Once again I find myself behind on writing, so today I’m catching up with three segments. Unlike the previous times I did this, there will be no theme. These are just three separate thought lines that have been on my mind of late
The Carpenter/Into The Unknown/Be On Guard
The Carpenter
Is not this the carpenter's son?
- Matthew 13:55
As many of you know, around a a year ago I quit my corporate job and started my own construction business. It was a huge risk, and I’ve spent most of the last year learning from my mistakes, but I’m finally starting to “get my sea legs” so to speak. This past week I installed a custom-built door into an old, un-level frame (by myself), and I did it perfectly. This may not sound like much, but for me it was a huge stepping stone for my career and my abilities. It also got me thinking about carpentry work in general, and how it ties in with the journey I’m on.
Most of the work I do is carpentry. I didn’t have Jesus on my mind when I decided to get into this career and start this business, but here I am. Jesus was referred to as “the carpenter,” and “the son of the carpenter” - carpentry was his family’s trade. Perhaps there isn’t any broader meaning to this, but I wouldn’t be so sure. Why would the Son of God, the most important human to ever be born, be a carpenter?
Carpentry requires patience, precision and attention to detail. It requires letting go of all of the noise in one’s mind and focusing solely on the task at hand. In my opinion, it is one of the most beautiful and most peaceful crafts of man. There’s just something about it - getting lost in the art - that’s satisfying on a surprisingly deep level. It is man as creator in its simplest, most ancient form, and I may be crazy but I can actually feel that. There’s no greater feeling doing high quality carpentry work.
So, how does this relate to Jesus? Now that I know what it’s like, it just makes sense. There’s something primordially beautiful about a man working with his hands, and specifically working with wood. It embodies man’s power of building and creating out of the infinite possibilities that nature provides. With Christ’s message there are many parallels - in its simplicity, in its beauty, and in its very nature. It’s more difficult to explain than I previously expected, but I don’t know…it just fits. Christ wasn’t born into royalty or money, spending his days in lavishness. He was a simple carpenter, working with his hands and being connected to his most primal creative powers. It was through this background and upbringing that he would eventually blossom and awaken to the truth who he really was.
I’m sure bibical scholars and philosophers could explain this much better than I could, but I guess I don’t really care for a “proper” explanation. It’s something I feel in my heart and my gut - something I feel in my bones - and I’m starting to learn that that’s enough for me to be convinced. All I know is that every day I’m filled with joy and gratitude to be living the life I’m living, and it’s a beautiful twist of fate that I get to share in this little piece of the life of Christ.
Strange how it all works out, eh?
Into The Unknown
God wants only one thing from us – humility, nothing else.
- St. Paisios
Today I will be attending my first Greek Orthodox liturgy today. I originally planned to go last week; I woke up early and was all set to go, but I chickened out at the last minute. I was surprised by how much resistance I was facing.
As many of you know I grew up Catholic, and those roots run deep. A slew of unexpected thoughts arose in my mind…
How would a Catholic be perceived at an Orthodox church?
Would I stand out like a sore thumb?
How will I know what to do?
Will people think I’m weird?
What kind of people will be there? Will it be me and a bunch of old ladies?
What should I wear? Is there a dress code?
The list went on and on. Over the course of this past week, I realized the folly in all that questioning. At the end of the day, it was all focused on me - how I would be perceived, how I would feel - me, me, me. Each stage of this journey serves a reminder of humility in a completely new way. After all, who cares?
Who cares if I stick out?
Who cares if I don’t know what I’m doing?
Who cares if I’m the only one there my age?
The point is, there are only positives 0 even if the experience is a massive failure. I want to expand this journey into experiences, and that means I actually have to do. Maybe I’ll hate it, maybe I’ll feel awkward, maybe I won’t be welcomed, but at least I’ll know. That’s what it’s all about: trying things, and sticking to the things that work.
Also, if I’m being honest, who am I to think people would care about me that much? I’m just another passenger on this ship called life, just like everyone else. All these grandiose thoughts about how I’ll be perceived or if I’ll fit in assume that the world revolves around me, which it most certainly does not. When I think about it that way, the whole thing becomes laughable.
So, I’ll go. I’ll see what it’s all about. Maybe I’ll learn something. Maybe I’ll find something I really like. At the very least, I’ll have an actual experience to write about.
Be On Guard
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
- 1 Peter 5:8
I’ve always been afraid to feel good.
It always felt like that as long as something was wrong or falling apart, I was safe. Like some universal karmic law that kept me out of greater harm.
That’s not The Way of Christ. He teaches us not to fear, and to place all of our fear and suffering on Him. Once I understood that - once it become an intellectually feasible possibility for me - everything changed. I finally felt like I was “allowed” to be okay. He would take care of the rest.
That’s not to say that following Christ is all roses and rainbows. He reminds us that we need not fear, but we must always remain vigilant. He will take our pain away, but that doesn’t mean we get to do whatever we want from there. Temptation knocks constantly at the door of peace.
Now, this isn’t some sort of apocalyptic warning or doomsday signal. It’s just a simple reminder that when we feel good we are most susceptible to drifting. It’s easy to pray when we have our backs against the wall and need an out, but it’s much more difficult to do so (at least with the same fervor) when everything is copasetic. As C.S. Lewis aptly pointed out, “If devils exist, their first aim is to give you an anesthetic -- to put you off your guard.”
So, this is a reminder (mostly to myself) to always be on guard. Through awful storms and sunny days. Through the low lows and the high highs. Life is sure to ebb and flow, but the Christ that resides within each and every one of us does not. It always flows - it always has and it always will. Nothing in this world - no matter how good or beautiful it is - should make us forget that.