April 17, 2021

01

Everything waits for the right thing
to be said,
done,
in the right place,
at the right time,
in the right way.

Every situation is dying 
for a dose of the right thing.

How long has it been
since the right thing
came your way?

Since you brought it forth
with word and deed?

Each day dawns
hoping for the right thing
somewhere
today.

How many days die
without the right thing
coming forth as blessing and grace
anywhere.

So many people everywhere
living in the service 
of the wrong thing.
Living as stewards
of the wrong thing.
Living as devoted disiples
of the wrong thing.
Saying and doing wrong
everywhere they go.
Not caring.
Happy to be being wrong
for every situation they meet.

Who is there to offset their influence?
To introduce the right thing
into the circumstances of their living?
To be right for the time
that is at hand?
To care about the things
that need to be cared about?
About the people languishing
for a kind word,
a gentle presence,
offered at the right time,
in the right way?

Who is there to nudge the world
back to the right way
of being present for the good
of the whole
and all of its parts,
with the right word
and the right deed
in the right place
at the right time
in the right way?

–0–

02

Sit with it.
With everything.
With each thing.
Sit with it.

Rushing past this to that
keeps us from squaring up
to any of it.
From being aware of it.
From seeing it.
From seeing what is called for.
From orienting ourselves to it
in the right way
and coming forth 
with the right response.

Riding our default reaction
from this to that
throughout the landscape
litters the land 
with missed opportunities
for the good to fall
like welcome rain
on a parched and dying world.

Sitting with it
opens the wellspring of living waters
pouring out,
spilling over
as grace and hope
for what might yet be.

Sit with it 
and see what emerges
to redeem the moment
and light the path
to the next sitting place
and the next miracle
hoping to be birthed
with the right response,
at the right time,
in the right way.

–0–

03

Do what needs to be done
because it needs to be done
as best you can
whether it does any good or not.

Be good for nothing.

As best you can.

In each situation as it arises.

All your life long.

No one can do better than that.

–0–

04

We say "God" as though we have said something
when we say "God."

We can get into fits and rages arguing about "God,"
and no one knows what they are talking about.

We are talking about "ideas" about "God."

Whose ideas? It depends, but all we know of "God"
is something somebody else said.

We also talk about "life" as though we know 
what we are talking about,
but no one knows what "life" is,
or where it comes from,
or where it goes,
except that some of us are certain that 
"life" comes from "God"
and goes back to "God."

"Electricity," "microwaves," "radio waves," "death,"
The list is long of things we do not comprehend.

"Conscious," "unconscious," "self," "soul," "love,"...

We are awash in mystery
and we haven't been astonished or astounded all day.

Which is something else I can make no sense of.