July 11, 2008

I took a holiday last week.

It’s easy for one thing to consume all our attention. This is a good thing when the one thing is the best thing. And it can mean the difference between life and death if the one thing represents a significant and immediate threat. But that one thing can push aside many other good things from our perception. Let me illustrate.

Our prayers received closure last week when our house purchased cleared escrow and the deed was recorded late on July 1st. We took possession of the house and started work on Wednesday with repainting the complete interior. This included retexturing 75% of the ceilings.

We’ve worked on every house we have owned, so we take remodeling in stride. We’re used to living with projects. We’ve never worked with such an intense deadline before. Although, as I write this reflection, it dawns on me that our deadline is self-imposed. However we really would like to move into a house that is finished. (or at least close to finished)

The Conference moves us on August 10. I’ll be at Camp Meeting for two weeks in July. That’s two weeks to get the work done.

So this house is the ‘one thing’ in our lives right now. While temperatures have soared well over 100º, we have been scraping, painting, scrubbing and cleaning. While we have been matching carpet samples with paint chips hundreds in California have been evacuated from their homes in the face of raging fires. While I’ve been scrambling up and down scaffolding with texture, my sister endured major surgery to safe her life from cancer.

While we’ve been filling the dumpster in front of the house with things left behind by the former owners, hummingbirds have visited the front porch and mocking birds have heralded the day in back. So many other things besides our house. Some of global significance and others of private joy. But all of them taking place while we work on our house.

Maybe this capacity of the mind’s eye to focus so singularly is the reason Jesus encouraged us to pay attention to our focus.

“Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not really darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight is shining on you.” Luke 11:34-36

With full commitment,
Pastor Steve