True progress

"The new growth in the plant 

swelling against the sheath, 

which at the same time imprisons and protects it, 

must still be the truest type of progress."

Jane Addams

I make all things new!

Weeds on a very cold January day.
Yet, come spring - there will be

new leaves and birdsong everywhere.

Saturday took me into Chicago’s gritty Englewood neighborhood where my friend lives and works. Side streets had not been plowed. In block after block, houses, some of them nice ones, had plywood windows – foreclosed.

These times are especially tough on those already hurting economically. People are put out onto the streets because they suddenly can’t pay mortgages – and perfectly good houses sit empty.

It’s a drug-infested neighborhood, and nobody wants to invest in it. So apart from a fried chicken franchise and a Family Dollar Store, there are few businesses, few local jobs. It's pretty barren.

My friends tell stories that make my heart weep. But at the same time, they have a vision for this community – what it once was and what it could be again. They are already seeing past the hopelessness and despair.

I don’t know how to unboard the houses and put mothers and children back into them; I don't know how to jumpstart the local economy.

I do know how to pray and support my friends’ courage and vision. Here are some promises from Isaiah that give me hope:

Isa 35:1 The desert will rejoice, and flowers will bloom in the wastelands.
The desert will sing and shout for joy:
it will be as beautiful as the Lebanon Mountains and as fertile as the fields of Carmel and Sharon.
Everyone will see the Lord's splendor, see his greatness and power.

and

Isa 51:3 I will show compassion to Jerusalem, to all who live in her ruins.
Though her land is a desert, I will make it a garden, like the garden I planted in Eden.
Joy and gladness will be there, and songs of praise and thanks to me.

And from Revelation 21, the voice from heaven that says, “Behold, I make all things new.”

Beyond the mess, a Master plan

Puddles, posts, stakes --
is it a hopeless mess?

In this case, the mess is not the remains of Hurricane Ike or a clear-cut forest, or a kid’s room; it’s a carefully thought-out project.

The fire station next door is getting a new home. We’ll be sorry to lose them, as the firemen have been good neighbors. The new location just around the corner, like any construction project, has plenty of interested observers.

First heavy equipment broke into chunks and removed the blacktop lot that had served for storing village vehicles.

By this weekend the pile driver had driven many posts into the excavated area leaving them sticking up at unexplainably odd and various heights. Flagged stakes sprout among the posts. Serious puddles increase as weekend rain continues. More posts remain to be pounded Monday. A newly delivered green porta-potty sits adjacent to a hill of excavated gravel.

In short, it’s a mess.

And this is where the planning comes in. An artist’s rendering fastened to the chain-link fence shows how the new fire station will look – more than double the space of their present quarters.

The vision that will
eventually replace the mess!

It’s important during the mud-and puddle-phase to keep the artist’s drawing in mind. Otherwise one might forget how to get from mess to beauty and utility. The foreman keeps the vision foremost in thought as each step is undertaken. He or she continually checks the blueprints to make sure the details are exactly as planned.

Anybody who’s remodeled, or painted their walls, or installed new flooring or carpets can appreciate the planned disorder that leads eventually to beauty and progress.

But what if the disorder in our lives isn't planned? Sometimes kids or adults go through rough times, maybe the result of poor decisions, or of ignorance.

Those feeling the brunt of Gustav or Ike, whether their address is Galveston, Houston, Cuba, or Haiti, might well feel their lives are in shambles.

It’s important to remember there is a Master plan for each of us, and what we are observing is not the end of the project. Our prayers can contribute to the steps that reveal that Master plan in each life.

The God who is infinitely intelligent Love knows what needs to happen to keep His/Her creation aligned with beauty, order, and goodness. This universal Mind ceaselessly acts as law for His/Her creation, moving each of us along to find our groove, our natural harmony with God and the universe.

So don’t give up on the mess in your life. Consult the Master plan, or find someone whose love and wisdom assures you that they understand it. Many feel Christ Jesus is one such individual.

Then make choices to move in the direction that conforms to that ideal. Be satisfied with one good step at a time. You will get there in one piece, maybe sooner than you think.

For helpful ideas about praying for those in the path of hurricanes, click here.