Mom and Dad doubled the size of our house on Owen Avenue when I was in grade school. Before that, the dining room was their bedroom. We needed the space. All the brick on the back wall were removed for the addition. Construction debris lay all about the yard and provided for my serious attention for play. For example, playing war, I busted sheet rock scraps with a claw hammer. I remember swinging the hammer back so violently in my imaginary hand-to-head combat that I hit my own head on the back swing. For real! I immediately reached up with my bare hand to feel if there was a bump. I took my hand down and it was covered with blood from the wound. Frightening! My head hurts right now from thinking about it. Just now, I couldn’t resist putting my hand up there to see if it is mattie with thick wet vital fluid.
The addon did not turn out to be all play for me. Mom asked me to clean the brick so we might use them for a patio surface. This produced my first callouses. Chipping concrete off the old block with a chisel and hammer was hard work but I enjoyed it and threw myself into it with abandonment. I had the ability as a child to become a part of what I was doing so there was no next thing in mind. There was no tomorrow. I would forget about meals and have to have the spell broken by parents nagging, “Dinner’s ready! I have called already! Stop what you are doing!” As a child I did not think about the next thing to do.
There is a lot to do – self-imposed and expected by others and we create a list that can become like an army enlisted to charge toward us in waves of embattlement. The regiments keep coming and we hang on by just doing all we can to stay in the battle. This is anxiety. This is a frightening wound to the head. We can become overwrought with the things we know need doing and the tome becomes our tomb. The repetitive nature of the suffering takes the life out of us and boxes us into a coffin of panic.
Jesus taught that we should go about accomplishing our tasks in such a way that we still notice the pleasant and pleasurable things around us like flowers in the fields and birds casually scavenging for their food. When we hear their messages, then we find ourselves yielding to the beauties that surround and they take charge of our emotions (Matthew 6:25-34). They provide context for living as opposed to those warriors coming at us in an endless line intent on draining life away. Beautiful nature – sunrise, sunset, and everything in between – reminds us that we live not to complete checklists; but we check off items on our to-do list for higher purposes; and the highest purpose of all is to seek the kingdom of God and what is defined as right for us by God (Matthew 6:33). Then like a little girl or a little boy we can abandon our busyness to the joy of each moment and each treasured day. Then when we have reached those little goals of accomplishment, we can feel the reward that grows up out of the seed of achievement like a tree coming up out of its root first as a trig and then rising to its mighty fullness. Then we move on to the next item of importance and experience the same pleasures all over again – one at the time all day long. There are far less wounds left behind and very little blood spilt when we do it the way Jesus guides us with his great wisdom. Take time to read this wise teaching (Matthew 6:25-34). Your joy for life depends on it.
Stephen Williams