In Part 1, I mentioned one gift I received amid the difficulties of 2020, the pandemic year. That gift was greater clarity about how to bring my diverse gifts and passions together into something beautiful. I left that encounter energized because I realized, “I’ve got stuff to do!” That realization began to awaken me from the lethargy that had hung over my life. Additionally, it underscored for me the importance of how I attend to life each day. I offered these words at the end of Part 1, “We must SHOW UP and SHORE UP so we can SHOW OUT!” Let me explain what I mean by that.
Recognizing that we’ve got stuff to do, first, is to SHOW UP. To show up is to be Present. In Matthew 6:34 from The Message version of the Bible, Eugene Peterson offers this rendering of Jesus’ words: “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” Being present, in ways large and small, means being where we are supposed to be and do what we are supposed to do in the moment!
Yes, that means doing the simple routine tasks of taking care of our bodies, minds, and soul. It means paying those bills, getting to and through work, family commitments, classes, and other commitments. It has become figuring out how to navigate virtual spaces, keeping track of endless days, navigating the safety and the care of our families during the pandemic, and trying to maintain connection in an isolating world. However, it is more than that; getting to where God needs us to be tomorrow begins with being where we are supposed to be and doing what we are supposed to do today.
Nancy Sales sent a note of appreciation for the message of Part 1. She noted that she is focusing on answering the question of what the right stuff is to do in this season. That is at the core of being present. To what are we to be present? To what do we give our heart, times, and energies? I’ll borrow this powerful quote from Frederick Buechner, “The place where God calls you is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
To me, this means that God has already placed an awareness in us of that work to which we are called. It is work that brings us joy while speaking to needs around us. Answering this call, recognizing the “stuff” we’ve got to do, however, requires that we show up and respond to that call, that we respond to that work, on an ongoing basis. This major matter is that of being present to God and God’s direction and of being in place so that we are in position to take hold of opportunities when they land in our laps. We cannot do the “stuff” God calls us to do if we are not first present.
Secondly, recognizing that we’ve got stuff to do is to SHORE UP. Shoring up is a matter of PREPARATION. While I was Chaplain at Miles College, I frequently shared these words with my students in College Forum assemblies to communicate my expectations: “New habits for new places!” Where we are now is not where we will be later in life. There are new places into which God calls us, new “stuff” God calls us to do (or to do in a deeper or expanded way).
These new places and this new “stuff” call for something new in us. They may call for new habits, new ways of being, new skills, or new attitudes. In other words, it means always being willing to wonder and dream, “What’s next?” because life in God calls us to live with a sense of, “What’s next?” It’s the sentiment I hear echoed in “I Hope You Dance,” recorded by Lee Ann Womack:
I hope ou never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger . . .
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance,
I hope you dance [i]
Regardless of our age or stage in life, each stage of life requires preparation; so, it becomes important to learn the lessons that today offers, that each moment brings. Focusing on a past we cannot change or a future we have yet to see is a distraction; instead, let us focus on what we need to know and learn and see today. As Matthew 6:34 says, “Today has enough troubles of its own.” That verse in The Message reads, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. …” We do well to attend to this day so that we are prepared for whatever is next in this amazing journey with God.
Finally, recognizing that we’ve got stuff to do is to SHOW OUT. Showing out is a matter of PURPOSE. To SHOW OUT is not to be egotistical or boastful. To SHOW OUT is to find the ‘why’ behind our excitement; it is to know God’s purpose and how we fit into it. Many of us are familiar with the King James Version of Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” The Message says it this way, “Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative….”
Why? Because our purpose is all about what God is doing, about the reality God seeks to bring into being, about how God sees humanity and the world. As we center ourselves in the purpose of God, our purpose will SHOW OUT in our daily living. God’s purpose will shine in us. I do believe that when God’s opportune time (kairos) has come, the “stuff” we’re supposed to do will SHOW OUT in our lives if we SHOW UP and SHORE ourselves UP today. I close with these lyrics from the Disney musical Hercules to encourage each of us who realizes, “I’ve got stuff to do!”
And I won’t look back, I can go the distance
And I’ll stay on track, no, I won’t accept defeat
It’s an uphill slope, but I won’t lose hope
Till I go the distance, and my journey is complete[ii]
Lyricist: David Zippel [iii]
So, “DON’T WORRY about tomorrow!” Attend to today so that you are present with the preparation to meet your purpose. SHOW UP and SHORE UP so you can SHOW OUT!
Reverend Dollie Howell Pankey
Beloved Theomusicologist-in-Residence
April 2021 Musical Notes Reflection
[i] https://genius.com/Lee-ann-womack-i-hope-you-dance-lyrics
[ii] http://www.songlyrics.com/disney/go-the-distance-lyrics/
[iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_the_Distance
