Category: Beauty of Nature

It is far easier to start something than it is to finish it.

—Mary Oliver

Easing my constant worry and tackling my fear feels to me like a full time job. No doubt, you have heard it said, “Aging is not for sissies!” I can personally confirm that, because in the process of aging, there are hundreds of things to worry about and fear! And these evil days present us with many opportunities for worry and fear, within us and without. I imagine that it would feel wonderful to live a peaceful existence, even in a world turned upside down. It is not that easy to accomplish. I’ve thought it through this presupposition multiple times, and have decided that what I need is indeed out of reach. I observe that most people look everywhere for the nurture they need. And many of us find it in the beauty of nature.

I still love watching one particular plant that nature gives us in over-abundance — the dandelion! Dandelions and their seeds do an amazing dance on the wind to scatter their seeds. The seeds don’t have a single worry. They won’t get hurt while in the air, and they experience no crash landings. They know for certain that they will always scatter. What a magnificent show they present because they are not hindered by worry or fear.

However, I am constantly frustrated over my never-ending worry and fear, those times when I miss the joy of seeing a finished product, wrapping things up, cleaning up my work space, putting. the items neatly in a storage box in a closet, and carefully wrap the ones that will wrinkle. I fold them gently in tissue paper to avoid creasing, and finally put all the projects out of my sight to be finished some other day. I try to put them away in a place I will remember, but I usually remember nothing about my unfinished projects. So I’ll probably never see them again!

My husband and I recently set our sights on cleaning and organizing a storage closet. As we pulled out boxes and plastic bags, I would usually notice the unfinished projects and say, “That would have looked so good in the dining room if I had ever finished it.” I did not finish this embroidered napkin. In fact, four of the unfinished napkins rested for years folded and hidden in the hall closet. 

I know exactly where my incomplete projects are—scattered among the closets in my house, always enticing me to finish them when I glance at one stored next to my sewing box. I have one caveat for you on this subject: it is not a bad idea to free your projects from imprisonment in the closets, because moving them out may also remove them from your weary shoulders. You see, even an unfinished napkin weighs something. Isn’t all the stuff we carry around on our shoulders just part of a heavy load we always have to carry?

Starting something really is easy, but the pathway from beginning something and then taking it to completion reveals challenges that test our resolve. I always begin projects with enthusiasm and optimism, filled with ideas and plans, but as obstacles arise, my motivation almost always wanes, my progress slows, and distractions multiply. In this environment, fear definitely thrives. But the projects stay on my shoulders as long as I remember them, and so the contrast between the initial excitement versus the realities of sustained effort calls for persistence and commitment. The tumultuous path from beginning to completion can cause me to become weary and quit, just to get the heavy pack of projects off my shoulders.

Of course, most of us can admit that in these days, one important example of our tumultuous path is the dismantling of our democracy. Of course, not everyone agrees about the severity of the situation, but I have to say that in my world, people are afraid, angry, despondent, disheartened . . . although some are elated. Let’s entertain this thought for a few minutes: when people are convinced that real danger is coming, they often gird themselves with “protective gear” (the Bible would say, “gird up your loins”) after which you can attack the stronghold that threatens you. We see an example of this in the protests and/or marches that are happening in cities and towns across the nation and around the world. Let me dare to say this in hopes that no person will take offense. The aim of those who dissent to the actions of the Trump administration are deeply concerned and afraid. Even people of faith are beginning to see this version of the world as something to fear. 

Today, as I write this post, I am thinking of so many people who live in fear: immigrants who are currently locked up like prisoners, children who have been separated from their parents, people who suddenly lose their jobs, thousands of immigrants being rounded up and deported, the community at-large as they lose some of their rights, and even the elected congressional leaders who are afraid of personal repercussions from Donald Tump. Afraid! All of them afraid!

“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen.
Don’t be afraid.”

^{― Frederick Buechner, Beyond Words: Daily Readings in the ABC’s of Faith}

You see, whether we support the relentless changes in our government or not, Mr. Trump is stoking fear among Americans as he dismantles institutions, agencies, and departments. Let me list some of them: The Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation. And then there is the layoff of thousands of federal employees, the closing of USAID, and the indiscriminate and inhumane deportation of thousands of immigrants and immigrant U.S. citizens.

The question I ask myself over and over again is whether there is anything I can do to help end this destruction. Is it really true that starting something is easy? Not always! So what can I do to help change our trajectory. Am I kidding myself? What can one person with zero power do to end this? The answer is “nothing” every time I ask! Good intentions I may have in abundance, but the answer in my spirit does not change, “There is nothing one person can do. I have no power.”

Yet, for all of us who are people of faith, there is always an opportunity to live out our faith through our actions, and within a faith community. Perhaps we can make a significant change, together.

Jesus is our example, showing us how to heal destructive acts committed by power-hungry, destructive people. Jesus left us instructions, as did the prophets, the psalmist, and the epistle writers. Yet, we persist in believing the lie that we have no power. Contemplate these bits of wisdom:

“My commandment is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

And we claim we have no power! Nothing is farther from the truth. It is not a new revelation that faith will be the holy impetus, the power, that pushes us into kindness, compassion, and love. This kind of kindness, compassion and love will inspire us to head into the rancor and division that currently seems to be having its way. I doubt we will ever see, in my lifetime, the completion of a more gentle and loving community of acceptance and compassion. I don’t believe we will all swing doors open instead of locking them.  I doubt we will complete the work that respects all humanity, but starting the task is easy, and important. As far as finishing the work we have chosen, maybe its “a roll of the dice” sort of thing, or a “stroke of luck,” or being in the right place at the right time. Perhaps it has more to do with being anointed by God to make change through care, compassion, and even anger. 

So I will look for you on the streets as you lead the people to the arc of justice. I will listen for your voice when you are proclaiming the evils of injustice on every corner! I will join in your song that celebrates a new day of peace, love and compassion. I will sense your sacred time of reaching out to God in prayer and lament. I will celebrate when your anger turns into righteous anger that defends the people among us who need protection.

We can start one of two ways. We can fight in anger, motivated by our rage, and risk completely destroying something we are trying to fix. We can do it through sheer human strength and force, knowing we have the power to succeed. Or we can try the better way: the tender way that leads us to solitude, meditation and prayer, and reminds us of dandelions letting go of their seeds. I think that being committed to become part of needed change is holy work. God has anointed us to confront the wrong; Jesus gives us the gift of his example of walking a sacred path; the Spirit gives us the wind to go where we need to be. Can you see yourself looking almost like a dandelion blowing its seeds about in a soft breeze? I can see it!