You plan I wait we waste the time we should have spent
An innocent mistake
A careless word you'd prefer I'd never sent
We could bend or break
I could live without you but my songs about you
Nothin's gonna change my mind
First you say you'll leave me then you say you need me
Somewhere in between we're fine
The bittersweet concoction of fear and grace
Chases me inside
But what's the harm in hoping that time won't erase
This momentary rhyme
Somewhere In Between by Roger Guth & Peter Mayer
When I heard the phrase "bittersweet concoction,"
I immediately thought about chocolate. (Of course, when I hear most words or
phrases, I immediately think of chocolate). I remember as a youngster going
through the shelves of a particular cabinet in our kitchen which contained
spices, powders, baking soda, salt, flour, those colorful "do-dads"
for cupcake decorating and other necessary supplies when I came across what
appeared to me to be the mother lode of chocolate, a large candy bar looking
repository of Baker's Chocolate. There might have been a warning label on the
wrapper, but I doubt it. I indiscreetly broke off a chunk of that black gold
and put it in my mouth. Words cannot accurately describe what happened next. (I
will let your imaginations color the picture for you.) Needless to say, I never
did that again, although I must confess that I have been tempted again and
again. Anything that looks so good and smells so good, would figure that it
would taste so good. I also had a similar experience with vanilla. Now, I just
dab a little of that delightful liquid extract behind each ear.
Peter stirs ups or mixes up a beverage for us, this image of
the
"Bittersweet concoction of fear and grace"
I find that to be an appropriate image for what is often a
motivating issue for individuals, couples, families, communities and our
institutions. We are all acquainted with the phrase that something is
"fear-based." That means a person or persons' motives and actions are
deeply rooted in some kind of phobia or in the attempt to avoid a particular
situation. Of course there are situations and events which are to be avoided
and prevented. It makes perfect sense to want to protect others who are unable
to protect themselves from forces which would seek to harm them.
On the other hand, I am wondering how familiar or popular
"grace-based" activities are in our daily lives? Do we wake up in the
morning with a desire and expectation to experience what God is all about? Or
do we brace ourselves and initiate security provisions and precautions to
insulate ourselves from the cares and needs of those around us? Of
course, it's not so cut and dried in our daily experience. Is it? There
are the bittersweet concoctions. In fact, we ourselves at times are
bittersweet concoctions.
I believe that's what St. Paul was writing about when he
confessed,
1"I do not understand my own actions. For I do
not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16Now if I do what I do not
want, I agree that the law is good. 17But in fact it is no longer I that do it,
but sin that dwells within me. 18For I know that nothing good dwells within me,
that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19For I do
not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20Now if I do
what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within
me. 21So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies
close at hand. 22For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, 23but I see
in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to
the law of sin that dwells in my members." Romans 7
Lent is that "somewhere in between" time to
wrestle with these things. As Peter states, we could "bend or break."
And yet, I know that God's hand wraps our hand,
The solitary pleasure of your hand
Makes my heart beat strong
Until tomorrow,
rtg
No comments:
Post a Comment