I watched as the construction worker struggled to work while dealing with the mud sliding down the embankment in a rainstorm. The scene would normally be a work in progress with the observer imaging the new landscaping, sidewalk, and individuals walking their dogs while enjoying the improvements. Instead, in the moment, there was a river forming at the bottom of the hill. It was clogged with mud and debris and picking up speed. The working was soaked. His rubber boots were half submerged in the muddy bank and water was periodically surging over their tops.
It was a mess now but even on the horizon one could see bold shafts of light. The brief respite from the heat was only temporary. In the contrast, I could see the wet slop changing as “God turned rivers into wasteland, springs of water into sunbaked mud;” (Psalm 107.33)
The scene was a harsh reminder that once one gets below my thin veneer of transformation, one finds an ugly transformation that could go in any direction. The strings I put on different fingers to remind myself of the larger story included the following.
In the midst of chaos, hold onto the belief that Divinity is working with the goal that every individual lives and enjoys life in better ways. Watching the worker today left me filled with doubts. Fortunately, he continued to act in his belief.
As ugly and painful as life is, moments of beauty and hope can and will follow. In this case, I could see what the worker could not. I have come to appreciate the visions that I see in the lives and eyes of others. In their hope, I find strength. In their willingness to act, I find courage. If their lives I see the outline of Divine living.
Focus on the immediate. In all things, remember beauty, trust hope, and live and act in the place one finds one’s self. It is in the present that we discover our characters in a larger story where so much is possible. We can be the difference.
