Russellings of the Spirit

Utterly amazing.

After a lot of thought and multiple trips to the thesaurus, I’ve chosen those as the best two words to describe this morning’s trip to the drug store.

Would you believe it? On the short drive between here and there I saw HUNDREDS of motorized vehicles – many weighing a ton or more – moving along the paved roadways in perfect harmony. 

It was like some kind of intricate glass-and-steel ballet!

There were dashed white lines painted on the black asphalt and EVERY ONE of those vehicles stayed within those lines… even as they moved along at 45-50 miles per hour. 

You know what else? I saw light fixtures hanging from wires suspended above the roadways. They periodically changed color from red to yellow to green. And then, as if obeying some kind of silent command, those massive vehicles all came to a stop when the red light appeared, resumed moving when they saw the green light, and waffled with indecision at the yellow. 

INCREDIBLE!

And then, I noticed that one vehicle wanted to turn left from one street to another and then I saw that it WAITED PATIENTLY until it was safe to proceed! 

When I got to the drugstore, there was even MORE calm and order on display! People had parked their vehicles in neat lines, allowing sufficient room to open doors between them. The store itself was clean and brightly lighted. Merchandise was displayed in neat lines under helpful, clearly spelled-out signs with prices clearly marked for all to see. 

Then, when I arrived at the cash register, I saw even MORE amazingness! People stood patiently in line, (some, of course, looking intently down at their handheld devices in order to stay as current as possible with the news of the world. Or their family. Or maybe Kim and Kanye, I couldn’t say for sure), waiting to exchange money for product with the aid of the smiling attendant.

And then…

… and then I arrived safely back home, took off my hat and coat, and stored my purchase in its allotted place. 

Remarkably unremarkable all around.

But see, that’s the point.

Any time I feel I am on the verge of wailing, wringing my hands, or cloaking myself in sackcloth and ashes about the hellishly disastrous state of the world, I find it useful to pause for a moment and look around. 

And usually when I make the time for that pause, what I see is an abundance of peace, order, and civility. [Of course, just as I typed that last sentence, I heard the distant wail of a siren, signifying some kind of breakdown of the social order]. 

I’m not blind. I know there is indeed mayhem in this world. There is chaos and cruelty. I am fully aware that disasters of the manmade or natural variety happen constantly. Random, senseless violence erupts without warning. Global pandemics sweep through the world, snuffing out millions of brilliant lives.

But it is good to remember that those realities are the outliers… the bizarre exceptions to the overall rule of peace, order and civility under God’s reign. 

Their rarity is the reason they are noteworthy.

As Psalm 96 reminds us: 

“Say among the nations, “The Lord is king!
    The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
    He will judge the peoples with equity.”
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
    let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it.” (Psalm 96:10-12, NRSV). 

So may you have a remarkably unremarkable day today. 

And may it bring you deep joy.

Abundant blessings;