Monday Morning Devotion-April 18, 2022
If it's Carly, We're on the Road Again
Stay away from anyone who lives in idleness and doesn't follow the tradition of hard work. 2 Thessalonians 3:6
*from Monday Morning Devotions 2
"I know nothing stays the same, but if you're willing to play the game it's coming around again."
When we hear the above lyrics from the Carly Simon song; "Comin' Around Again," chances are good that the Lovely Susette and I are traveling again (or at least we were before the pandemic.). Even if we aren't in the car and hear Carly singing one of our favorites it instantly reminds us of trips we have taken. Traveling to the mountains or the beach or on the road driving to visit family or friends.
It has become a tradition with Susette and me. When we get in the car and head out on a trip, we pop the Carly cassette in the tape player. In fact, we played that cassette so many times that the writing wore off on the outside and it started to drag a bit. Consequently, we tried to find it on CD many times thinking the title of it was simply "Carly." No such thing.
But once when we made our Christmas trip to Ft. Lauderdale to see my mom and brother, I was noodling around in Barnes and Noble and started looking at the CDs. Guess what? I found it! Had the name all wrong; it was not "Carly's Greatest Hits" but was simply named "Comin' Around Again." So, we became happy campers, although we don't camp, we could look forward to more trips listing to our favorites.
"Don't give me fountains I need waterfallsÐI can stand it I am strong that way."
Why do I bring all that up? It's really to make the point that there are experiences we treasure in life and want to return to often. Just thinking about these times and occasions makes us feel good and sometimes when we are down by simply revisiting them our spirits are lifted.
"You have to hurt to understand. You have to get by the best you can."
That's how traditions get started. We repeat meaningful experiences. There are religious traditions, cultural traditions, national traditions, international traditions, and family traditions.
Saying a blessing before a meal is a tradition. Singing the Star-Spangled Banner before an athletic event in America is a tradition. Giving Christmas presents, putting up a tree, hiding Easter eggs, celebrating our nation's independence on the 4th of July. Our lives are about with traditional observances.
In 2nd Thessalonians Paul writes about something that we probably don't think of in terms of being a tradition. It's hard work! Boy, that's something that is always with us if we plan on being successful in life, isn't it? Workers win. Slackers lose.
Paul goes a step farther. He not only says that we should work hard, but we are to stay away from those who don't work hard lest they influence our thinking. Likewise, we don't want to get linked with these goof offs in other people's thinking.
Here's a pretty clear-cut explanation of what Paul is talking about when he refers to the tradition of hard work. "Paul was writing here about the person who is lazy. Paul explained that when he and his companions were in Thessalonica they worked hard, buying what they needed rather than becoming a burden to any of the believers.
Th rule they followed was, 'Whoever does not work should not eat.' There's a difference between leisure and laziness. Relaxation and recreation provide a necessary and much needed balance to our life; but when it is time to work, Christians should jump right in. We should make the most of our talents and time, doing all we can to provide for ourselves and our dependents. Rest when you should be resting and work when you should be working." (NLT, page 1923)
On a trip when we stayed with my brother and sister-in-law, they had several people over for dinner. After the meal was finished and some had retired to the living room while others went to the kitchen to help clean the dishes, I watched my mom. She was 92 at the time and didn't get around like she used to, although she did pretty well.
She went around the table with her walker picking up the place mats and brushing the crumbs onto a napkin. Then, she stacked all the place mats neatly into a pile and asked me to take the napkin with the crumbs in it to the trash can for her.
Mom could no longer dig in and wash dishes, but she was doing her part. Her tradition of hard work, developed over her entire life, one that enable her to work well into her 70's in a retail store, was still strong. She was helping out in a way she could.
Work is one of the most satisfying of traditions. There are few feelings that elicit as much pleasure as doing a job well. The sense of accomplishment that derives from hard work is special. It says that we are using those God-given talents to the fullest.
On the other hand, slacking off and letting someone else do the work and help the team, or company, or family, to succeed is defeating. It makes one feel inadequate or ashamed. It keeps that person from truly enjoying the fruits of success because he or she didn't participate and knows the results have nothing to do with their effort.
The good thing is the choice is ours. We can follow the tradition of hard work and even when the results aren't what we expected we can take satisfaction from knowing we did our best.
"Do the walls come down when you think of me---Do your eyes grow dim."
Yes, those words apply to my thinking about the Lovely Susette. She is one of the hardest working people I've ever known. So, when we hear Carly's words, we both know we've worked hard and now it's time to play. We're on the road again.
Prayer: Lord thank you for the traditions that help us recall those special times in our lives when hard work is finished, and the fun has begun. We celebrate these times as special gifts from you. Amen!