I have been reading a book of writers commenting about what they read and why they read it. It is compiled by Philip Yancy and is entitled, "Reality and The Vision: 18 Contemporary Writers Tell Who They Read and Why". Chapter 8 is entitled: The Devotional Masters: A Love Affair. There is one portion that speaks to me in particular. "...this notion that the ordinary stuff of life is filled with spiritual significance is a theme that reverberates throughout all the Devotional Masters. They take our days and our hours and invest them with a sacramental value. And they invite you, they invite me to discover that right where we are is holy ground, in the families we have been given, in the tasks that we are assigned, among our neighbors and friends. It is this that makes living in our modern world bearable, even enjoyable. Indeed, it enables us, as George Fox put it, to "walk cheerfully over the earth."
What an encouraging thought; to think that daily life has a sacred quality to it that can wash over us and color our days in His radiance. I will give it my best effort and send up a prayer to God when I am faced with a mountain of laundry. "Sacred" and "laundry" do not easily walk with each other in harmony according to my thought processes. Yet, in many ways; the performance of these daily duties exercises our spiritual muscles. We are considering others(who are in desperate need of a clean white load)in our actions. I pray that this thought brings you a new portal in your thinking; as it has brought into mine.
Jesus was practical, as I think of it...water into wine at the wedding, feeding the five thousand, etc. He gave us a model for seeing the practical as an invitation to seeing the divine. I will be forever thankful for His willingness to communicate His truth to a cracked vessel like me in terms that reach a human heart.
Joy and fresh bread to you,
Lynne
2 comments:
I get that. I have always had this thing where I see spiritual parralels in everything-- the doormat, my children playing, the dogs, whatever. For a long time I didn't know that not everyone's mind works that way, that it's a gift from God. I take it for granted and sometimes think of it simply as a tool that makes it easy for me to write devotions, but really I should be so thankful, because it allows me to be reminded of God while doing the mundane, and to point those God-sightings out to others so they can see God in the mundane as well. Thanks Lynne. Sounds like a neat book.
I keep re-reading portions of it every now and then. We all have books like that on our shelves, I am convinced. The discussion of great novels and their impact on these (18) writers is enriching to the spirit. I found it on the cheap rack at a bookstore years ago. It has my maiden name on the inside of it; and I haven't gone by that name for over 10 years. I cannot give a good explanation as to why I haven't been reading it all along. Go figure.
Joy to you,
Lynne
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