Doin God's Work

“God is a good worker but loves to be helped.” ~ Basque Proverb

It had been a “rollercoaster ride” of a day. Fridays were always hectic. But this one had gotten off to a less than auspicious start. Out of work, and looking for a job for the past six months, I had finally made it to the “final three.” Interviews for the top three candidates had been held on the previous Thursday.

Leaving the building afterwards, I felt I had nailed the interview. But after waiting tensely for over a week, the call came that morning as I was leaving the house. “We so much enjoyed interviewing you, but we found a candidate whose skills were more closely aligned with what we were looking for,” said the chirpy voice.

I thanked her graciously, clicked off, and headed for my parish to serve at morning Mass ­– still unemployed. Fridays are my day to give the homily and this Friday was no different.

As I was greeting in the narthex after Mass, a group of teenage voices started to sing a familiar tune. I turned to find 20-plus teenagers singing Happy Birthday… to me! My birthday had been earlier in the week, but it didn’t matter; here they were singing to me.
Afterwards, I ducked into the sacristy.

Removing my vestments and slipping into my jacket, I headed out the door to my little, old, pickup truck. Fridays are also the day I do a prayer service and visit with residents at the senior care center near the parish.

My cell phone blinged as I was climbing into the truck. Quickly checking the screen, I instantly recognized the name of the sender. Her Dad, an old friend of mine, had died in the spring.

Clicking open the email, I read a heartfelt text thanking me for a blog post I had sent at 5:00 am that morning: “Your writing reminded me that I need to remember the great times we had while he was here” it read. 

Tossing the phone onto the passenger’s seat, I pulled my keys from my pocket. The truck reluctantly came to life as I turned the key in the ignition. I rolled out of the parking lot and headed for the senior facility.

Once there, I conducted a Communion service. One of the attendees came with her dog. She wasn’t Catholic, but she likes to participate. I blessed her (and her dog) anyway.

During my room-to room-visits, a man shared with me that he had been diagnosed with cancer and probably had less than four months to live. I sat and listened to him as he talked about his life.

At 11:15 am, my rounds completed, I was sitting in the activities coordinator’s office. Flo asked how things were going. I quickly recapped the events of the day including the early morning phone call. “I just wish I could find a job” I concluded. 

“Deacon Jim,” she replied with a smile, “Sounds to me like you are employed. You’re just not getting paid for it.”

Someone once wrote that “if you want to make God smile, tell him your plans.” Many of us go through life allowing our work, our occupations, our careers to define who we are. In doing so, we surrender ourselves to the whims of the world. We may even go so far as to say we are looking for “meaningful work.”

But, when those jobs go away, we can be left wondering who we are and doubting our self worth. Careers are a slippery slope because, sooner or later, they end. And whatever gratification they provide, ends with them.

As Christian stewards we hold a different view. God created each of us with a unique combination of gifts to be used to better the world. We are called to identify, cultivate, and utilize those gifts.

Careers can temporarily fulfill our egos, but doing God’s work can fill our hearts and our spirits. Doing what God created us to do rarely fails to give us satisfaction and a sense of purpose.

Certainly, jobs are necessary to provide material sustenance, but sustaining our spirits is even more important. God doesn’t pay us in cash though we often wish he would, but you can’t beat his retirement plan!

Dear God: Thy will be done – even when I don’t like the job description.
 

“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, lecturer, and poet (1803-1882)

©2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.

“90 Second Stewardship” is a reflection on being a Christian Steward in a secular and sometimes harsh world. This reflection is written by Deacon James E. Carper of Simi Valley, California. All rights are reserved. You are welcome and encouraged to forward this e-mail to family and friends provided the”© 2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.” is included along with this message. Organizations, whether for or non profit, are required to receive written approval before reproducing these reflections. If written approval is given the “© 2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.” must be included along with this message.

Just Drop It!

“Hanging onto a resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head” ~Ann Landers, American Advice columnist (1918-2002)

It was all just so stupid and unnecessary. I wasn’t even paying attention. The big, black Escalade came across in front of me so quickly that I impulsive laid on the horn. In a flash the driver of the Escalade slammed on his brakes and started waving his middle index finger at me. I knew he wasn’t telling me I was “number 1.” Veering to the right onto the shoulder, simultaneously slamming on the brakes I barely missed his right rear fender as I skidded onto the shoulder.

The Escalade accelerated away. I jerked the wheel to the left pulling my car back onto the highway and took off after him. Soon I was gaining on the Escalade though I had no idea what I would do if and when I caught up to him. I was closing and would be on top of him in moments.

Then, without any indication, the heavy SUV swerved right and rocketed down an exit ramp as I shot helplessly by. The last thing I saw was the driver once again indicating I was “number 1” laughing as he did so.

Most of us probably have a similar story. The question is how much of the rest of the day did I allow my highway opponent to occupy. In my case, I gave up most of the day telling and retelling the story of the “jerk who nearly wrecked my car.”

When I wasn’t sharing my misery with others, I was busy replaying the incident over and over in my head imagining the things I might have done or should have done. In effect, I did little, other than to wear a groove in my brain assuring the incident would not be soon forgotten.

There are tribesmen in Africa who have made an art out of trapping monkeys. A heavy cage with narrow bars is filled with bananas and placed in an area frequented by the unsuspecting creatures. Inevitably at least one monkey will discover the cage and stick his hand through the narrow bars.

Once the creature clutches a banana in his paw however he is unable to retract it from the cage. Sadly, all the animal needs to do is drop the banana and run away, but instead they allow themselves to be captured rather than just let go.

We are called to be good stewards of our time. Unfortunately we often misuse or give that time away unnecessarily because we just can’t seem to let go of things. Certainly I had a right to be surprised or startled by the incident with the driver of the Escalade. Unfortunately, I gave away the rest of the day resenting him and trying to justify myself – not a good use of the time God had given me.

It is not always easy to make good use of the time God gives us each day. Our egos mislead us into believing we are always right and we go looking for vindication. So we try to place blame or seek retribution for the situations in which we find ourselves, rather than seek positive solutions.

Life is meant to be lived joyously and well. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to spend the time God has given us unproductively dragging around the problems, resentments, and issues of the past; instead we can simply “drop the banana.”

Dear Lord: Remind me there are times I need to let go of things.

“Resentment or grudges do no harm to the person against whom you hold these feelings but every day and every night, they are eating at you.” ~Norman Vincent Peale, American Clergyman and Writer (1898-1993)

©2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.

“90 Second Stewardship” is a reflection on being a Christian Steward in a secular and sometimes harsh world. This reflection is written by Deacon James E. Carper of Simi Valley, California. All rights are reserved. You are welcome and encouraged to forward this e-mail to family and friends provided the”© 2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.” is included along with this message. Organizations, whether for or non profit, are required to receive written approval before reproducing these reflections. If written approval is given the “© 2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.” must be included along with this message.

Spiritual Filler

“When you can stop you don't want to, and when you want to stop, you can't...”
~Luke Davies, Australian novelist, poet and screenwriter (b1962) from his novel Candy

Adam liked to stop after work for a beer with his buddies from the marketing department. Lately he was noticing he was always the last one to leave. Sometimes he would order a shot of whiskey just to “brace himself” for the drive home. His wife had been complaining about how late he arrived home. His excuse was always the same: “It was work related!”

Esther loved to go shopping. She couldn’t resist a bargain and, after all, look how much money she was saving. It didn’t matter that the clothes she bought often hung in the closet for months untouched with the labels still on or that the products she purchased went unused and unreturned. Lately she had started getting second and third notices on her credit card bills, but it didn’t matter, even with the penalty fees she was still saving money, wasn’t she?

Bob was always the first one to arrive at and the last one to leave work. He figured as long as the boss saw him there, his job was secure. With all the layoffs he couldn’t afford to lose his job so he hung out till the bitter end every day, even when he didn’t have anything to do. “Outa sight out of a job,” he would joke. That’s why Bob could not understand when his boss asked him why he always seemed to be around and recommended he attend a time management workshop.

Alice did not like to talk to people. It was so much easier to text them. She could think about things, use cool abbreviations and say whatever she wanted. This way Alice never felt awkward or stupid. There was a really cute boy in her class she wanted to meet. One day she was able to coerce her neighbor Emily into giving her the boy’s electronic address. Alice took a provocative picture of herself and sent it to the boy. The next day, when she arrived at school, she was immediately taken to the principal’s office and her phone confiscated. The boy had sent the picture to all her classmates.

Though we live in a first world country in arguably the best possible time in history, life can often be difficult. Whether it be global warming, the questionable economy, an uncertain job market or just getting through the day with “all we have to do,” our lives can quickly fill with anxiety and fear.

Some of us have healthy coping mechanisms such as exercise, a spiritual program, structured personal time or hobbies, to name only a few. But for those with addictive personalities and no “program” in place, certain unhealthy behaviors (spiritual, mental, physical and emotional) begin to manifest themselves. Unfortunately the word “addict” conjures images of an unconscious wino in the gutter or a wild eyed junkie shooting up or puffing on a crack pipe in some back alley.

But addicts can also be the successful business person who has to have his two-martini lunch at the finest restaurant, or the employee who is constantly at work because she is afraid of losing her job; or even the family member who can never seem to step away from the computer or Smartphone long enough to have dinner with the family or even engage in a conversation.

Modern society has left many of us with a “hole in our soul.” It is a hole created by fear, anxiety and a sense of inadequacy. Unfortunately, for some of us, relief seems to evade us, while the fear and anxiety continue to grow.

Perhaps we try to fill the “hole” with property and possessions. Shopping becomes more than “retail therapy.” Sometimes drugs and alcohol dull the pain, the fear and the inevitable guilt. But these provide only temporary relief, followed by more fear, anxiety and shame and a renewed downward plunge toward the darkness.

The addictions are not the problem, however. They are simply the ill-advised solutions to the real problem – the “hole in the soul,” a hole which we can never fill by our own devices.

Addicts of all kinds will tell you truthfully that they want to stop, and they may be able to do so for a short time, by sheer force of will, only to subsequently return to their former way of life. Recovery is not simply about eliminating the addictive behavior, but about replacing it with something better – a healthy spiritually.

Recovery programs are successful, not because they stop the addictive behavior, but because of the spiritual program which replaces that behavior. There is a message here for all of us.

As stewards of our time, we are called to engage in spiritually-healing activities – activities which close the hole in our soul. If you don’t stand for something, if you don’t have a spiritual program, you will fall for anything and quite possibly in the form of an addiction.

Dear God: Help me to fill the holes in my life with your love.

“You've got to stand for something or you're gonna fall for anything” ~ John Cougar Mellencamp, American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor (b1951)

©2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.

“90 Second Stewardship” is a reflection on being a Christian Steward in a secular and sometimes harsh world. This reflection is written by Deacon James E. Carper of Simi Valley, California. All rights are reserved. You are welcome and encouraged to forward this e-mail to family and friends provided the”© 2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.” is included along with this message. Organizations, whether for or non profit, are required to receive written approval before reproducing these reflections. If written approval is given the “© 2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.” must be included along with this message.

Going and Coming

“We must not demean life by standing in awe of death.” ~David Sarnoff, Russian-born American businessman and Radio/Television Pioneer (1891-1971)

Jerry sat quietly staring out at the busy harbor. He loved to come by around noon and eat his lunch while watching the ships come and go. Today things were particularly busy. A large cruise ship was preparing to depart apparently for a trip through the Panama Canal, then on to the Caribbean. It was surrounded by people, waving goodbye from the dock.

Drinks in hand the passengers lined the railings on the side facing the dock waving back at those wishing them well. It was one big party. Music filled the air making the atmosphere even more festive. The ship’s horns blared announcing its imminent departure.

Nearby another large ship was tied up in its berth, but the scene here was quite different; a marked contrast from the hullabaloo going on nearby.  The mood was sedate, even somber. The passengers were quietly disembarking. With no one at the dock to greet them they quickly scuttled off in different directions. The crew was efficiently shutting things down and stowing gear. The cabins were quickly cleaned then locked up tight. As the crew and cabin staff completed their assigned tasks they seemed to simply disappear.

“Don’t seem right, do it?”

The voice brought Jerry suddenly out of his personal fog. “HUH?” he responded; turning to see who had spoken. Nearby, seated atop a large piling, part of the wharf, was an old man; weathered and wizened. He looked as if he had stepped out of a Hemmingway novel. Jerry swore he hadn’t been there a moment ago.

“I said, it don’t seem right, do it?” repeated the ancient mariner knocking his pipe out on the heel of his boot, then relighting it with a wooden match.

“What don’t seem right,” Jerry asked?

“Them two ships,” came the response. “All them people gathered around the one that’s get’n ready to leave and no one to greet them’s that are finally home.” “Just don’t seem right,” he concluded staring off in the distance.

The “Old Salt” had gotten Jerry’s attention. “How does it not seem right?” Jerry asked quizzically. “Well, it seems to me, that a long journey, well traveled and now completed means a whole lot more than one that hasn’t even begun yet.” “Who knows what might happen to the one get’n ready to set sail?” “It could sink just outside the breakwater or it could run aground ‘n capsize like that one a few years ago did.” “The way I see it, there’s nothin’ to celebrate…yet.”

“But the one that’s come home to port? That one is a lot like me. She may have had a hard go of it...braved storms and the like, even suffered some serious damage along the way, but she’s finished her journey. She’s come home finally and that’s worth celebrating.”

Jerry looked at the old man, then back at the two ships. The first cruise liner was slowly pulling away from the dock while second was being powered down.  The old fellow continued: “I only hope that when I dock for the last time there will be people there to bid me welcome…to congratulate me on a journey well traveled.” The old man seemed to look a place far beyond the horizon. Jerry stared in the same direction for a very long time, trying to see what this sage of the sea had seen.

Finally Jerry turned in the direction where the man had been sitting. “You know my name’s Jerry and…” but he stopped short. He starred at the piling for a moment in disbelief. The old man was gone.

We have come to think of conception as the arrival into and death as the departure from physical life. However, life itself is the journey: Birth being the departure point and death the arrival. As Christian stewards we profess that everything is a gift from a good and loving God which is to be gratefully received. Unfortunately, we typically view the death of a loved one as “our loss.” And yet, when viewed as the successful completion of a long and successful journey; a life well lived, there is gratitude to be found.

Irish Wakes are a wonderful example of this. The Wake is the period from the time of death until the body is conveyed to the church for burial. Wakes are celebrated in the home with food and plenty of alcoholic beverages. It is a time for family and friends to socialize and share remembrances of the departed person's life. It is not a time for tears, but a time to celebrate.

“A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death [better] than the day of birth” (Ecclesiastes 7:1). Certainly this is not the case when a life is tragically cut short. But when someone passes on in peace and with a good and honorable name, after a successful life– we should mourn, but it is also a time for rejoicing and for celebrating a life well lived.

Dear God: Remind me that you pour life into death and death into life without spilling a single drop.

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” ~Mark Twain, American author (1835-1910)

©2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.