How does one know for sure that they have "found their niche" in life? Well, I think I have found one good way for determining that. Yesterday, when I got home from work I did what I usually do. I took off my shoes and went out into the garden to continue working at what I enjoy working at! But no sooner had I stepped out of the door than I felt a sharp stinging sensation on one of my toes. Knowing I had probably stepped on a bee feeding on one of the many clovers now in bloom I quickly shook it off. But I could feel the intensity of the sting was not abating so I took a look at that toe and sure enough, there was the bee stinger still stuck in my toe. Removing it alleviated the pain just slightly and, from past similar experiences I wasn't too concerned because I don't have any allergic reactions to insect stings. I debated whether to go inside and put some baking soda on it (one home remedy) but instead tried another remedy I'd heard of. Plucking the leaf of a plantain plant, which are as common as dandelions in most places, I chewed on it and stuck the wad of chewed plantain between the affected toe and its neighbor. The pain continued for about another 5-10 minutes, but then it quit altogether. One of my sons wasn't convinced that the plantain did the trick. He said his bee sting bites have felt better in that length of time anyway . . .
Anyway, I decided I needed to weed a part of the garden where the weeds were doing especially well (which I haven't minded up until now because those weeds included dandelion, plantain, lambsquarter and violets, all of which are quite edible and which I have been putting into our "green smoothies" every day). I was aware that part of the weed mix included a few stinging nettles but didn't think there were enough of them to bother getting gloves. So I proceeded to weed those nettles along with the other weeds, and sure enough, I felt the effects of those nettles on some of my fingers. But it wasn't that bad, certainly not as bad as the bee sting. Now the mosquitos, which also love lush vegetation, were a bit of a nuisance but I decided I'd put up with them in order to get the job done. I despise mosquito repellants almost more than the mosquitos and I've observed that as the spring and summer wears on my body must develop some sort of its own repellant because mosquitos bother me less and less. So I'll put up with their bites now and let nature take its course. I'm blessed to not have much of a reaction to mosquito bites, unlike others who can get good-sized welts from their bites.
Long story short, after sweating it out in the late afternoon sun and high humidity, fighting mosquitos, putting up with stinging nettle skin irritation and a bee sting, I could still report at suppertime that I had an enjoyable time in the garden. My oldest son's response was, "That's how you know what you're supposed to be doing with your life!" And I heartedly concurred. I knew I had truly found my niche.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
barefoot holiness II
The following is an excerpt from Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem, Aurora Leigh.
And truly, I reiterate, . . nothing's small!
No lily-muffled hum of a summer-bee,
But finds some coupling with the spinning stars;
No pebble at your foot, but proves a sphere;
No chaffinch, but implies the cherubim:
And,–glancing on my own thin, veined wrist,–
In such a little tremour of the blood
The whole strong clamour of a vehement soul
Doth utter itself distinct. Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God:
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries,
And daub their natural faces unaware
More and more, from the first similitude.
Bk. VII, l. 812-826
And truly, I reiterate, . . nothing's small!
No lily-muffled hum of a summer-bee,
But finds some coupling with the spinning stars;
No pebble at your foot, but proves a sphere;
No chaffinch, but implies the cherubim:
And,–glancing on my own thin, veined wrist,–
In such a little tremour of the blood
The whole strong clamour of a vehement soul
Doth utter itself distinct. Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God:
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries,
And daub their natural faces unaware
More and more, from the first similitude.
Bk. VII, l. 812-826
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
barefoot holiness
Have you ever wondered why God told Moses at the burning bush that he needed to take off his sandals? The reason given was that he was on holy ground. But what does that mean? I haven't read commentaries on this but I do have some thoughts that have come to me since I have taken to gardening . . . barefoot.
One of the first clues I got that God and going barefoot might somehow be related was hearing from someone I highly respected who once commented that God told him that he needed to spend more time off of the concrete (that covers our metropolitan areas) in order to walk on the earth itself. While no mention was made of going barefoot, I put this together with the advice of another spiritual leader I respect who often travels overseas. He claims that if you take off your shoes and spend some time making skin to earth contact (what he actually suggested was to rub your bare feet around in the sand if you are near a beach) it will help to relieve jet lag. Both these comments suggest that the earth, the ground itself, has something to offer us in terms of our health or well-being. I wasn't really thinking about all this when I decided to go barefoot outside more, especially while working in the garden. It was primarily intuitive on my part - it somehow just felt better (once I got over the tenderfoot syndrome). But my anecdotal evidence for the virtue of going barefoot is based on more than just feelings. I've noticed that of my two persistent planters warts, one has completely disappeared and the other has been diminishing in size. Also, the toenail of my little toe on my left foot which has a fungus growing under it is showing signs of recovery as well. Where there used to be a solid mass under the nail, now that mass is like a honeycomb, as if the mass is beginning to dissolve! It looks like the time I tried to kill the fungus by soaking my foot in a vinegar solution. That did the trick too, but the fungus came right back when I quit the treatments. Now the fungus is on the retreat without my having to give it a second thought. All I have to do is to enjoy going barefoot!
We know that the earth was (and continues to be) definitely affected by mankind's sin. It does not produce fruit and vegetables as easily and effortlessly as it apparently did before the Fall. Nevertheless, the Scriptures say some remarkable things about the land. "If you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you" (Lev. 18:28). Sounds like the land prefers holiness or righteousness over sin and evil! Even more amazing is that well known cry of the seraphim, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:3)! As affected as the earth is by our sin it seems to have a capacity that we humans don't possess to contain God's glory. Not that we also can't become vehicles or containers for God's glory, but our propensities lie in the opposite direction (toward sin), while the earth or the land seems to more naturally lend itself to the glory of God.
The land, the ground we walk on, speaks to me of humility. To be humble is to always bear in mind that we are but dust. Pride is wanting to shake off the dust, to elevate oneself above and away from the dirt. Yet we are told that "the high and lofty One . . .who lives forever, whose name is holy" chooses to draw close, and live with, "him who is contrite and lowly in spirit." (Isaiah 57:15). This is what I call one of those "oxymoronic realities" of life. Two opposite realities that would not appear to fit together somehow coming together and being united. I've heard preachers talk about the "upside-down kingdom", how the way up to God is by going down (humbling oneself and taking up ones' cross). But the lost part of that message is that living closer to the earth (one example being, going barefoot whenever possible) is a very tangible and God-pleasing way to "walk humbly with your God." It may be uncomfortable at first - and yes, there are even dangers involved - but the longer you try it and stick with it you will discover that the benefits far outweigh the risks. Drawing closer to God is never an easy or painless process. But I'm convinced that the land has a vital role to play in that process, however you choose to connect with it (there are other ways to do this than by going barefoot :-). I freely admit we all have different callings and we aren't all called to live with dirt under our nails. But it sure doesn't hurt and I'm discovering it can actually help.
Increase your awareness - go barefoot!
One of the first clues I got that God and going barefoot might somehow be related was hearing from someone I highly respected who once commented that God told him that he needed to spend more time off of the concrete (that covers our metropolitan areas) in order to walk on the earth itself. While no mention was made of going barefoot, I put this together with the advice of another spiritual leader I respect who often travels overseas. He claims that if you take off your shoes and spend some time making skin to earth contact (what he actually suggested was to rub your bare feet around in the sand if you are near a beach) it will help to relieve jet lag. Both these comments suggest that the earth, the ground itself, has something to offer us in terms of our health or well-being. I wasn't really thinking about all this when I decided to go barefoot outside more, especially while working in the garden. It was primarily intuitive on my part - it somehow just felt better (once I got over the tenderfoot syndrome). But my anecdotal evidence for the virtue of going barefoot is based on more than just feelings. I've noticed that of my two persistent planters warts, one has completely disappeared and the other has been diminishing in size. Also, the toenail of my little toe on my left foot which has a fungus growing under it is showing signs of recovery as well. Where there used to be a solid mass under the nail, now that mass is like a honeycomb, as if the mass is beginning to dissolve! It looks like the time I tried to kill the fungus by soaking my foot in a vinegar solution. That did the trick too, but the fungus came right back when I quit the treatments. Now the fungus is on the retreat without my having to give it a second thought. All I have to do is to enjoy going barefoot!
We know that the earth was (and continues to be) definitely affected by mankind's sin. It does not produce fruit and vegetables as easily and effortlessly as it apparently did before the Fall. Nevertheless, the Scriptures say some remarkable things about the land. "If you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you" (Lev. 18:28). Sounds like the land prefers holiness or righteousness over sin and evil! Even more amazing is that well known cry of the seraphim, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:3)! As affected as the earth is by our sin it seems to have a capacity that we humans don't possess to contain God's glory. Not that we also can't become vehicles or containers for God's glory, but our propensities lie in the opposite direction (toward sin), while the earth or the land seems to more naturally lend itself to the glory of God.
The land, the ground we walk on, speaks to me of humility. To be humble is to always bear in mind that we are but dust. Pride is wanting to shake off the dust, to elevate oneself above and away from the dirt. Yet we are told that "the high and lofty One . . .who lives forever, whose name is holy" chooses to draw close, and live with, "him who is contrite and lowly in spirit." (Isaiah 57:15). This is what I call one of those "oxymoronic realities" of life. Two opposite realities that would not appear to fit together somehow coming together and being united. I've heard preachers talk about the "upside-down kingdom", how the way up to God is by going down (humbling oneself and taking up ones' cross). But the lost part of that message is that living closer to the earth (one example being, going barefoot whenever possible) is a very tangible and God-pleasing way to "walk humbly with your God." It may be uncomfortable at first - and yes, there are even dangers involved - but the longer you try it and stick with it you will discover that the benefits far outweigh the risks. Drawing closer to God is never an easy or painless process. But I'm convinced that the land has a vital role to play in that process, however you choose to connect with it (there are other ways to do this than by going barefoot :-). I freely admit we all have different callings and we aren't all called to live with dirt under our nails. But it sure doesn't hurt and I'm discovering it can actually help.
Increase your awareness - go barefoot!
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