Sometimes the only thing one can do is the stuff of life. The task may not be fun, yet someone needs to take out the trash. The task may not seem attractive, however, washing is actually a good thing. There is a wide range of required human activities that are messy, smelly, and dirty. We cannot live without them. We probably would not choose to do without them. They are part of what it means to be alive. I often forget that they exist.
As I walked past a shop filled with ceremonial drums in Chinatown, I found myself thinking of the last time I had heard them played. The funeral must have been someone important. Many had come to pay their respects. The car with the casket was overwhelmed with flowers. As it slowly moved through town there was beat of a drum. I do not recall seeing it before, however the thought has lingered with me since. The recent death of a friend’s grandmother and the echo of the drum against the Singapore shop houses reminded me of life’s business that demands our attention.
Individuals across all generations have dealt with life’s business. When one community “had done everything the prophets said they would do, they took him [a man] down from the cross and buried him.” (Acts 13.29) He did not need to die, but he did need to have a burial.
I wonder if I realize how important life’s business is – for my community as well as my soul. Am I paying attention to the small things of life – taking care to do my best in everything that I do? Am I being intentional in my choices – letting the values that I hold most true echo in everything that I do? Am I willing to work for others before myself – living in faith that this is the best way to live?
Today’s moments will not always be fun, pretty, or exciting. Many will be boring and mundane. Regardless, each is an opportunity for us to make a difference.
