Easter

   The Easter egg hunt and children's party will begin in two hours. I have been here at the park since 6 a.m. to reserve the pavilions and tables. Claire and I arrived at the park in the darkness of early morning. We shuttled the first few loads of eggs, candy, balls and jump ropes to the tables in the dark. Within a few minutes there was a hint of light on the fog covering the soccer fields. When we turned around from filling the last few eggs with candy, the sky was streaked with pink and silver. Then, suddenly, it was daylight. The darkness seemed complete when we arrived and then it was gone and the day was completely here.

   Easter comes to me this way as well. The somberness of Lent goes on and on. There is a hint of Easter at Palm Sunday, but there is a long week of obligations ahead. Then I am startled to find that Easter is here with the glory of a resurrected savior and the hope of new beginnings.

   All of life changes just as fast as the church season and the breaking dawn. No day is just like the one before.  The child who was a little afraid of going into the trees to hunt for the eggs several years ago, sits beside me in the first light this morning, a young woman who was up without complaint, in the five a.m. hour, dressed and loading the van to help. It is futile to grasp at the way things have always been done, even if that "always" was just last year or last month or last week. We can't stop the daylight from spreading across the sky. We can't stop the children from growing. We can't stop the movement of the Holy Spirit. We shouldn't try. The Lord knows what is best for us. We have to listen to his voice and move along that path. There is no standing still. Easter is about change and it is this change we should embrace.

Happy Easter Season,

Michelle

Season of Lent

Today is the first day of Lent, a season of repentance and self-reflection. I recently read an article entitled something like "Learning Lesson from Those You Hate." That is not actually the title, but it was along those lines. The truth is, I scanned it more than read it. I was busy and distracted and people were bothering me. The gist of the article was that those everyday interruptions that cause you to become irritated, the people who pull in front of you in traffic and then drive slowly, the people who leave a message saying they called, but not a clue about why they called, the newspaper delivery person who every, single day throws the newspaper into the shrubs requiring a stick to retrieve it, from each of these we can learn about ourselves. Once we have learned about ourselves, we can improve ourselves. Improving not for the betterment of ourselves, but for the betterment of the kingdom of God, so that we can better do the work we were sent to do.

When faced with these irritants delivered by others, it is our first reaction to bolster our own position. To place the blame for our anger, frustration or boredom squarely on the shoulders of that other guy, the one that is the cause. I didn't throw that newspaper, after all. To learn from my reactions, I think I have to ask myself why am I letting this upset me. We are exhorted by scripture over and over to be at peace, to not become angry, and yet I do. The newspaper delivery person is long gone. Muttering under my breath is not going to benefit him or her or me so why am I doing it? What sin in me, causes me to not look charitable toward this person? Is there some part of me I see in this person that causes me to overreact, to cover my tracks? There is nothing so irritating as to see our own faults in others. Often the cause of our reaction is right there under the surface, we need only ask, "Why am I doing this?" or,"Lord, do you know why I am doing this?"

So why does the newspaper in the bushes bug me so much? What pops to mind is that I wish he or she would be more focused on putting it in the right place so I wouldn't have to go on a search and rescue mission each morning. I would call the paper right now and complain, but I'm not sure where I put my cell phone. Irony or insight? It couldn't be that obvious, could it?

It is easiest to disregard that first thing that pops into your mind as ridiculous, because it is so much more satisfying to blame the other person and relish our self-righteous anger. I am fairly sure that is not what we should do when a still, small voice whispers through our heads and hearts. To have the peace that passes understanding we need to seek the help of God in taking each occasion to exam our lives and take full responsibility for our actions and reactions. Shifting the blame will not lead us down the path of righteousness. As a Lenten goal, self examination of daily irritations is harder than giving up candy. I don't relish the idea of having my shortcomings pointed out by God or anyone else. It is one of the steps in the path forward. No one promised an easy Lent.

May your days increase in peacefulness,
Michelle