Meditation Monday, September 20, 2021

by Sharon Ross, Minister of Spiritual Formation and Assistant to the Sr. Pastor

“and now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”

1 Cor 13:13

 “Eenny, meeny, miny, mo,
Catch a tiger by the toe.
If he hollers, let him go
Eeny, meeny, miny, mo.”

What in the world does that rhyme even mean? Well, the answer would differ if you asked someone from Zimbawee or Ireland or Scotland or the United States. It seems many cultures not only have a version of this rhyme, they also have different explanations as to what it means.   

A question that often gets different explanations depending on the person these days is: “What is the meaning of life?” The Sunday School answer could be “Jesus.”  (We all know that is always the right answer to Sunday School questions).  We say Jesus is the one who gives meaning to every part of our lives including the ups and downs, our daily work, our pleasures and our worries. The author of Ecclesiastes spent 12 chapters trying to answer “the meaning of life question” and his conclusion is painfully straightforward: “Fear God.” The Byrds even sang a popular song based on it in the 80’s: “Turn, Turn, Turn…”

It is easier to answer “Jesus” when things are going the way we want them to. The hard part is when they don’t. At that point one could choose to spiral downwards instead of looking upwards. I find the quote below very helpful when I sense I am spiraling downward. I hope you do as well.

“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And All things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you”.

L.R. Knost