This thread begins on February 7th
Well, there were a lot of things I didn’t do yesterday like taking the time to celebrate the consistency of blogging for two weeks straight. That’s big for me.
I am feeling very blessed to have gotten here and with very little stress. By the time I arrived at my destination my kids were sending me pictures of the snow storm back home. It was a doozy and I totally missed it. Hehehe
I got on the plane with a sense of expectancy. I often use the time on a plane to write or read but I was really wanting to get on that plane with my eyes open for something I can do to notice someone else’s plight and offer kindness. (I was asked to switch my seat so that a wheelchair bound person had a more accessible one but that wasn’t something that came I “saw” the need for.) On the long leg of my flight I sat between two ladies that were playing solitaire with their ipods or sometimes using their computers for facebooking and movies (did you know there is internet access on planes now?). I really tried to strike up a conversation but I felt like an annoyance to them both so I took to observing.
We loaded into a big plane mid-morning on a Sunday. It’s always beautiful outside above the clouds but most people drew the shades down so they could see their various types of electronic screens. In the mean time, I’m quite sure we passed majestic mountain ranges, vast plains, intricate river beds, lakes and canyons sight unseen. There were very few windows open on the entire plane. I felt like I was in a coffin. I felt like standing up and screaming, “Wake up! A big, beautiful creation is floating by all around you and you are missing it!!!!
There was no in-flight movie (which is new) or other reason for shutting out the light that I could see. The sad part is, I don’t remember when this started happening. I have taken many a flight in recent years. Have I been asleep and not noticing the loss? Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, (underlines mine)” That says to me that we can clearly understand God by His art. He has surrounded us with a message that is a revelation of His very identity. Isn’t that the way with art? Don’t all artists do this? Are all these bells and whistles pulling our eyes away from God’s greatest revelation of Himself? Well, no, unless you count Jesus as a part of the creation as well as a part of the creator (I see Jesus as a kind of self-portrait of God). The point is, God has stuck Himself out there as vulnerably as I do (and way more!) when I publicly sing songs that clearly reveal my own ugly past. That makes me weep.
Perhaps chaos pulls our eyes away from Him and all these bells and whistles are the way we cope with both the chaos and the emptiness inside because we are missing Him in the process.
Yesterdays Report:
1) (business meeting with God) I had lots of time with God yesterday. I have a bigger sense of future today
2) (blog) It was short and I was the last person on the plane because I was getting it posted but I made it… two weeks of uninterrupted blogging w00t!
3) (Act of Random Kindness) I tried and yes changing you seat “counts” but I felt impotent yesterday. I could “see” but it was like looking through a bullet proof window… sad.
4) (Clean something) Here’s the acid test, I did clean up after my husband chaos God help us both not bring chaos into each other’s lives.
5) (Order something) I did some ordering of our room here. It’s hard to know what is chaos and what are little piles of “brains” that are in order but just not MY order. This is a good place to test things out cause we only have one room to occupy, clean and order.
6) (Book) I sat next to a lady who was high up in the ASCAP world. That’s an organization that helps song writers make a living. I would loved to have talked to her about music and the workings of it but I could tell she would best be served if I didn’t try to use her for my own interests. She could tell I was informed since I knew what ASCAP was and what it did. I told her I was a song writer, that I was registered with ASCAP but left it at that. I wonder if that was a gift to her.
7) (Family) I don’t think it counts that because of car issues my dear family got up at 5 or earlier to get me to the airport on time. Or even that I sent them a picture of the huge lines at the Costco gas pumps here. But it was nice to finally be in the same state as my husband.
8) (Me) I read a book on the plane. It is filling my mind with ideas. I like that.
9) (Ministry) There was not a single crack in the door yesterday. Oh well.
10) (rest) I hope to work on that this week.
