......And what does the LORD require of you But....to love kindness, And to walk humbly.... ?(Micah 6:8, KJV)
A cup of tea, fast internet connection and a trustworthy best friend are some of the bare necessities of modern life, according to a Daily Mail internet survey. Also included were television, iPhone, and a car. Naturally, a cup of tea was #1, as the survey was done among the Brits. As a tea lover, I concur. I would also add a crossword puzzle to my list and a FRIXiON Clicker 07 erasable pen.
This past week I have experienced life in a place with no daily weather reports, (unless one requested them)----we just walked outside for a temp ck and looked up to see the cloud cover---or lack there of. At home, the weather can tend to rule conversation and scheduling.
I knew little of the world's happening---Seattle slayings or Ebola possibility until I returned home. It was a welcome respite from the barrage of negative news which tend to overtake our media and can make me feel sad and helpless.
No cell reception, limited TV (by choice) and a car that stayed "mostly" parked was very welcome. We tooled around in a golf cart. Even food, which is a universal necessity, was "eating what was at hand." (OK, so much of what was "at hand" was delivered by Chef, Simon.) But....bacon and eggs and a simple grilled cheese are equally good to curb one's hunger.
Much of the preceding list was "tongue-in-cheek" as a way of emphasizing some of the less important things which many folks consider physical necessities. What about spiritual necessities?
But God.....has a way of narrowing down true necessities to kindness and humility----using those "times away" to draw one unto Himself. Heart preparation can occur in the still moments so that the bulldozer of God's Spirit can arrive and begin to touch our soul each day in a new way. True relational necessities linked and strengthened with those spiritual chains of shared-faith.
Sharing morning devotions around a table after laughing over unique breakfast choices, think "sweets." Sharing and caring.
Celebrating life.....whether in song and dance with "toasts," or in the simple acts of a Scrabble game or singing hymns with lots of la-la-las when no one can quite remember all the words.
Doing dishes together at the sink. Pooling our minds together to come up with a crossword answer or just a random fact that somehow escapes our memories.....until later. Then, we're free to shout it out, without condemnation.
A cuppa spiritual necessi-TEA sweetened with relational integrity and served with kindness and humility.
