ 1Corinthians 8:1
You know what? God is a lot more concerned about whether or not I am a loving person, than the intelligence that fills my brain. And not only that, it is love that edifies, not knowledge. To "edify" is to instruct in spiritual matters, and it is love that will make God's teaching clear- show us how to live. Not knowledege.
Last night, I cam home from Zumba feeling happy and energized. I walked through the door, and my heart started to sink: groceries-still piled on the floor, dishes- everywhere , food-also everywhere. All these children home, and no-one did anything. The negative thoughts were mounting.
"I'm just being selfish by leaving everyone to exercise. I need to stay home. Why don't the kids do more on their own?"
On and on the negativity rolled like a river. I didn't get angry with the children. I went to bed and thought, "There's always tomorrow."
I turned the light out on the mess, and brought my baby to bed. She had been waiting for me. And waiting. So I gave up on that quiet time reserved for cleaning to peaceful music and headed upstairs.
"I always wait for you, Mommy," she said as we snuggled under the covers.
This morning I woke and was once again called out of doors. "No, not today. I have to clean up this mess."
Then I thought about what I wrote yesterday- about saying "Yes!"- and I put my boots on.
I did have a lovely walk, and coming home I braced myself for the mess. "I'm not going to be negative," I coached. "The children are just being children and it doesn't mean anything more than that." I opened the door.
My Ben had cleaned the whole kitchen: candles lit, groceries put away, fresh coffee in the pot.
One day he might understand how one loving act can edify and renew a sagging spirit.
It all came together. Yes, we are floundering, stumbling creatures. But love makes all whole. Love gathers the pieces of shattered hmanity and mends. Love redeems the ignorance.
