"...it is a serious thing...
just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world." Mary Oliver
I have been in love with these words, written by Mary Oliver, poet and essayist, for a long time. As my relationship with God deepened and as I began to realize what it means to be in relationship with God, Mary’s words began to pop out at me in an uncanny way. Four words in particular pulsated, inviting me to think about them. They invited me to explore their dimensions beyond a cursory acknowledgment. It felt like I was about to ride a magic carpet through my imagination. Here are the four enchanting words: serious, alive, fresh, broken.
When I wake up and greet my cats and my Lord, I recite Mary’s phrase. If I wake up, I know that I am still alive. Wow! My heart beats, my body moves, my mind thinks and creates intention for the day, gratitude rushes through my veins… and then I have to go to the bathroom. Lol! As the coffee brews, and the cats cry for their breakfast, I scatter birdseed in my yard, and I sit for my daily prayers and devotions… God is encouraging me to step out, assuring me that He will lead the way. It will be a day of adventures and obligations. This day isn’t the same hustle and bustle I experienced when I was teaching every day. It has taken a couple of years to adjust to this new living experience of retirement. But now, it’s nice.
I glance at my calendar to see what doctor visits loom. Even if I have an appointment, I am living in a new day, and the slate is fresh and clean. Maybe I screwed up yesterday… said something stupid to someone, broke another glass in the kitchen, or found a bill I overlooked… but today is fresh, and I have time enough before me to fix the problems and maybe produce something creative!
I remembered how my Mom would hang the laundry outside no matter what the weather was. At that moment, I appreciated her so much. Clothesline clothes smell as fresh as a new day! Every day, begin your day believing that the newness and freshness of it will make your heart sing!
The word “serious” was the word that spoke to me in a way that totally changed my sense of worth. My relationship with God is my primary relationship. He cares for me, and He teaches me He makes it clear that His purpose is to intimately love every human being from all of time and space. Every person is taken seriously by God- even when that person does not take God seriously! My breath got caught for a moment as I realized that my existence is a serious event. I felt deeper and more substantive as I rose to receive that truth.
It IS a serious thing just to be alive!
As I write, I write as a human being who (although I’ve had minor setbacks in life), has not ever experienced destitution. I have never gone hungry or been dehydrated for lack of water. I have always slept in a warm bed. No one has ever threatened to take my life. I haven’t even experienced the life-threatening effects of climate change catastrophes.
Now, as I watch the news, in addition to all of those cataclysms killing humans and demolishing villages, we have our fellow humans destroyed by the most savage, sadistic wars being waged. This is truly the utter broken condition of our world.
A harsh broken world breaks vulnerable people. They don’t feel like it is good to be alive; today is not a fresh world unless you refer to a fresh wound. They don’t feel like there is a soul in the world who takes them seriously. They feel like throw-aways, most fearing an imminent death.
If you live well and enjoy safety and accomplishment in your life and your heart seriously aches for those who suffer- ACT seriously, DO serious things. You CAN because God is serious about you and has entusted you with serious tasks. Your contribution doesn’t count more or less depending on its size, or time expended… it depends on responding to God’s personal call to you. We are God’s hands and feet. We are “God with Skin.1”
It IS a serious thing just to be alive!
“Let’s all be ALIVE! Shall we?
Thanks, to David Valentine who preached this phrase one summer Sunday morning at the lake, when we were without a Church building in Potsdam, NY. I have never forgotten it!