Round and Round We Go!

 It’s been a whole week since I’ve written anything on this blog.  Blame it on taxes!  And nice weather!  And a new quilt project I’m starting!  These are the very reasons I made the “elephant commitment”.  Being committed to write at least once a week, keeps me connected to this writing that I love to do, especially at times when other things compete for my attention.  I do try to write something everyday—poems, journal.  But this blog gives me a chance to write with intention—a good spiritual practice for me.

This small brass elephant is mounted on a brass pole, such as on a carousel. A co-worker gave it to me at least 20 years ago!  She was one of my paraprofessionals at the time, and a dear Christian lady who liked to talk! She worked hard, loved the children, and consistently demonstrated her Christian faith in all she did.  So every time I look at this elephant, I think of her and that’s a gift in itself!

There’s something almost magical about carousels: their lavishly decorated animals, the music of the calliope, the mirrors that reflect the changing image, the soothing (at least to children) revolving movement. I remember enjoyable carousel rides with our daughter when she was young.   Carousels are among the first rides of preschoolers because parents or older siblings can ride with them; there’s the safety of something to hold on; there’s security in the predictability of going round and round.

Routines act as a carousel for me in my life.  Routines give me order, predictability and security.  Teachers and good parents know how important routines are for children and teens.  I know from working with children with autistic and behavior disorders that routines were even more important for them in communicating and helping them manage their behavior. Routines have been an important communication tool with our dog, too.  She knows the kind of behavior expected from her with each part of our daily routine.  (That doesn’t mean she always follows through, though!) Routines are part of our rituals, our daily lives.  Have you ever noticed how adults will sit in the same pews at church, year after year?

Routines are comfortable while, unpredictability produces anxiety and fear—fear of the unknown.  I imagine good routines are probably essential for good mental health.

But routines can also result in rigidity that might be unhealthy or prevent us from growing to our full God-given potential.  Have you noticed in your life, or in the lives of others, how often loss, or tragedy can be a catalyst for spiritual growth and maturity?  Tragedies jolt us out of the comforting, though numbing trance of daily life.  We are forced out of our comfort zone and it’s at those times, people will often turn to a Higher Power. 

We don’t have to wait for a tragedy to step out of our comfort zone and from the carousel of our routines.  Simple changes in routine might be catalysts for new growth in our lives. For example, sitting in a different pew at church causes me to get to notice and relate to different people—that I might not otherwise acknowledge on any given Sunday.

That’s a small example, but I believe that God challenges each of us to occasionally remove ourselves from the carousels of our routines.  And that if we take Him up on the challenge no matter how small, we learn something very important: Trusting Him.

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”  Ps. 20 :7