Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Picture Perfect

Happy TuesdaySaturday. This is how we refer to the days of the week in retirement and I think it works for this strange season we're all living in too. If you're looking for the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge you'll find them in the post before this one, or by clicking here.

Now back to your regularly scheduled A-Z Blog Challenge word of the day. This one comes from my brother-in-law who is a talented musician and a smart guy, so of course he chose a word with many meanings.

Day 18-R is for Resolution

When I hear the word I immediately think of a list of things I want to do to change my life for the better. It's a long list of small things and a short list of large to-dos, but I don't think I'll tackle that today. I liked another definition my brother-in-law reminded me of and that's this one-

'the amount of detail available in a picture or situation.' 

Life currently. 

We are plodding along with our masks and our hand sanitizer and our staying at home and everyone is beginning to feel a bit weary. Some people are more than weary. They're anxious, depressed, angry, and a little bit rebellious. 

We all wonder when life will resume some sense of normality and will that new normal look like our old familiar normal? When will we feel comfortable boarding an airplane, celebrating a wedding in a venue filled to capacity, visiting our parents or grandparents and sharing a meal in person? When will we get a clearer picture of what's happening and what's to come? 

We. don't. know. and we hate that most of all. 

All our lives we're told to 'be present' and 'don't be so busy making plans for tomorrow you miss today'. We're reminded 'to enjoy the moment' and 'savor this season you're in because 'time flies and you'll wish it back someday', even if the day-moment-season you're in is completely exhausting. 

We roll our eyes at cliches thrown our way, all the while knowing there's a kernel of truth in there too. When something feels murky we don't want to examine it too closely or pick it apart and figure out what we might be learning about ourselves and the world around us. We want to put unpleasant circumstances behind us and move on into the future and something better.

We want resolution. 

So often we complain about our lack of time, about the hurried pace of the world in which we live, about too much clutter in our heads. Suddenly we're given what we wished for in the gift of plenty of time, a slower pace, and less 'stuff' taking up space in our brains and now we're not sure if  if that's what we really wanted after all.

We're human and we like making plans. We like looking forward to tomorrow-next week-Christmas. We live with the mostly unspoken assumption that there will be plenty of time for relishing today at some point in the future...when life settles down, when this passes, when things are back to normal...

We are not the boss of time. 

When I thought about the meaning of the word resolution I remembered the black and white television set I grew up watching. It had an antenna and often the screen would be grainy, filled with static and wavy lines that made it hard to see the whole picture. You'd have to move the antenna around to improve the resolution, but it was never perfect. 

 I thought too, about a verse I love in the book of Isaiah...

"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:" 

God is not restricted by time. His presence and power exist outside of time and He alone knows the end from the beginning. While we like to think we're looking at the big picture, we see only in part.

Our screen is grainy, but God sees with complete clarity time in it's entirety.

In times of stress and uncertainty I rest in the knowledge He is the creator and keeper of the clock, and His picture resolution is beyond compare. 

4 comments:

  1. Amen to that last sentence! Well done.

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  2. I’m feeling ready to be free. My zip code and surrounding zip codes have not seen a case in 14 days. Sarasota just to the north has had 20 total cases, so not exactly over running the hospitals. I am ready to go out, social distance, wear my mask and try to start feeling normal. I also need to see my girls or at least have some hope that i can!

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  3. Yes, nodding my head as I read through your post.

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  4. Yes we have too much time on our hands right now and living with uncertainty is not easy. The stats are beginning to improve here but with no vaccine or treatments yet easing the lockdown is not a simple thing. Excellent post Joyce. We definitely need to be resolute right now.

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