Random Thoughts
Years ago, Dr. Byron Arledge, then Juvenile Court Chaplain, said that “God acts, then we learn about it.”
Albert Schweitzer ended his book “The Quest for the Historical Jesus” with a similar statement: “He comes to us as One unknown, without a name, as of old, by the lakeside. He came to those men who knew Him not. He speaks to us the same words: “Follow thou me!” and sets us to the tasks which He has to fulfill for our time. He commands. And to those who obey Him, whether they be wise or simple, He will reveal himself in the toils, the conflicts, the sufferings which they shall pass through in His fellowship, and, as an ineffable mystery, they shall learn in their own experience Who He is.”
Aging is surely our individual book of those special times God acted and sometime later, we came to that realization. The more such events occur, the more our faith finds sustenance and evidence.
The Gospels, for example, were written long after the life and death of Jesus, and what we have today is a collection of “God acting, and others learning about it.”
One of life’s most meaningful lessons is what has been called “Ripening.” This is to say that over time, as we age, the experiences we have had, the lessons they have taught, the wisdom that they generated, help each of us in our ripening.
Richard Rohr said: “Ripening, at its best, is a slow, patient learning, and sometimes even a letting-go- a seeming emptying out to create readiness for a new kind of fullness- which we are never totally sure about. … This process seems to largely operate unconsciously, although we jolt into consciousness now and then, and the awareness that you have been led, usually despite yourself, is experienced as a deep gratitude that most would call happiness. Religious people might even call it mercy. (Rohr, Meditations, 11/3/2014)
Ripening is more than belief and knowledge; it is coming to a profound awareness of God’s blueprint on everything our senses grasp. We may not appreciate such gifts in the early stages of life, but as we age, there is a deepening of our consciousness of what others have said were Aha moments, a God thing, or an intuitive moment where one understands God’s blueprint. I would be so bold as to say it is mystical in nature, a marginal understanding of the Cosmic Christ.
Each year, during Lent, we relive the story of Jesus’ final days, time spent hearing how God acted, and how others came to understand what it meant.
Such moments may be an awakening, new learnings, even a revelation! Random thoughts on ripening have come from many sources in my life. Here are just a few to prime the Lenten pump: hearing from a college friend you knew decades ago, a squirrel recognizing and approaching you (anticipating a peanut!), the adoption of a rescue dog that has been mistreated and suddenly realizes she is safe, a Lyft driver in Denver who gives his income of $180,00 a year to an orphanage in Lithuania, many on the Navajo reservation who live on the reservation in a mobile home with no electricity and no water, the sheer beauty of our National Parks, one own family that serve as a reminder of the gifts God planted in life, a church community that serves and is served by LGBTQ Christians, moments the homeless are served meals, picking up bread donated by Panera’s for the less fortunate, and countless other special moments that teach, challenge, feed, remind…these are “random thoughts where my life was ripened... evidence of “God acting and then learning about it.”
When I had the privilege of directing CYF Conference, we used a story on the last day, of a child holding the string of a kite that he and his grandfather were sharing together. The kite had drifted far above the clouds that the grandfather asked his grandson how he knew the kite was still there. The little boy said quite simply “I can feel the tug Grandpa.” Then those attending Conference were given the opportunity to come forward because they felt the tug that week and were considering full time Christian Service.
Our lives are filled with tugs/seeds which ripen throughout our lives. The great news is that our understanding of such divine moments come as we age. So, when someone says, “the best is yet to come”, they are often speaking from a profound understanding, a reflection of “ripening.” God has been acting and we are blessed to be taught through our awareness. When someone we love/is dear to us, leaves us, they very often convey in either what they say, or how they look, that they have ripened. You can sense it.
Consider in this Lenten season what has ripened your life, who it was that planted seeds in you. Or maybe it was something you read; maybe it was something very simple that someone said to you…because if Lent says anything boldly, it is “You are being Led.”
Pray the words from the life of St. Francis in the movie Brother Sun, Sister Moon:
“If you want your dream to be,
build it slow and surely
Small beginnings greater end,
heartfelt work grows purely.
If you want to live life free,
take your time, go slowly.
Do few things, but do them well,
Simple joys are holy.
Day by day, stone by stone,
Build your secret slowly
Day by day, you’ll grow too
You’ll know heaven’s glory.
(Music & words by Donovan Leitch)
Tom Madden
Retired Pastor