Friday, January 16, 2009
Look for the Holy In the Common Place
Well, it appears a theme is emerging for my posts as of late. Something like-I-have-been-severely-music-deprived-and-have-been-listening-to-my-favorite-Cd's-like-crazy-on-the-commute-and-have-somehow-reconnected-with-the-deeper-side-of-my-soul. Or in short, quotes from songs I love.
The title of this post is from a Sara Groves song called "Just Showed Up for My Own Life" from "Add to the Beauty". Now the title of the song alone could be a post, but I'll just stick to this line stuck in the middle of the song. Sara talks about not just showing up and going through the motions but truly finding God in everything you do. To me that is best summed up by this simple line: by looking for the holy in the common place. (Yes, I am separating commonplace into two words, only because the lyrics posted on Sara's web site have it spelled out that way and it is a great twist on a familiar term.) It is not commonplace as in a saying, cliche, or reference to boring and undistiguishable, but truly a place that appears common, but has tiny hints of the creator's mark on them.
Take some everyday scenes on the commute - snowbanks on every corner, darkness in the morning, the white glow of the moon. Pretty standard stuff - but look a little closer. The snowbanks sparkle more brilliantly than manufactured glitter. The darkness is hiding the deep blue of the daylight intensifying into the red, orange, and yellow of the sunrise. (Winter sunrises are the most crisp and colorful of all times of the year.) The moon ever changing - and as Kayla said every morning this week - "the moon is missing a piece, Mama. Where did it go?" (You tell me how to explain that to a 3 and 1/2 year old.) A wonder to behold - this changing of the moon - at any age.
What is your common place? Maybe it is the glow of the computer screen, the sound of screaming children, the crawl of the rat race commute? Take a moment to pause and look around you...marvel at what the creator has given you...he wants you to look for these gifts...his holiness...his perfection. He loves you and is waiting for you to discover him in your common place. Start searching today.
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2 comments:
I know the Sarah Groves CD that you bought for us was originally for Maya, but I have a copy too and listen to it frequently. There are so many moments in my life that are somehow tied to the lyrics of her music.
Lest I hijack your post, let me get back to my original thought: So often life is spent anywhere but the present. Some are stuck in the past either reliving 'glory days' or immobilized by hurt, pain, hatred. Others are focused on the future: getting out of this job, getting a new something, getting someplace (like Botswana, for example). Both of these cause us to miss where it's really at: the present. For me, to show up for my own life has been a mantra to refocus and enjoy the completely amazing life that the Lord has given to me - five awesome kids, the freedom to travel all over the United States and even the world, the opportunity to be constantly reconnecting with old friends and colleagues and making new ones. How amazing is that? Most people would gladly trade for that! Yet I find myself worried about when we'll move on, or replaying whether or not a presentation went right.
To your point, each of us has a common place. Mine looks different from yours. We each need to look for and experience the beauty of God and His creative and redemptive work in our common place, wherever it is. Thanks for helping me remember that again.
Let's hear another quote from a song you love, Jenny! :-)
Your posts are so much more thoughtful than mine. And Rich's comments are too, usually. If you wait long enough between posts, he'll recap the day's menu. Ha!
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