Chances to see the good or find the promise of hope emerge in sometimes very subtle ways. Too often those opportunities are suppressed or overwhelmed by terrible news or ugly political rhetoric that fuels negativity. So when we most need those moments of hope, they sometimes slip away, a perishable treat which could have refreshed us in the midst of our busy days.
Capturing those moments is like catching a quick toss of an apple your spouse playfully made to you across the kitchen. You weren’t expecting it, but your open senses enabled you both to catch the apple and feel a sense of joyful connection with your spouse, who made the throw.
When those moments or reminders aren’t so obvious we have a harder time realizing they exist—like the bar of soap I always drop at least once a day. If it’s something that always happens we just get used to it, right? What if we always caught the soap, no matter where we dropped it? It happened to me at the end of a day filled with bad political news, business stress, and weight on my shoulders. A quick shower before moving on to the next task was interrupted by not one, not two, but three spectacular catches of the soap that should have slipped through. Honestly, there were two of those behind-the-back hand grabs that made me laugh. I laughed because it hit me that God was having a little fun with me, reminding me not to let moments slip away but to continue to try to catch them as best as I could.
I could never repeat the entertaining catches I made of the soap I dropped three times that day. But I will always be grateful for the subtle reminder that if I pay attention and if I am ready to accept them, there are many opportunities to catch God’s signs of hope and not let them slip away.
As a child I well remember the frustration of not being able to catch the soap in the bath tub. It made such a strong impression on me that even now, many years later, I still feel a sense of focus and needing to grasp gently – no grabbing, no sudden moves. Kind of like my relationship with God (and God’s relationship with me) – slow, patient, persistent and gentle. A lovely metaphor!
We all have slippery days when we are not paying attention to a message or massage from our Creator. For those slippery showers try soap on a rope! Then you wiil not have to search or slip. On the spiritual level, if I feel myself on a slippery slope, I call for mercy. Lord, have mercy on me!
Not bad for a Cal graduate!!