The Routine Can Be Exquisite

Woody Allen once said “Showing up is 80 percent of life.” Sometimes it’s easier to hide home in bed. I’ve done both.” I agree that you would lose out on much if you just stayed in bed, I think there is so much more than just “showing up.” The key is how you show up. Do you just go through the motions, simply wanting to get things done so that you can get on to the next event? I wonder if those who speed around you on the interstate are late to wherever they are going or simply in a hurry to get the next thing done, so they can go on to the next?

Yesterday, the last part of my move from Texas arrived. There is a reason that moving is considered one of the most stressful experiences of life. Beyond the expense, there’s the hassle. I stood around and checked off the list as the movers brought in box after box. I made quick decisions about whether or not a box should go in the master bedroom, the office or maybe the garage. Hour after hour of painstakingly seeing all the material possessions of my life pulled off a moving van and put in our house.

Well, I showed up, but I did so much more. I reflected on what it all meant. It was the end of a chapter of my life. Even though my sabbatical lasts until February 1, there is nothing left of my time in Texas now, except for memories. The move meant change. Clearly my life will never be the same.

As I the moving van was emptied, I realized that with change comes something new. There is something, or I should say Someone who is always present in the new. God is there when a new life begins and even an old one ends. God is there when a new job starts, or an old one is completed. God is there when you leave the familiar and venture into the new. I didn’t see it right away but God was on that moving van. I could feel God. I could almost see God. God clearly was telling me that God is all over this. There is no reason to fear or be anxious or regretful. Who knows what tomorrow brings but today is where God is.

So as the moving van pulled away from my house, I quickly looked to the horizon. It was there that I saw God beckoning me forward. And so I took a step toward that future. I surveyed the boxes and furniture and memories. I am thankful for it all but I am also excited for tomorrow. But I not planting my feet in the day yet to come because I don’t want to miss God who is here today. What a tragic loss it would have been to have just “shown up.” In the midst of the ordinary, I saw the extraordinary.