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| "Apple Still Life". oil, by Nancy Spielman |
The
word “abide”, an old-fashioned one, is out of use these days, but when I think
of seriously sticking to something and staying put, I think of “abide”. It can mean
many things, but for me, “persist” would be a suitable synonym and “continue
firmly and obstinately” a perfect definition. For at least half of my life, as
I dashed from task to task, job to job, and place to place, abiding hardly ever
happened. Staying put took second place to seeking and searching. However, as
the years have passed, I’ve learned to let go of restlessness and be more at
ease with trouble-free thankfulness. I’ve learned to be happy with where I am
and what I have. More and more persistently, I take pride in getting pleasure
from almost any moment -- like this one, sitting at our dining room table with
the yellow-flowered tablecloth and typing on my laptop. As much as possible, I
try to remain, reside, stay put, and stick to what’s happening, right here and
right now. I guess I’m becoming obstinate about abiding.
I like this, Ham! The last two sentences especially helped me appreciate the English version of the most common prayer in the Eastern Christian tradition:
ReplyDeleteHeavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, the Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come, and abide in us, and cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Good One.
It is comforting to think that God might "stay put" with us, even obstinately so.