What was and is and can be

Last summer, a trio of things happened that all entered my awareness in ways that seemed to intersect in an important way, and I want to explore the possible meaning of them with you.

The first thing that happened had to do with a game of Yahtzee. I have a small handheld version of the game, and enjoy playing it. The scoring rules are the same as the original version with dice. The total score is the combination of two subtotals, one of which has to do with rolls comprised of all one number. You know how it goes: there's a section made up of straights and full houses and, of course, the yahtzee and the other has to do with how many ones, twos, threes, etc. For this portion of the score, you get a bonus if you reach 63 points. To reach 63, you have to have minimum rolls of three each of the ones, twos, threes, etc. When I play, I'm watching for groups of three so I can keep track of whether or not I'll get that bonus! So, there I am, playing my game and on the particular roll of interest, the electronic dice give me a scattering of numbers. I decide to go for twos and press the button that lets me “keep” the two and roll again. I scan the results quickly – no twos – roll again. Just as I press the button to roll, I realize what I have seen. It’s true, there were no twos, but there were three fours. I threw away a perfectly good roll of fours because I was going so fast, and was so focused on what I wanted that I didn’t realize what I actually had and could have used!

A couple of days later, I came to church and saw that one of the sunflowers by the light post was lying parallel to the ground. I went to investigate, and found the plant perfectly healthy and simply growing sideways. At some point, it must have gotten knocked over, but the roots weren’t pulled all the way out of the ground. They continued to grow deeper and the exposed part toughened up and gained a sort of thick skin. The five foot stalk lay pretty much paralell to the grass and the bud simply turned its face toward the sky. The whole plant adjusted to this new reality and did just fine. In due time it bloomed fully and beautifully and even had a good crop of seeds to share with the birds! Regardless of what it wanted, if a sunflower can want anything, it adjusted to what "was" and did just fine!

In July of that summer, I worshipped with a colleague of mine because I had the Sunday off. During her sermon she handed out a sheet of quotes, entitled “Let Go.” One line said, “To ‘let go’ is not to try to change or blame another. It’s to make the most of myself.” And another line says, “To ‘let go’ is to stop regretting the past so I can grow and live for the future.”

That summer, the universe gave me three opportunities to get the message which I share with you now. Life doesn’t always give you what you want, but it gives you something – make the most of it! You can’t undo the past, even if the past was just a second ago and you can’t change what already is. You can only change what comes next. Pay attention to what is so you can make the most of what can be! Ask God to help you adjust to whatever comes your way and to work it for your good - even if it means adjusting your point of view, slowing down, or letting go.