The temporariness !

 

Two rose flowers, deprived of their full life by flower eating insects! The flowers,  which would normally have had a five to six days of life span, were no more in 36 hours. I felt disturbed by the denial of the normal experience of a flower being a host to bees and butterflies!

Such an experience of denial of fullness of life can be a life event in the lives of some people. 

The domestic worker currently working with us, told me today, that at 12 years he had to leave school to support his family. He is a good builder and designer of walls, that he leaves behind  good practices for which he is remembered. But he was denied the fullness of childhood by having to enter into the work force early in life. At his mid fifty, he has regrets for the lost opportunity to study. He encouraged his two daughters to study unto post graduate level. 

Another story I heard from a professional, is that the opportunity to develop a particular specialty was denied, in spite of the number of sick people coming is on the increase. 

A post graduate student told me that he was not able to choose a topic of his choice for his research project. He felt compelled to pick up a topic that interested his guide. 

Most of us have stories of denials, disappointments and despairing times in our life. 

I came across a passage in the Bible in the book of prophet Joel, chapter 2, verse 25. The prophet had an encouragement to all those who felt deprived and denied: 'I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust, the gnawing locust...'

The passage before this verse is about God's deliverance and after this verse is about God's promise of the Spirit. However the chapter started with the terrible visitation, a day of darkness and gloom, clouds and thick darkness (V2).

Many of us would have been  disturbed by what we suffered or were denied. 

I went through such an experience recently. The very people whom I trusted and related, turned against!

I happened to see today how Wolf Spiders stay in insecure tents, woven  on the grass. 

The morning sights of the web they weaved as a tent for them for the night stay and catching their prey, held my attention, as the dew of the night made the web a decoration on the lawn.

The web has only a temporary safety. Many environmental factors adversely affect them. Every morning since the rain receded, the lawn in front of our cottage has many such weaved tents. But in the evening today, the lawn had only a few!

The temporariness of our experiences is a reality! Sometimes, they are happy occasions and some other times, they are unhappy occasions. We might sometimes feel used and ignored. We might suffer from   a sense of rejection. There might be experiences of being wronged and spoken about unkindly. 

The locust experience is a true experience. 

But the promise is, I will make up for you...' What a consolation!

It is when we feel down and out, our true character is tested ! How the spider weaves its web, how many ever times they are destroyed! To be gracious to forgive, be regardful and mindful is a gift we carry with us! The locust experience is about hope of restoration and renewal, although the initial experience is a loss!

The gains and losses in life are interwoven.

When I walked on the grass in the evening, I found a few spiders engaged in weaving their web. It is their nature to weave the web, although it might get destroyed. The fear of loss does not stop a spider from living and functioning normally. 

It was a message for me. Live by working, giving, serving, forgiving and upbuilding! That alone is the path towards living one's vocation ! 

Almost every morning, a spider would have woven its web across our driveway, only to be destroyed by movements along the passage. The web is back next morning in the same site!

I needed this insight to believe that one ought to live one's vocation uninhibited by the events in the environment!

M.CMathew (text and photo)