Doing Nothing

Lest you think we did nothing today.

Recently Benjamin’s pre-school teacher gave us a poem explaining that although children may say they did nothing in fact “nothing” is quite a lot of work.  https://sites.google.com/a/cagsl.net/kindergarten/nothing-poem

So with this in mind I found it interesting that seconds after Benjamin told me he did nothing Michael chimed in saying he did nothing too. So that the mother doesn’t think we just slept the day away, here’s what really transpired.

*  Impromptu science lesson after dropping Benjamin off at school. Michael asked, “Papa? Is it nighttime?” Squinting from the warm morning sun I wondered what the little guy was smoking by asking such a thing. I turned to see him pointing up at the moon.

*  Dissected a flower and explained why bees use flowers to gate guards.

*  Practiced conversational Kiswahili.

*  “Read” picture Bible while Papa led a devotion at tea time.

*  Spent time with God in prayer.

*  Gave a persuasive speech on the benefits of not sharing biscuits with the 12 guys who all wanted them.

*  Reinforced counting skills, 1-20, with small pebbles and rocks at the playground.

*  Rearranged pebbles and rocks first from largest to smallest, and then by color.

*  Practiced pronunciation of various rocks. Quartz, sandstone, etc.

*  Questioned how rocks are made.

*  Developed fine motor skills by throwing pebbles and rocks, trying to hit and land inside the slide.

*  Explored and appreciated gravity. What goes up must come down. Especially pebbles and rocks.

*  Evaluated the pros and cons of sand sticking to sweaty skin.

*  More fine motor skills practice as sand was picked out of hair.

*  Learned the value of taking care of the environment by picking up rubbish left over from elementary recess time.

*  Inspected and supervised in the various landscape projects happening at school.

*  Used machete to plant grass. (no pictures due to Papa assisting)

*  Wondered and hypothesized at the process of photosynthesis.

*  Tested the laws of gravity to make sure they were still working.

*  Re-learned the challenge of being patient.

*  Appreciated God’s creation of ants, while waiting, and then destroyed as many as possible.

*  Rejoiced with brother at the end of school.

*  Heard a lecture about endurance and was forced to walk home.

*  Learned more about cleanliness. Even buses need to be clean.

Yes, doing nothing is hard work.

 

Offended

Coldness settled in piercing any warmth that the ripped lightweight jacket may have held. A light rain reminded all that there would be no escaping dreariness that day. Even warmth from within was being tested and assaulted by the chilling cold. A man walked on the side of the road shivering and grasping at a poorly held together jacket stepping over mud and puddles in an attempt to keep the little dryness he still maintained in tact. Moving slightly towards the inside of the road around a large puddle the car coming up never even saw him. It was but a split second that the man moved first from the headlight, then to the hood before his body sprawled across the windshield before being thrown to the mud on the ground. Time stopped, as did the car, while the man lay on the ground. Rising he checked to make sure he was not injured. Then with anger and animosity he stood to confront his attacker. Apologies poured forth from the driver, as did inquiries about his well-being, but the man stood angrily with his hand out demanding justice for the offense that had occurred.

On a cold dark night a different man shivered in the rain. He too was alone in dreariness, seeking shelter from the storm. On his bicycle he pedaled as quickly as his trouser soaked legs would propel him in order to escape the wind that drove the rain into his hands and face. Swerving to the outer part of a puddle he looked down to make sure he was not riding through a pot hole. As his body and bike slammed into the front of the turning car, first onto the grill, where momentum carried the man over and the bike under the car, then sprawling across the hood and onto rain slickened pavement where all movement stopped. Time stood still while the man lay on the ground. Rising he checked to make sure he was not injured. The bicycle was pulled out from under the car. It was not badly damaged. Apologies poured forth from the driver, as did inquiries about his well-being, while the man stood looking at the driver in silence. The driver held out money as a payment of justice for the offense, but the man turned it down. Instead he picked up his bike and rode off into the dark rain filled night.

Two men. Two offenses. Two desires guiding their hearts. Which desire do you follow?

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32

 

Afterward: The two men and their stories are exactly as they happened. This was first written and used for a weekly devotion that Michael and I are part of at school. Like any story the connection is in the details and the delivery. The man walking happened right in front of Michael and I as we sat in traffic one day here in Kenya. The man on the bike occurred in Japan in 1993. Although it took years for the two stories to be presented as bookends, the fact remains that as soon as I saw the second accident I knew they both belonged together as one. The reaction from the tea time devotion was immediate. During the devotion and after a day of hard physical labor, a large cup of hot tea was accidentally spilled onto the arm of a man. The two men in question jumped up and stared at each other in a face off stance. Time stopped. Then a smile broke out on first one then another face. As the rest of us onlookers began to smile, as our own tension relaxed, the two men laughed and the incident was behind us all. I’m sure it was more about the men’s character than any devotion I could ever come up with, but when it comes to sound biblical advise we can all use a reminder from time to time.

“The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and it is to his glory to overlook a transgression.” Proverbs 19:11