Homeostasis is one of those words you can use in a variety of settings. When used in a medical context it basically means metabolic equilibrium. A good thing, right? When used in the context of systems theory (family or organizational) it means maintaining the status quo. Maybe not such a good thing...
If you're in an unhealthy system - relating in negative or harmful ways with those you're in relationship with, homeostasis should be the last thing you desire. Unfortunately, it often happens that folks get caught up in maintaining the patterns of relationship they've experienced over and over with the same people or different ones. Patterns like these effect relationships in families, churches, businesses, etc.
Sometimes we get used to viewing someone in a particular light, and are unable or unwilling to let our opinions change. I recently read a review of Kevin Max's new CD The Blood. It was not flattering. I read the review after purchasing the CD and deciding that I like it. The reviewer did not, claiming that KM was (as usual) trying to innovate, and in this case failed. The truth is I have not heard the other versions of the songs that the reviewer talked about. Maybe he's right, and I only like the music because I haven't heard the other.
One thing I like about The Blood is that it seems to me that it's a departure from Max's usual fare. Like his other work it definitely has Max's unique sound, but (to me) it lacks the self consciousness that flawed his other albums. This album is about the blood of Jesus. K Max doesn't sound like a troubled man or a lost soul on this album like he does on the others.
Could it be that the reviewer (whose name I did not take note of) doesn't want to see Kevin Max in a new light? I admit that it's hard to like someone who's taking themselves too seriously, and KM has taken himself way too seriously in the past. I don't know whether or not The Blood's tone is indicative of a change for him or not, but I like to think that it is. If so, shouldn't Max be given the benefit of the doubt? A charitable hearing?
I've been involved in addressing performance issues with the choir director of our church. She is a very sweet lady who has had some health issues that have probably effected her performance. I think that before she had to deal with the pain associated with her back problems, she was astute enough to cover up some of the deficiencies of her work ethic.
The work issues she must address are very objective, and very fixable. One of the three choirs at church raised the issues. I wonder if they can accept her back into their good graces even if she fixes her performance issues. Hopefully she will not continue to bear the brunt of their criticism and dissatisfaction if she improves.
While I hope that I'm able to enjoy the healthful (medical) type of homeostasis, I want to avoid the rut living of the status quo. I strive to keep my relationships healthy. I strive to grow as a person. May God grant me the grace to understand, acknowledge, and celebrate the fact that those around me are growing too.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
The Real McCoy
I have a church friend named Ina. Until recently I did not have a natural opportunity to get to know her very well. But we've been serving on a committee together and hence seen each other quite a bit lately.
In a meeting one evening earlier this week I had to tell her. She's the real McCoy. The genuine article. A bonafide, authentic Southern Lady. In every situation she has responded - without fail- as a class act. So I had to tell her so - and publicly with the rest of the committee present.
Sometimes I tend to hold back on expressing love or admiration. I don't want to be misconstrued or misunderstood. It can be easier to tell others about what we think or how we feel about someone that it is to tell the person him or herself. But I think it's important to say it to the person who deserves the compliment.
"Better is open rebuke than hidden love." Proverbs 27:5 encourages us to express our love and appreciation of people we know. God delights in us, and takes great pains to tell us so - and remind us when we forget. One thing I want to do more in 2008 is to participate with Him in open, honest delight in the wonderful people that He has put in my life.
In a meeting one evening earlier this week I had to tell her. She's the real McCoy. The genuine article. A bonafide, authentic Southern Lady. In every situation she has responded - without fail- as a class act. So I had to tell her so - and publicly with the rest of the committee present.
Sometimes I tend to hold back on expressing love or admiration. I don't want to be misconstrued or misunderstood. It can be easier to tell others about what we think or how we feel about someone that it is to tell the person him or herself. But I think it's important to say it to the person who deserves the compliment.
"Better is open rebuke than hidden love." Proverbs 27:5 encourages us to express our love and appreciation of people we know. God delights in us, and takes great pains to tell us so - and remind us when we forget. One thing I want to do more in 2008 is to participate with Him in open, honest delight in the wonderful people that He has put in my life.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Why I Love Football
I know that it's terribly unfeminine of me, but I love football. The fact that I'm a Cuban woman makes my love of this men's game even more heinous, but there it is. I can't help myself.
So, why am I, as a woman, so enamoured of the game? For starters, I like the discipline required of the players. Their conditioning is critically important. They begin practice during the summer months and then work hard through the end of the season. Not only is their physical condition important, however, they have to be mentally tough and able to perform under pressure in front of huge crowds of sometimes hostile fans.
Football offers the players an opportunity to execute a plan in a very concrete way. Those guys are out there having a battle - sometimes in very adverse (hot or cold) circumstances. Their jobs require them to master body and mind in equal measures. Their success depends on the efforts of so many ....
It's not so very different from living the Christian life - individually and as the church. Would that the church could figure out the importance of playing as a team - that we can only win as a team, and that our conditioning (both physical an spiritual) affects the team's performance.
We're fighting a battle that actually has significance, but we frequently approach our lives with an inexcusable casualness. I don't mean that we should be serious all the time, but we should be serious about things that matter. And we should be ready to celebrate our victories - not strutting around and pounding our chests or doing some stupid looking dance in the end zone, but congratulating our teammates for sure.
So I guess that's why I love football. It reminds me that it's good to work hard, it's good to sweat, it's right to give my all again and again for the sake of the team - and especially for the Coach.
I think I'll go see what's playing on the NFL Channel...
So, why am I, as a woman, so enamoured of the game? For starters, I like the discipline required of the players. Their conditioning is critically important. They begin practice during the summer months and then work hard through the end of the season. Not only is their physical condition important, however, they have to be mentally tough and able to perform under pressure in front of huge crowds of sometimes hostile fans.
Football offers the players an opportunity to execute a plan in a very concrete way. Those guys are out there having a battle - sometimes in very adverse (hot or cold) circumstances. Their jobs require them to master body and mind in equal measures. Their success depends on the efforts of so many ....
It's not so very different from living the Christian life - individually and as the church. Would that the church could figure out the importance of playing as a team - that we can only win as a team, and that our conditioning (both physical an spiritual) affects the team's performance.
We're fighting a battle that actually has significance, but we frequently approach our lives with an inexcusable casualness. I don't mean that we should be serious all the time, but we should be serious about things that matter. And we should be ready to celebrate our victories - not strutting around and pounding our chests or doing some stupid looking dance in the end zone, but congratulating our teammates for sure.
So I guess that's why I love football. It reminds me that it's good to work hard, it's good to sweat, it's right to give my all again and again for the sake of the team - and especially for the Coach.
I think I'll go see what's playing on the NFL Channel...
Friday, January 18, 2008
There's No Accounting for Taste
I'm in Myrtle Beach, SC on business now. Actually, Myrtle Beach is not a place that I'd likely come for pleasure. Probably because I grew up in Miami, a commercialized beach is the last place I want to hang out. My idea of a great beach is one where there's not much to do except hang out on the beach. I prefer to eat in, play cards, read aloud from some great book, etc.
But clearly there are folks - and LOTS of them, that dig a place like Myrtle Beach. There's lots to do here if you like doing stuff with crowds of people around you... Of course in the middle of January, one doesn't run into that problem as much, hence my presence in MB now...
I don't mean to imply that my way is the right way to enjoy the beach. I'm not a beach snob. Whatever rings your bell, go for it.
I think that church music falls into the same category as beaches. There's no morality (or even dare I say Theology) behind high or low church music. There are to be sure better song or hymn lyrics from a theological perspective, but the music itself really isn't theological (though I'm aware that there are still people who try to argue that it is). I'm in the midst of a church music 'discussion' at the moment. I'm chairman of the worship committee and we're having issues with our choir director. Some of them involve things like planning and punctuality (in my mind clearly employment behaviors that must be addressed), but others have to do with her musicality- specifically how she plays the organ.
We apparently have an amazing organ. This particular choir director can't play it the way it 'deserves' to be played. I have to smile when I hear sentiments like that. I guess because like with beaches, there's no accounting for taste. I don't mind the organ, but I'd rather hear the piano... I guess I'm a little low brow...
Problems arise when anyone (myself included) believe that what we like is the most God honoring, worship enhancing music, liturgy, style... fill in the blank.... Of course we want to do our best in worship. I frequently lead the liturgical portion of the service. I prepare for it so that I can do it well. The idea is to not draw attention to myself by stumbling over words. Those things can distract the congregation from what they're supposed to be doing - whether it's saying the liturgy, singing, whatever.
Music and preaching essentially strive to do the same - be "performed" or preached in such a way that the attention of the congregation is not diverted from the worship of God. When mistakes are made, folks can be distracted...
BUT...and this is a BIG BUT... ultimately, worship is not about the worshippers' experience at all. In worship, God is the audience (maybe it's going to far to say He's the 'consumer' or 'customer' or maybe not). God is not distracted by our mistakes or our lack of virtuosity. He's more concerned with the state of our hearts and motivations than with our taste or abilities. I'd venture to say that when we think we've 'performed' perfectly, He's smiling. Not derisively, but smiling nevertheless at our silliness.
So... high church, low church. Organ or piano. Polished performances or mediocre...with the right heart, it's all good.
But clearly there are folks - and LOTS of them, that dig a place like Myrtle Beach. There's lots to do here if you like doing stuff with crowds of people around you... Of course in the middle of January, one doesn't run into that problem as much, hence my presence in MB now...
I don't mean to imply that my way is the right way to enjoy the beach. I'm not a beach snob. Whatever rings your bell, go for it.
I think that church music falls into the same category as beaches. There's no morality (or even dare I say Theology) behind high or low church music. There are to be sure better song or hymn lyrics from a theological perspective, but the music itself really isn't theological (though I'm aware that there are still people who try to argue that it is). I'm in the midst of a church music 'discussion' at the moment. I'm chairman of the worship committee and we're having issues with our choir director. Some of them involve things like planning and punctuality (in my mind clearly employment behaviors that must be addressed), but others have to do with her musicality- specifically how she plays the organ.
We apparently have an amazing organ. This particular choir director can't play it the way it 'deserves' to be played. I have to smile when I hear sentiments like that. I guess because like with beaches, there's no accounting for taste. I don't mind the organ, but I'd rather hear the piano... I guess I'm a little low brow...
Problems arise when anyone (myself included) believe that what we like is the most God honoring, worship enhancing music, liturgy, style... fill in the blank.... Of course we want to do our best in worship. I frequently lead the liturgical portion of the service. I prepare for it so that I can do it well. The idea is to not draw attention to myself by stumbling over words. Those things can distract the congregation from what they're supposed to be doing - whether it's saying the liturgy, singing, whatever.
Music and preaching essentially strive to do the same - be "performed" or preached in such a way that the attention of the congregation is not diverted from the worship of God. When mistakes are made, folks can be distracted...
BUT...and this is a BIG BUT... ultimately, worship is not about the worshippers' experience at all. In worship, God is the audience (maybe it's going to far to say He's the 'consumer' or 'customer' or maybe not). God is not distracted by our mistakes or our lack of virtuosity. He's more concerned with the state of our hearts and motivations than with our taste or abilities. I'd venture to say that when we think we've 'performed' perfectly, He's smiling. Not derisively, but smiling nevertheless at our silliness.
So... high church, low church. Organ or piano. Polished performances or mediocre...with the right heart, it's all good.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Juno
I took my kids to see Juno last night. World Magazine gave it a good review, as did the critics, and I wanted my kids to see it. It was everything that I anticipated - and none of what my kids were expecting :). They were totally unaware that the movie was about teen pregnancy. As we exited the theater, I heard other kids say that they'd no idea that the movie was about a pregnant teen.
This is the third movie I've seen this year with a pro-life message, Bella being by far the best, and Knocked Up (one of my few movie mistakes) the worst. My 14 year old daughter saw all three with me and they've been good opportunities (even Knocked Up) for good, frank discussion about sexuality and life.
In Juno, a couple of smart kids - best friends- get bored and have sex (I wonder if and how often that happens?!). I don't know who played Juno, but she did a great job. The boy was played by the "nice" kid from Superbad (one of my other movie mistakes - 2 in one year! When has that ever happened? I must be slipping.). Juno lets him know that she's pregnant, but she's going to 'take care of it.'
However, at the abortion clinic she meets a lone protester - a girl she knows from school. The girl tells her that her baby already has fingernails. Once inside, Juno seems to hear nothing but fingernails - clicking, scratching, etc. She can't go through with it. She decides to find adoptive parents, which she does in the Pennysaver (a small part of the exquisite humor of this movie), and give the child up for adoption.
Juno's family is fairly supportive, though her father tells her that he thought she was the kind of girl who knew when to say when...(to which she replies, "I don't know what kind of girl I am." - What 16 girl really does? Juno's step-mom tells her father that out of this terrible mess, Jesus will bring a miracle to a family that wants a baby. How's that for Hollywood?!
I talk openly with my kids about sex. I've told them that I would prefer for them not to be sexually active. I've told them why. I've modeled chaste living in our home. But I know that they may make decisions that I do not agree with. I pray that they'll have the strength and good sense to resist temptation when it comes, and I know that it will come. Olivia and Alex can escape the pain and wounds of having sex outside of God's designs. That's my fervent wish and prayer. But I also know that whether they deal with pregnancy or woundedness or whatever, that God will somehow make it part of His story of redemption.
This is the third movie I've seen this year with a pro-life message, Bella being by far the best, and Knocked Up (one of my few movie mistakes) the worst. My 14 year old daughter saw all three with me and they've been good opportunities (even Knocked Up) for good, frank discussion about sexuality and life.
In Juno, a couple of smart kids - best friends- get bored and have sex (I wonder if and how often that happens?!). I don't know who played Juno, but she did a great job. The boy was played by the "nice" kid from Superbad (one of my other movie mistakes - 2 in one year! When has that ever happened? I must be slipping.). Juno lets him know that she's pregnant, but she's going to 'take care of it.'
However, at the abortion clinic she meets a lone protester - a girl she knows from school. The girl tells her that her baby already has fingernails. Once inside, Juno seems to hear nothing but fingernails - clicking, scratching, etc. She can't go through with it. She decides to find adoptive parents, which she does in the Pennysaver (a small part of the exquisite humor of this movie), and give the child up for adoption.
Juno's family is fairly supportive, though her father tells her that he thought she was the kind of girl who knew when to say when...(to which she replies, "I don't know what kind of girl I am." - What 16 girl really does? Juno's step-mom tells her father that out of this terrible mess, Jesus will bring a miracle to a family that wants a baby. How's that for Hollywood?!
I talk openly with my kids about sex. I've told them that I would prefer for them not to be sexually active. I've told them why. I've modeled chaste living in our home. But I know that they may make decisions that I do not agree with. I pray that they'll have the strength and good sense to resist temptation when it comes, and I know that it will come. Olivia and Alex can escape the pain and wounds of having sex outside of God's designs. That's my fervent wish and prayer. But I also know that whether they deal with pregnancy or woundedness or whatever, that God will somehow make it part of His story of redemption.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Epiphany
Today is Epiphany or Three Kings. It's the end of the Christmas season, and the day when we celebrate the visit of the three kings or wise men from the East. If you read the Lectionary, then you know that for the last several days the focus has been on Christ as a light to the nations. Isaiah had a lot to say on the subject, notably:
Isaiah 66:18-21
For I know their works and their thoughts, and I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory...the coastlands far away that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. They shall bring all your kindred from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules, and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring a grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. And I will also take some of them as priests and as Levites, says the LORD.
And:
Isaiah 49:6-7
"It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."
Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, "Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."
The Israelites are God's chosen people, but not merely chosen to enjoy the favor of God, but to be a light to the nations. God told Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed in him. Israel never really grasped God's vision drawing everyone to Himself. Old and New Testament alike is filled with stories of God's people not getting it.
Often the Church is not very different from Israel. Jesus' behavior would likely scandalize good church folk as surely as it did the Jews of Jesus' time. It's human nature to want to exclude based on some litmus test of our own choosing. I don't mean that all roads lead to God. Orthodox Christianity is exclusive in nature from a broad theological perspective. But we don't want to stop with what's essential. We like to add peripheral things.... like how a person looks or behaves or worships.
Broken people make us look bad. They make God look bad. Don't they? The problem is, we're all broken people. All of us walk around with lots of 'stuff.' We just find our own 'stuff' easier to accept that the 'stuff' other people walk around with. Sometimes we forget that God's love of us is scandalous and shameful.
Epiphany reminds us that God's plans are bigger than our imaginations. His heart is bigger than our puny ones which only want to love those who look, act, and live like we do. It reminds us that just as we have been the recipients of lavish grace, so we should be generous dispensers of the same.
Isaiah 66:18-21
For I know their works and their thoughts, and I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory...the coastlands far away that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. They shall bring all your kindred from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules, and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring a grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. And I will also take some of them as priests and as Levites, says the LORD.
And:
Isaiah 49:6-7
"It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."
Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, "Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."
The Israelites are God's chosen people, but not merely chosen to enjoy the favor of God, but to be a light to the nations. God told Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed in him. Israel never really grasped God's vision drawing everyone to Himself. Old and New Testament alike is filled with stories of God's people not getting it.
Often the Church is not very different from Israel. Jesus' behavior would likely scandalize good church folk as surely as it did the Jews of Jesus' time. It's human nature to want to exclude based on some litmus test of our own choosing. I don't mean that all roads lead to God. Orthodox Christianity is exclusive in nature from a broad theological perspective. But we don't want to stop with what's essential. We like to add peripheral things.... like how a person looks or behaves or worships.
Broken people make us look bad. They make God look bad. Don't they? The problem is, we're all broken people. All of us walk around with lots of 'stuff.' We just find our own 'stuff' easier to accept that the 'stuff' other people walk around with. Sometimes we forget that God's love of us is scandalous and shameful.
Epiphany reminds us that God's plans are bigger than our imaginations. His heart is bigger than our puny ones which only want to love those who look, act, and live like we do. It reminds us that just as we have been the recipients of lavish grace, so we should be generous dispensers of the same.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Commercials I Like
I've been watching a lot of the bowl games and the playoff and Superbowl are right around the corner. Commercials just get better during these times.
Allstate has some good commercials right now. I love the one with the kicker on the college football team. He's in class and a really cute girl asks him if he's going to the game. He's like, "Yes, I'm on the team." She smiles and responds, "Good one." The coach of the football team calls him into the game in the final, crucial seconds. Even the coach doesn't know his name, but he tells the kid that if he makes the kick, everyone will know who he is. He kicks the game winning field goal and is carried off on the shoulders of his teammates. I love that one!
Allstate has another commercial where different people are in the middle of the road - on a playground, in their living rooms, etc. The announcer says, "Maybe we should treat others on the road as if they're guests in our house, rather than in the way." It's great. I don't do business with Allstate, but based on these two commercials alone, I'd consider it.
I'm not a beer drinker, but I love the commercial where the guy says "Dude" in a variety of funny settings. This one doesn't make me want to develop a taste for beer, but I love when it comes on.
The Fantasy Football commercials have all been enjoyable. I'm not exactly sure what they're promoting, but I like them. I also like the commercial for the sleeping pill where characters from the guy's dreams are saying they miss him. Good stuff.
There are other commercials that totally turn me off. I don't eat fast food, but if I did, I would not eat at Hardees based on how much I detest their ads. Maybe they appeal to men, I'm not sure, but I find them offensive. Wendys is not offending me, but their latest commercials are beyond stupid.
Some commercials are memorable but incomprehensible. The one with Peyton Manning in the hallway of what looks like a hotel trying to find someone to pass to is an example. I still don't know what the ad is for.
In some ways, Christians are like living commercials for Christ. I want to be a funny one or a compelling one or both. I certainly don't want to be offensive or stupid. And I hope that on some level my life is comprehensible to others - not in a sermonizing way, but as a whiff of grace, mercy, and good humor.
Allstate has some good commercials right now. I love the one with the kicker on the college football team. He's in class and a really cute girl asks him if he's going to the game. He's like, "Yes, I'm on the team." She smiles and responds, "Good one." The coach of the football team calls him into the game in the final, crucial seconds. Even the coach doesn't know his name, but he tells the kid that if he makes the kick, everyone will know who he is. He kicks the game winning field goal and is carried off on the shoulders of his teammates. I love that one!
Allstate has another commercial where different people are in the middle of the road - on a playground, in their living rooms, etc. The announcer says, "Maybe we should treat others on the road as if they're guests in our house, rather than in the way." It's great. I don't do business with Allstate, but based on these two commercials alone, I'd consider it.
I'm not a beer drinker, but I love the commercial where the guy says "Dude" in a variety of funny settings. This one doesn't make me want to develop a taste for beer, but I love when it comes on.
The Fantasy Football commercials have all been enjoyable. I'm not exactly sure what they're promoting, but I like them. I also like the commercial for the sleeping pill where characters from the guy's dreams are saying they miss him. Good stuff.
There are other commercials that totally turn me off. I don't eat fast food, but if I did, I would not eat at Hardees based on how much I detest their ads. Maybe they appeal to men, I'm not sure, but I find them offensive. Wendys is not offending me, but their latest commercials are beyond stupid.
Some commercials are memorable but incomprehensible. The one with Peyton Manning in the hallway of what looks like a hotel trying to find someone to pass to is an example. I still don't know what the ad is for.
In some ways, Christians are like living commercials for Christ. I want to be a funny one or a compelling one or both. I certainly don't want to be offensive or stupid. And I hope that on some level my life is comprehensible to others - not in a sermonizing way, but as a whiff of grace, mercy, and good humor.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
River's Bend
River's Bend
At a bend in the Tygart river are two trees
Leaning, straining out over the water
Roots exposed, reaching deep into the soil
Like the fingers of a great hand grasping the earth.
It is this soil, this land, from these people that I spring-
Leaning, straining like the tree over life's river,
With roots going deep, holding fast.
Firmly rooted in these mountains.
At a bend in the Tygart river are two trees
Leaning, straining out over the water
Roots exposed, reaching deep into the soil
Like the fingers of a great hand grasping the earth.
It is this soil, this land, from these people that I spring-
Leaning, straining like the tree over life's river,
With roots going deep, holding fast.
Firmly rooted in these mountains.
Before the days of political correctness my siblings and I would tell people that we were spick-hicks. It was a short, pithy way of explaining our heritage, and in some ways our family culture. I wrote the poem above after a visit to the WVA mountains for a reunion with my mother's people. I thought about the verses a day or so ago. Maybe I'll work on the Latina side too...
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Living or Leaving the Life of an Invalid
As I was walking my dog yesterday I pondered the life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. She was a woman who grew up similarly to me - as a tom-boy. She was active and fun loving as a child, but developed a mysterious ailment as she grew into adolescence. Eventually she became an invalid. A brilliant invalid, but an invalid nevertheless.
Her home life wasn't the greatest. Her father was the epitome of controlling. In fact, he forbade all of his children to marry - male and female alike. They all lived at home - even as adults - unless sent to Jamaica to tend the family plantation. Mr. Barrett felt it his right and responsibility to administer discipline to his children (even when adults) who disobeyed him... Maybe these circumstances caused or contributed to Elizabeth's disabilities. Certainly the drugs they gave her to 'help' ended up hurting her instead.
She lived in her room for years - either in bed or reclined on her couch. Though she was close to her siblings, her main companionship came from her lap dog. While in her room she wrote poetry. I can't think of another word to describe it than brilliant. She was gifted, and everyone recognized it. Elizabeth enjoyed critical and popular acclaim.
Everything stayed the same for her until love came knocking on her door in the person of Robert Browning. A poet himself - but not of Elizabeth's caliber (yet), Browning sought Elizabeth out. He came for her. It took her weeks to admit him to her room (they corresponded by mail for some time). When she finally let him in, she began a journey toward health that would eventually lead her toward a fairly normal life. She would leave her father's house, defy his wishes and marry. She slowly built up strength until she could walk across her room, then down the stairs, and finally out the door. Elizabeth left the life of an invalid.
It occurs to me that all of us have some area of our lives in which we live the life of an invalid. We settle for less than the robust health we were meant to enjoy. There may be good reasons that we're in the shape we're in. But that doesn't mean that there are good reasons to stay there. We all need for love to come for us. We need to be sought out by the One who delights in us, who calls us to life.
May 2008 be a year when we leave behind something that holds us back from life as it was meant to be lived. May God grant us the desire and strength to reach for love and freedom.
Her home life wasn't the greatest. Her father was the epitome of controlling. In fact, he forbade all of his children to marry - male and female alike. They all lived at home - even as adults - unless sent to Jamaica to tend the family plantation. Mr. Barrett felt it his right and responsibility to administer discipline to his children (even when adults) who disobeyed him... Maybe these circumstances caused or contributed to Elizabeth's disabilities. Certainly the drugs they gave her to 'help' ended up hurting her instead.
She lived in her room for years - either in bed or reclined on her couch. Though she was close to her siblings, her main companionship came from her lap dog. While in her room she wrote poetry. I can't think of another word to describe it than brilliant. She was gifted, and everyone recognized it. Elizabeth enjoyed critical and popular acclaim.
Everything stayed the same for her until love came knocking on her door in the person of Robert Browning. A poet himself - but not of Elizabeth's caliber (yet), Browning sought Elizabeth out. He came for her. It took her weeks to admit him to her room (they corresponded by mail for some time). When she finally let him in, she began a journey toward health that would eventually lead her toward a fairly normal life. She would leave her father's house, defy his wishes and marry. She slowly built up strength until she could walk across her room, then down the stairs, and finally out the door. Elizabeth left the life of an invalid.
It occurs to me that all of us have some area of our lives in which we live the life of an invalid. We settle for less than the robust health we were meant to enjoy. There may be good reasons that we're in the shape we're in. But that doesn't mean that there are good reasons to stay there. We all need for love to come for us. We need to be sought out by the One who delights in us, who calls us to life.
May 2008 be a year when we leave behind something that holds us back from life as it was meant to be lived. May God grant us the desire and strength to reach for love and freedom.