Step by stepkids learn the game
One morning about a month ago I walked into the local Park District field house and my friend Mark had his maintenance crew sweeping and vacuuming the floors between and under the bleacher seats. In the winter, they focus on indoor cleaning. This has to be done in the early morning hours, and it was instructive to observe.
The next week he was atop an indoor “cherry picker” dusting the blades of one of the oversize fans that hang from the ceiling. A huge pile of accumulated dust gathered on the floor beneath him. By the end of the week all six fans were clean and gently circulating the air.
After that Mark tackled the supports that hold the six basketball hoops. He dusted and washed them from the top supports near the ceiling, all the way down to the hoops themselves. By the week’s end, the supports gleamed as though they’d been given a coat of fresh black paint.
Next were the dividers – curtain-like pieces that unroll from the ceilings to separate three simultaeous volley ball games. And finally the crew gave the hardwood floor a thorough cleaning that removed most of the scuff marks that accumulate in an active field house. In six weeks time the place looked sparkling.
To make a little time and geography jump here, 2,000 years ago the people of Athens faithfully worshipped many gods, and to be sure none were left out, they even had an altar to the unknown God. Then Paul came along explaining this one ever-present, all-powerful good God. He said they lived in this God, moved in this God, had their very being in this God.
How would you deal with such a huge new concept? Perhaps one idea at a time. Much as Mark approached the winter field house cleaning – a huge project. Yet seeing the overview he broke it down into bite-size pieces, a few hours each morning. And the cleaning was accomplished in an orderly and harmonious way.
That’s a valid approach to life itself. Deal with the demands and requirements one step at a time.
If we aren’t ready to say that God doesn’t know evil at all, can we say at least that He is the source of all good? And begin to identify that good in our lives, and think about what it means that it might all come from one intelligent source?
The next week he was atop an indoor “cherry picker” dusting the blades of one of the oversize fans that hang from the ceiling. A huge pile of accumulated dust gathered on the floor beneath him. By the end of the week all six fans were clean and gently circulating the air.
After that Mark tackled the supports that hold the six basketball hoops. He dusted and washed them from the top supports near the ceiling, all the way down to the hoops themselves. By the week’s end, the supports gleamed as though they’d been given a coat of fresh black paint.
Next were the dividers – curtain-like pieces that unroll from the ceilings to separate three simultaeous volley ball games. And finally the crew gave the hardwood floor a thorough cleaning that removed most of the scuff marks that accumulate in an active field house. In six weeks time the place looked sparkling.
To make a little time and geography jump here, 2,000 years ago the people of Athens faithfully worshipped many gods, and to be sure none were left out, they even had an altar to the unknown God. Then Paul came along explaining this one ever-present, all-powerful good God. He said they lived in this God, moved in this God, had their very being in this God.
How would you deal with such a huge new concept? Perhaps one idea at a time. Much as Mark approached the winter field house cleaning – a huge project. Yet seeing the overview he broke it down into bite-size pieces, a few hours each morning. And the cleaning was accomplished in an orderly and harmonious way.
That’s a valid approach to life itself. Deal with the demands and requirements one step at a time.
If we aren’t ready to say that God doesn’t know evil at all, can we say at least that He is the source of all good? And begin to identify that good in our lives, and think about what it means that it might all come from one intelligent source?
And to think about being grateful for all that’s good and beautiful? These are first steps, and useful ones in a spiritual approach to life.
1 comment:
This reminds me of a saying I read recently that helps me.
"Inch by inch life is a cinch; yard by yard life is hard."
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