Pandemic, what pandemic??

“The difficulties of life do not have to be unbearable.
It is the way we look at them – through faith or unbelief –
that makes them seem so.
We must be convinced that our Father is full of love for us and that He only permits
trials to come our way for our own good.

Let us occupy ourselves entirely in knowing God.
The more we know Him, the more we will desire to know Him.
As love increases with knowledge, the more we know God, the more we will truly love Him.
We will learn to love Him equally in times of distress or in times of great joy.”
Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God

Here’s to all the grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles as well as extended
family members, and or friends, who are on “lockdown” taking care
of the little ones or older ones, or simply the other ones, while all the others
can do this whole work from home thing!

I was talking typing with
Dawn Marie over on hugsnblessing (https://hugsnblessings.com)
as to how we were both coping with being a grandmother who was helping with our little
grandbabies while their moms were busy teaching from home
while we were all stuck at home…all together at the same time.

I’ve mentioned before that with all the parents now working from home…
someone has got to be helping with all those children who are also at home—

I told Dawn Marie that I wasn’t worried so much about a pandemic taking me out
as much as I was about stepping on the Lego that is now strewn all
around the house…all while I was walking barefooted through the minefield
that is now my home!

She told me how cooking was, becoming for her, almost monastic
as she recalled a prayer by Brother Lawrence.

Now I’ve written and quoted Br. Lawrence before.

And I too understood most clearly what she was saying.

In what seems to be a previous life,
I was once upon a time a mom who also worked outside of the home…
so I knew all too well about balance.
Sometimes I did a good job balancing, sometimes, not so much.

Yet as we fast forward a good 30 years or so, into this now surreal time
of pandemics and lockdowns and sheltering in place and working from home…
I think I’ve now spent more time in my kitchen in the past three weeks than
I have in the past twenty years…or so it seems.

And this comes from someone who loves to cook!

I understand pots and I understand pans… just as I now understand laundry.
Washing, fighting stains, drying, folding…all for many a big and little wee folk
living in my current state of lockdown.

Brother Lawrence spoke of the same sort of menial acts of our lives as being
actually large thank offerings to God.
Brother Lawrence was a simple monk who toiled in the kitchen and laundry of
a Medival monastery and so if anyone knew manual labor and mundae toil and trouble,
it was Brother Lawrence.

His was the work of daily menial chores.
And yet it was in those mundane chores that he could find joy in offering to God
the simple blessings of his life.

So as we each now labor in perhaps a different capacity than what we are accustomed to—
be it working from home while balancing a family,
or perhaps sheltering in place alone and isolated,
or working to provide needed services in this time of emergency…
may we each learn to look at our circumstance not so much as our own,
but rather as a thank offering of joy to our Heavenly Father who sees
and knows of our struggles.

Learning to shift our perspective from that of carrying out thankless and
backbreaking chores into one of giving selflessly with love can miraculously lift
and change our spirits…and if there was ever a time we needed to uplift our
spirits…it would be now!

Brother Lawrence is attributed with having written a small humble book
The Practice of the Presence of God.

You can read about Brother Lawrence here:
(https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/innertravelers/brother-lawrence.html )

This is the prayer attributed to Brother Lawrence,
the French medival Christian monastic who labored in the kitchen of a medieval monastery…
may his kind and gentle thoughts bring you peace during this time of uncertainty.

Lord of all pots and pans and things,
since I’ve no time to be a great saint
by doing lovely things,
or watching late with Thee,
or dreaming in the dawnlight,
or storming heaven’s gates,
make me a saint by getting meals,
and washing up the plates.
Warm all the kitchen with Thy Love,
and light it with Thy peace;
forgive me all my worrying,
and make my grumbling cease.
Thou who didst love to give men food,
in room, or by the sea,
accept the service that I do,
I do it unto Thee.
Amen/em>

Dusty and Dry

I cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought.
Hosea 13:5

(Photograph: a dusty and dry country road Troup County, Georgia / Julie Cook / 2013)

We all find ourselves, at some point or another, in the proverbial desert. A lonely, dry, dusty, barren land. On this particular day however, when I took the picture, it was more of the literal dusty and dry land. Difficult to see and even more difficult to breathe. The heat of the day gave way to sweating which just compounded the misery as the red dust coated us from head to toe–sticking to any exposed skin turning each and all red as a brick.

It always seems that a time of spiritual euphoria eventually gives way to a spiritual desert. One minute you’re on top of your game, then bam, the next thing you know… you’re in the bottom of the bucket. A kin to living life on a bit of a roller coaster I suppose, just, thankfully, not at the same speed.

There are times I often feel out of step with the world as my faith seems to run counter to the world’s appetite for that of, quoting both Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa, “a culture of death.” There is so much that I find to be morally and ethically wrong which in turn the world embraces as right and admonishes me for not accepting and being on board. I begin to question myself, my faith. I begin to wonder what’s wrong with me rather than what’s wrong with the world.

But then I think I hear the insidious whispers of our ancient adversary and I am reminded that the battle is still raging…it is the war that is already won. I do grow weary. I, like the psalmist, often wail and lament as there is great gnashing of teeth. Giving-in seems just easier, accept you say, you might as well because the world accepts, it’s just a matter of time, it will wear you down eventually.

I recently read a wonderful quote by Cardinal Sean O’Malley regarding the real life story of Father Jean Bernard–a prisoner and survivor of the infamous death camp Dachau …“In the darkest times of history the Lord has raised up Saints to be a beacon of Christ’s redemptive love.”
No one promised it would be easy. Living life in a fallen world is often like walking through a mine field–tiptoeing at spots, dashing along at others and then oddly feeling entirely safe at other places. Thank God for the “Beacons.”

No, life is not easy…be it our own little world’s dramas or the dramas that play out on the much larger and grander stage of the world—either way however, there is a Promise, there is an eventual Victory and there is always HOPE. Here is to the Hope that is promised us as I continue reading and hearing of the heartaches and needless violence playing out locally as well as world wide. Take heart and be of good courage….hear now the words of Paul…..

….. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
(NIV Ephesians 6:10-20)