Blessed! (Psalm 19:14)
June 5, 2006 | by Mickey Rapier
I did it again... I didn't mean to. It just happened. Someone was kind enough to ask me, "How are you doing? " and once again I didn't handle it well. Here was the perfect opportunity to celebrate the fact that God had given me the gift of another day and I blew it. So what was my lame response? "I'm busy, really busy." And you'll have to imagine the pitiful tone in my voice, sounding tired and frazzled. I resembled a great aunt who could turn thirty minutes into six months bemoaning her aches and pains. That really bothered me. And now I was doing the same.
"I'm busy " has become just one of the many pat answers at our disposal. It's the executive form of whining. We are busy... and we want everyone to know it. It seems we have internalized the need to justify our existence on this planet by convincing all other inhabitants that we are up to our ears in stuff that has to be done - today, no less. It's a weak response. (Can you tell I'm a little perturbed at myself?) But my point is not our busy-ness, it's how we miss opportunities to respond in positive ways. And those of us who have a greater hope in the greatest God can do better than "I'm busy".
I have a friend who has a unique response to that obligatory question. His answer is a one-word ditty that is easily memorized. What is that word? "Blessed ". That's it. Profoundly simple, yet simply profound. If you ask him how he's doing, he says, "blessed". One little word captures the power to positively put everything in perspective. (OK, I've got the word memorized, now all I have to do is remember to say it at the right time.) The frustrating part is that I've been trying to correct this weakness for years.
The problem came to light one day in the middle of a street. While working in my yard, I would often hear music from the 30's and 40's crank up on my neighbor's old record player in his garage across the street. As he puttered around, worn cane in hand, moving favorite tools that had once served him well from one peg to another, then back again, it was obvious he enjoyed the music of yesteryear. The smooth sounds of the Big Band saxes and trumpets had probably made days of the Depression and WWII easier to bear. And, for him, they probably brought back fond memories of departed family and friends.
On one particularly beautiful day, his wife made her way outdoors. Cancer and various ailments made her days difficult. Each step was a chore, but I never remember hearing her complain. She was a gracious and elegant lady. We met in the middle of the street to chat and she unknowingly made the mistake of asking me how I was doing. I began complaining that one kid was sick and the baby cried all night and I was really busy... ad infinitum, ad nausea. In the midst of my belly-aching, she looked at me graciously, but sternly, and slowly began lifting her finger to my face. Then she said, "Young man, these are the best years of your life"... Kaboom... The moments of silence following that statement seemed to last a year. I swallowed really hard as she turned and walked slowly back into her house, leaving me standing in the middle of the street. With ten well-crafted words she sliced through layers of pretense and exposed my ignorance and insensitivity.
She had cancer. I didn't. Her children lived far away. I could hear mine playing in the yard. Her best days were likely long gone. Mine were likely yet to come. And I was the one complaining. She taught a significant life-lesson that day on the street, and I'm still struggling to implement its valuable application.
God has given us the opportunity to live above our circumstances because of the hope we have in Christ. Call to mind these phrases from the scriptures: "Rejoice in the Lord always", "Count it all joy", "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full". You see, every day is a gift, regardless of what it brings. We are created for God's pleasure and everything about us should speak, no, shout to the goodness of our Shepherd. To merely exist is a disservice to His generosity. To experience life and live in such a way that others are attracted to the gift is the truest expression of our gratitude.
So, how am I today? "Blessed!" That says it all. It is a fitting response. The Psalmist said it well, "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight." These are indeed the best years of my life...and if you hear me say otherwise, in the spirit of my sweet neighbor, let me have it!
