"This Too Shall Pass," but will it?

According to the scholarly source, Wikipedia, that oft quoted phrase, "this too shall pass," apparently comes from Persian Sufisim.  There is a poem by which a fabled king is humbled by these simple words.  Another Sufi version has this proverb inscribed on a ring which gives the wearer the ability to make the happy man sad and vice versa.  Interesting, I admit.  What power does this ancient phrase hold today?

I recently found myself giving this phrase to a co-worker during one of those brief coffee-pot conversations.  It appears fairly innocuous on the surface, like cocktail wisdom when one needs a quick word of re-assurance.  But again, I ask the question:  does this actually mean anything today?

"And this too shall pass."

When I consider the roller coaster that I have been riding non-stop for several years, it strikes me as almost callous and the power to yield an unintended effect of negativity.  I seriously doubt that most who employ this phrase have that intention; moreover, it is such an easy expression to use that its efficacy appears muddled at best.

"Yes, this too shall pass."

I am guilty of longing to achieve my goals at the expense of neglecting the journey to get there.  Sadly, I have missed out on so much in life with that narrow approach.  Wishing an experience to simply pass on, I believe, misses the point regardless if the event(s) are positive or negatively impacting the sojourner.  As I continue to live what I feel is a "tent-maker" sort of life, I am learning to accept that the here-and-now gives me time to inwardly digest the thing at hand.  Unfortunately, there has been more bad than good.  One can only be beaten down so much until lethargy creeps in.  I fight that fight daily.  Wishing things to pass is too easy, truly wishful thinking.  The more I accept and own, the less difficult the things at hand become.

"All good things must come to an end.  And the only certainty is death and taxes."

Perhaps.  Perhaps the life we are called to live is one being filled with the moments of the journey, rather than the rush to our destination.  I will always cringe when I hear fellow Christians say, "we live to go to heaven," and other such nonsense.  As if our lives spent here is some sort of waiting room for a better life ahead.  Bullocks!  If this were true, Christ's eventual triumphant return would be sooner rather than later.  Certainty can be fleeting, and perhaps that is what we really mean to say.
  

Dreaming of England's Green

"Sea Worn" by Chad Krouse, Acrylic on canvas, 30x40.  2012

Those who know me well are all too familiar with my long-standing love affair with England.  Why so?  It all began in childhood where I had too much time to dream, I suppose.  I distinctly recall watching Brit-Coms on PBS as early as age 11 or so.  "Are You Being Served?," and "As Time Goes By," fed my imaginings about this island gem.  The piece de resistance was of course her lady, Hyacinth Bucket on "Keeping Up Appearances."  All these shows taught me to say things like, "bloody hell," "git," and add words like should and rather following a personal pronoun.  Whilst soaking up the unholy British culture being brought through the public tele, I had other outside forces at work drawing me in further to my English dream.

Growing up in The Episcopal Church certainly helped.  Being the child of the Church of England, Episcopalians love to have "high tea," and such following liturgies.  I even attended college where the namesakes are two English revolutionaries--John Hampden and Algernon Sidney.  We spell Sidney with a "y" over here.

It was during my sophomore year at Hampden-Sydney College that I had the opportunity to travel to London for a week--all expenses paid!  I shall never forget standing near Big Ben on the Thames as fireworks erupted in the night sky on January 1, 2000.  That week was pure bliss for me.  Evensong at Westminster Abbey, Mass at Westminster Cathedral, and a day trip out to Windsor.  Of course I found my way to Jermyn Street and indulged in the food halls of Fortnum & Mason, and I also found the bargain basement at Turnbull & Asser.  The highlight was visiting my shoemaker, Cleverely's over on Old Bond Street.  They treated me like royalty, even though all I had to spend was my pay from being a resident advisor!  I hit the National Gallery, ate at Green's and The Goring Hotel--long before Kate Middleton made it swanky.  I had a box seat at Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms.  I had truly died and gone to heaven, a proper one at that.  

Six months later, I was back in London, albeit for three days.  I had the pleasure of another all-expenses paid trip to the Continent with a few days in London.  God did I hate Amsterdam and Belgium.  All I could think about was getting back to London, my city!  I even managed to get a few days in London after my honeymoon years later.

My graduate school, The University of the South, is wholly owned by The Episcopal Church.  It was founded to be the Oxford of the South.  And yes, there were many fog-filled days there on that mountain island where I dreamt that I was forging the moors on another island.  Perhaps the most in-depth English experience came in 2009 when I lived in Mirfield, West Yorkshire conducting an independent study while a seminarian.  I knew one goal for me while in graduate school was to go over to England for something, anything.  Thankfully my fundraising background proved useful and I spent seven weeks abroad.

Am I nuts?  Well, perhaps.  I love the USA and I'm a proud tax-payer.  However, my heart belongs to England and there on the Thames shall my ashes be scattered one day.  Amen to that.

Mirfield Update: The Monastic Church Gets a Redo

Finding Holes in Lent

It is folly to believe that Lent is simply a time to give things up.  One practice that I'm keen to perfect is that of taking something on during these forty days.  Recently, I was reminded of the old Ignatian, "Daily Awareness Examen."  It is quite simply a process of self-reflection and prayer aiming to fill the holes carved out in our daily lives.  The simplicity of the five steps (or rather questions) is not lost on the complication of the human predicament.  I especially like the idea of "co-opting" with the Divine through this technique given to us by St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Through this examen, I for one, see the holes in my life that I so desperately need God in Christ to come fill through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Take it on, try it out, and live with this during Lent.  I invite your thoughts or suggestions for other models of self-reflective prayer.

From the Imago Dei Community's website:

AWARENESS EXAMEN
This short prayer exercise is to help increase your sensitivity to the Spirit working in your life and to provide you with the awareness needed to co-operate and respond to God’s presence. If you use this daily you should find it helpful in noticing spiritual movements and choosing to respond wisely to them. The Awareness Examen is meant as a time of reflection, usually at the end of the day, and can be done in 30 seconds or 30 minutes. It involves five stages:

1. Thanksgiving ….Begin by looking over the day and asking to see where you need to be thankful. Do not choose what you think you should be thankful for, but rather look over the day to see what emerges, what you notice, even slightly. Allow gratitude to take hold of you and express this to the Holy Spirit who at this moment beholds you.

2. Ask For Light….This is a prayer for enlightenment from God. We dispose ourselves for the awareness that we hope will come more directly from God. We have a hard time believing that our own thoughts can actually be from the Spirit but Jesus tells us in Matt 10:20, “it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Likewise Paul tells us in Rom. 8 that “we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Therefore ask the Spirit to show you what God wants you to pray.

3. Finding God In All Things ….Again look over the events of the day. This time ask the Spirit to show you where God’s presence has been in your life, either in you or in others, and in the events of your day:

• What events in your day have had an impact upon you?
• Where are the signs of the Spirit, i.e. of light?
• Where are the signs of discouragement of spirit, i.e. of darkness?
• What interior events were significant for you?
• Notice what stands out even slightly, such as joy, pain, turmoil, increase of love, anger, harmony, anxiety, freedom, isolation, a sense of the presence or absence of God
• Where do you sense you were being drawn by God’s Spirit?
• How did you respond to these events or experiences?

4. Respond To God In Dialogue ….Is there any one area you are being nudged to focus your attention on, to pray more seriously over, to take action on? This is where your energy needs focus instead of on the many other things you think are important. Discuss this with Jesus.

Express what needs to be expressed:
… praise … sorrow … gratitude … desire for change … … intercession …

5. Help And Guidance For Tomorrow ….Ask God for your needs for tomorrow. For example, you may need to pray to overcome something … to be more sensitive to God’s activity in your environment … to celebrate in some way … to let go … … to be open to conversion in some area … to make some decisions to act against some destructive forces in your life; to desire a particular grace from God; to desire to desire.