Lost Causes
Luke 9:58-60 Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.” The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 6:25, 32-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
I enter prayer tired, preoccupied, and easily distracted. My first attempt to enter into prayer is outside on my patio, usually a place of peace, not today. I wander inside and follow an impulse to go to my bookcase searching out a book I had meant to reference. Strike two. I sit in debate. Quit now? Attached to my kitchen counter in a neat row are five post it notes. On them is my ‘to do’ list by Wednesday. My month-long reflections on Ignatian Spirituality kick into gear. Rule 7: God is giving me all the grace I need to get through this moment. Rule 8: Endure, be patient. I light a candle upon my kitchen table and wait. “Let the dead bury the dead.” The Spirit whispers, [Lost causes]. My house is a lost cause. My garden is a lost cause. Menu planning and grocery shopping are as well. Laundry? You guessed it, lost cause.
(Ecclesiastes 1:2)Vanity of vanity it is all vanity.
I resemble a pinball machine this morning with both my mind and my body bouncing about. This morning the Lord discipled me in focus, in docility, and in persevering in first things first. My post-it notes remind me of what earthly things I am obligated to, but the Father reminds me that they are, in a sense, a lost cause. They represent priorities that do not place Him first. They pull me away from what should be my primary focus:
(Psalm 118) Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.
(Lamentations 3:23) His miracles are new every morning.
Today I rejoice over the small victory I accomplish with His grace. I did not give in and get on with the ‘meat and potatoes’ of my daily ‘to do’.
Follow me, and let the dead bury the dead.
You Lord are the real ‘meat and bones’ of my day. Help me to identify lost causes. Help me to not ‘throw in’ to [lost causes]. Help me to hear You when You pass by and say, “Follow me.” I trust in You, and through You, and with You, that “all these things will be given to you as well.”
(Song of Solomon 1:4) Draw me away! We will run after you.