WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE

Peace, Love and Understanding (This is a post in progress, and I have been working on it since last Monday,so here we are, Monday again.)
Time & Space: It occurs to me that the concept of "TIME" is a true reality only to each person. We as beings inhabit time in our own moments. I say this because, here it is,Monday again, and I seem to be doing much of the same activities that I was doing last week, at  pretty much the same time. The names and faces of the innocent have been changed for their protection.
So here we go:  

Tuesday Oct 25 2011Can you stop “Late” from happening! Have you heard this one, “God created time….So he could take a day off” LOL:)  I know, my husband told me this one, and when I thought about it, I got such a giggle.

So, this past week, I have been commuting to work on the metro bus and train. It started out pretty dicey this past Tuesday morning. The first bus (5:29 sharp), did not show up. I have to wonder if that bus driver called in sick, or maybe this was a different route than he was used to and he drove his regular route. Back before budget cuts, when a bus went missing, a route supervisor would travel the route stops and at least let customers know what the problem was, maybe give tokens for a free ride. Not so any more, the budget cuts did not allow for customer service and certainly no one rides for free.
So, I had to take the 6:00 am bus, which if you do the math, put me 1.5 hrs late for the whole day. It was just too funny to get mad, but I was though. And I let that 6:00 am bus driver know it in a nice way. I finally made it to the Metro, and I totally blanked on how to buy a ticket, because I haven’t had to take the Metro since last year this time. (Why? that’s a whole different post). So I am preparing for my stop, which has two sides, and I can’t remember which way to go, left or right, so I went left and as I came off the escalator, I thought I had landed on Mars. Luckily for me, some nice old guys handing out newspapers were very helpful. For the rest of the week I had to remember to go right.
I am always amazed at how the Lord prepares our hearts to face the “dailyness” of everyday life. For sure the behavior of people that we interact with will drive you to distraction or cause some serious speculation on bodily harm. We are “acted upon” whether we want it or not. But how do we defend ourselves against the "agency" as it were of others. Those who choose to love and those who only love themselves. I remember praying once and I was impressed upon to "Put upon the whole armour of God.". This impression has stayed with me for a while and I believe that the potency of the armour of God is :
Three things; Peace, Love, and Understanding. I know, what’s love got to do with a missed bus? Plenty.

Matthew 22:35-40
35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself

A man asked Jesus, what is the greatest commandment, and of course Jesus had a two fold answer that had one meaning. He said first we are to love God, meaning himself also, and to love one another. I am sure that was a stumper, because no more is said about it. So what does love have to do with missing the bus and changing the course of a day?
The Apostle Paul preaches that love is a gift, that must be shared. He says that no matter who you think you are, what talents and gifts you have, without love, you are nothing, and those gifts you may have are of no effect, they won't work without it.

1 Corinthians 13:1;4-7
¹ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things

1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails.

Have you heard this song by Elvis Costello, "What so funny about Peace,Love and Understanding"

As i walk through

This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.

I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?

And each time i feel like this inside,
There's one thing i wanna know:
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

I think that throughout most of these endeavors, I showed restraint, and then I started to think about people's attitude toward me. Most of the people who were a part of this "space, time continuum "behaved very nice and were helpful to me. I realized that I was going to have to "renew" my mind as it were and be patient, because I was travelling through the speed of the Light of the Saviour, and I got to work basically around the same time as I do when I drive in. Go figure!!

My husbands truck is out of order, so he is driving my car in, we work different shifts, no bus his way, etc. This is where peace and understanding comes in. I would like to remind my husband of the time warp continuum, where if you do not take control of a situation the first time around, it will continue on the merri-go round until you fix it.

There is a lesson in all of this, even today, Monday Oct 31, when I came to work on what is ususally my day off, and my boss is here. I ask her why is she here ?and the conversations goes on...
Who should I be upset with, her for her garbled and misleading communication, or me for not taking a moment to pay attention?
Peace, love and understanding.

Isaiah 26:3-4
3Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

4Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Aha moment; Our minds and hearts are one, and when we purpose to keep them in line and focused on the Savior, He becomes our guiding light. We may still miss a bus, but we will be right on time for what ever. We may have do some extra time at work, but we will be blessed in the end.