2024-01-04 A Meditation on Sought After Gold
“9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor 12:9-10 ESV)
How many times do we squirrel away seeking some gold, going for the gold, and become blinded to something contemporary: contemporary reality, the willingness to be open-minded around Today’s calling and material situation? Strange ways and habits lead us to reboot on the regular, to be in awesome fashion Peace and Kosher with the milieu while at the same time being Bold and Brave. We are bold and brave because we have an ear to the ground. We have an affected persona, a modified route, a sought-after harvest, that is unafraid of ingratiating oneself with what is actually “out there”.
Today’s service is just as plucky as yesterday’s, only the gold we seek we now seek in newfound patience. We attend to the sickly or the downcast. We burrow into the crowd who Cares. We patiently serve and adopt one another, in all our plain need, unto the strange Goal “out there” which it seems we have indefinitely postponed.
No, the presence of Christ is a presence feebly awakening, strongly enabling: suddenly we find ourselves blabbering out of a heart in need, even as prior to this we used all our gumption and attitude and perspective to lead and to be composed: we wanted to shoulder the entire burden. We were pluck and bravery, gumption and determination; yet this hour hear the Call unto His bosom, unto His side, and let that sought-out gold be a seeking that is also now informed. Now inducted, now situated, now apprised. No blinders, no vague areas unkempt, no tyrannical joust unto a selfish or self-circumscribed arena: our arena instead is situated and gesturing plainly to the opponent: come hither, do work in tandem, in unison, with each other. Do let each day bring with it the day’s needs, as being more than sufficient a need to attend to, to fill our scheduling and our prognosis, our plan and pomp, our burrowing or sheltering in a wide milieu so easily made healing. We are made healing because we form and adeptly shape within and around what is Actually There, today’s Heard Appraisal, today’s patience to put off that Kingdom Come: the Kingdom is already present when we listen and when we go back to square one.