[Pearls Ep 131: Friday follow-up.]
In this week’s pearls, we’re looking at being prepared. Jesus calls us to attention, “You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
We have cans and cans of chicken, beef and pork (supposedly they last for decades). And sacks of rice. They’re just stacked in a corner. With a little bit of ingenuity, we could probably place them just so, to create furniture. Hopefully we’ll never need them, but if food supplies get cut off, we’ll be OK for a while. It won’t be fancy dining, but it will do what it’s supposed to do.
When I’m improvising at the piano I have a few go-to techniques for an ethereal/contemplative sound – like modulating from ionian to dorian or adding a sharp-4th (John Williams uses that liberally for the Star Wars soundtrack – if it’s good enough for Luke Skywalker…). These aren’t fancy, but they do what they are supposed to do.
No doubt you have many tried-and-true fallbacks for all manner of things in life.
The same is true for our spiritual life – we all need tried-and-true ways to draw ourselves back to God, especially when faced with temptation.
On Day 8 of 30 Days to Christian Meditation we discuss collecting pearls. For us these are those special insights and moments in life when we were particularly aware of God and His goodness. For me, this includes the wildly unlikely coincidence that led to meeting my wife in Chicago, and a couple of powerful experiences of the Lord’s presence while on retreat.
It lately includes the seeming miracle that recently occurred in Guadalajara – the Eucharist appearing to beat in rhythmic pulsations like a heart. Whatever else it may be, it is a powerful visual reinforcement of what we believe the Eucharist to be – the living body of Christ.
If you’ve not had the opportunity, this weekend is a perfect time to reflect on your pearls. The different ways and occasions that God has made Himself personally known to you. If there aren’t any that jump out, in all humility, perhaps this very message is God’s way getting your attention – that He desires to show you how personally He loves you.
Our pearls are an invaluable part of how we stay prepared, because it’s when we feel far from God that we can fall into malaise, discouragement or temptation. Our pearls stir our mind and heart, to recall the goodness of God. We probably won’t have the same intensity of emotion as when we first had those experiences, but simply turning our mind to our pearls can still give us that needed impetus to rouse our will and push back against any encroaching darkness. It’s not fancy, but it does what it’s supposed to do.
Wishing you a good weekend of digging for pearls –
Steve
Steve and Karen Smith – Interior Life