Pea Shooters
When I was eight years old my friends, Ronnie and Walter, came up with a great idea. We decided, that since we were always playing soldiers or cops and robbers utilizing all of our toy soldiers and tanks that we needed to add something to our arsenal with a bit more reality. So, we went to the store and bought Pea Shooters and we also each got a 5-pound bag of black-eyed peas. When we returned to our neighborhood we had a fun-filled battle to end all battles. This was probably the best war we ever fought together until we all ran out of ammunition. By the time we finished our battle it was getting dark and we all knew that meant we had to go home.
About two weeks later, my mom started getting phone calls from the neighbors as yards, all over the block were blossoming with black-eyed pea sprouts. They were everywhere! We had inadvertently planted 15 pounds of black-eyed peas on virtually every yard in the neighborhood. Needless to say, my mom got an ear-full from all the neighbors. This of course lead to a scolding like no other. The three of us were grounded and disciplined and there were no more wars!
Looking back on this it’s hard to ignore the humor but it serves as an example for me today. Through the years, if you are anything like me, you were involved in things without much consideration of the consequences of your actions or how they may have affected others.
Many of us Orthodox Christians get through the days of our lives without really thinking deeply of anything or anyone in particular. Many times we simply go through the motions, while being focused only on our selves and what we have to do. This is not what God wants us to do. It’s good to remember that God is a Trinity. Three distinct Persons in communion with one another. God The Father, The Son and God The holy Spirit do nothing without the other. They are in complete harmony and consensus and communion at all times. That’s magnificent but what about us lowly humans? How are we supposed to get through life in a culture filled with chaos and distractions everywhere? Not to mention that we are at various stages of redemption and many times need healing for minds and souls that have been deeply wounded, so lack the ability to love completely and unselfishly as we should.
It’s good to remember that we humans are made in the image and likeness of God. Like Him, we are a trinity, we have a body a soul and a spirit. We are also called to be in communion with God and with others. This is impossible without God’s help and healing. God’s help and healing will not come until with heartfelt humility we cry out to Him to bind up our wounds and help us to be what He made us to be. We cannot know ourselves until we know and are in communion with God, only then can we truly be in communion with others. Only then can we be truly human.
The Christian life is an uphill battle! It’s a bit like climbing a mountain while being afraid of heights. Climbing takes a great deal of physical effort and it’s easy to get worn out. It’s also best not to look down for we see how far we could fall. This is wonderfully illustrated in the icon of the ladder of Divine Ascent which was created in the 12th century and is associated with the teachings of St John Climacus. Without laser focus on God’s Will and direction we can fall off the ladder. We can become distracted by other’s successes or failures much too easily if we take our eyes off of Christ at the top of the ladder who is always encouraging us, always helping us, always loving us. My brothers and sisters, I encourage you to seek true humility and to love others more than yourself. Look to the hills from which your help comes. (Psalm 121.11)
