Stories: Homeword

Spread Too Thin?

I like going to the neighborhood diner for breakfast. The old diner sits on Main Street near the train tracks tucked in between a few old, abandoned furniture factories. Its local appeal has weathered some tough times, but the diner still draws a crowd. There is a counter with single pier stools, and some booths and tables are squeezed in every available space. It is owned and run by a father and his two grown sons.

I order the same thing each morning I eat there – two eggs scrambled medium, bacon, hashbrowns and wheat toast. I used to be more adventurous, but now I have settled into the familiar. It is comfortable. The waiter knows me and greets me with a smile and my glass of water and coffee.

Eating breakfast one morning, I was spreading butter on my toast. Usually I use a generous portion, but I was running out and I started rationing. And then I thought – this is a good example of what life is often about.

I’m like most people I know with too much happening in their lives. I’m not complaining, but life can be like too little butter spread over too much bread.

I don’t know many people whose life is without some kind of challenge. A close friend has been by her mother’s sickbed for too many days – days that turned into months and years. She has faithfully cared for her mother and her father during these difficult times. I received a call just the other day. Her mother passed away.

My friend’s wife has been struggling for too long with chronic health concerns. Doctors are at a loss. She is only in her twenties. There are continuous doctor appointments and even with insurance, there are the ever-present bills.

My mom’s voice broke on the phone when I spoke to her on Valentine’s Day. Holidays are especially hard. Since my dad’s passing, she wrestles with her grief. It’s still too difficult. They were married for more than 50 years and were deeply in love. It’s understandable. Too many, too long, too difficult…it can all seem to be too much.

So what’s the answer? Well it’s not that simple. Some things can’t be explained away. It’s also not just about accepting it. That would be too easy.

Sometimes there is no quick fix – there’s no pilgrimage or incantation or enough money to buy a solution. That would be too carnal.

Maybe instead it is about resting outside of our understanding – not being caught up in who or where we are but caught up in the knowledge of who God is.

In holy scripture, in the Book of Ecclesiastes, the writer pens a declaration of the vanity of life. Life is too big and we are too small, the writer theorizes. Words encourage us to accept our fate. But the writer also pens, “...and God doeth it, that men should fear before Him.”

Life’s struggles can cripple us. On our own, we are frozen like blades of new grass coated with the ice of a late freeze while at God’s feet, we discover strength and clarity. It is an understanding found by declaring our weakness that we can be freed to experience His greatness. It is our faith in His sufficiency that brings us into a closer relationship.

Being spread too thin by life’s challenges is an opportunity – an opportunity to kneel and profess our need for an almighty God!

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