Bring on the Gusto

It’s hard following David.  It’s also great because he gives me food for thought and also clarifies the topic for me.  He’s an excellent leader in so many ways.

Yesterday he wrote:

I don't want to be an ordinary Christian, I want to a history maker in my family, my church and my community. In fact I want to travel the world and love others with my gifts, while being a part of a team with different gifts than mine.

I’d like to just say Amen and stop.  It sounds so much like what I want as well.  My life has been far from “ordinary” and yet I see myself as an ordinary person.  I think the frustration I feel is because I have this same desire to be a history maker.

 

That said, every day, I need to focus on what I can do that day.  Those days when it seems I’m nothing more than a cook and maid to my family, I am still serving God and being a woman of faith.  If that’s what God gives me to do that day, than I need to do it with thanksgiving and joy.

If you’ve read my blogs, you know that I am real and at times, less than optimistic.  The thanksgiving and joy part are hard for me.  However, since coming back to Tennessee after the dark cold wilderness journey in South Dakota, I am beginning to find thankfulness and joy easier.

Yesterday, I had an ordinary day.  I went out earlier than usual and met a friend for coffee.  The coffee extended into lunch time.  At 2:00 p.m. we finally parted ways.  During that time we saw the wind blow, had a tornado warning, feared the window would blow out of the Dunkin Donuts, and ultimately huddled with other customers in a protected hallway.  It was a perfect metaphor for my friend’s life.

I listened to her.  I heard her story of pain.  I saw the pain in her eyes.  I felt her pain.  Last night I laid in bed and interceded for her.  I will hold her deep in my thoughts and prayers.  As I drove home I planned supper in my head.  What to do with hamburger?  I changed my mind a dozen times and finally settled on meatloaf. 

I made a quick stop at the store so a salad could be added and the strawberries for dessert could become shortcake.  It’s just my husband and I but I try to make every meal a work of art for both the tongue and the eye.  It’s ordinary.  It’s the ordinary acts of faith I do every day.

 

I am reminded of the words from Eclessiastes 9

Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,    Drink wine with a robust heart.    Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!    Dress festively every morning.    Don't skimp on colors and scarves.    Relish life with the spouse you love    Each and every day of your precarious life.    Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange    For the hard work of staying alive.    Make the most of each one!    Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!    This is your last and only chance at it,    For there's neither work to do nor thoughts to think    In the company of the dead, where you're most certainly headed. (The Message)

Until I find my place as a history maker, I will live every day to the fullest and (re)learn thankfulness and joy.