Life's Forever Pattern

Our Always Open Table

Open Table

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

 Romans 12:2

My wife Patti and I recently took a trip to the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We stayed in Asheville, N. C. at a friend’s house; a weekend getaway gifted as a wedding present. We decided to travel for a Valentine’s Day celebration of Love, the most constant and eternal of all our human experiences. We had made this reservation months before we began the process of looking for a new home. Suddenly we were confronted with a difficult decision. We found our new home much quicker than we anticipated and had made an offer. With our closing date in three weeks we discussed postponing the trip. Love prevailed and we headed for the hills!

Warming Toes

Our long weekend in the Appalachians included visits to two historic turn of the 20th century structures, the Biltmore Estate (built early 1890’s) and the Grove Park Inn (built 1913). Our experience was a feast for the senses. The numerous and immense fireplaces in both buildings begged our imaginations of life without central heating and air, an amenity that is a design for modern-day construction. In these two dwellings there was much space to fill with the material stuff of life. All the ornate antiquities were deftly positioned in their special place for their specific purpose and function. Today these valued pieces speak as bit players in a theatrical story of a faraway time much different than now.

“But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”

 Romans 8:25

Eagerly Waiting

By the mid-February calendar, the Blue Ridge is still and amidst winter. It is off season for the immense tourism industry in Asheville. Nature is dormant cold and more grey than green, lacking vibrant colors. Driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway it appeared the marvelous miraculous Appalachian spring was quietly standing by, eagerly awaiting our Creator conductor to wave His baton so nature could bust out in harmonious symphonic bloom. Looking closely, one would notice beginning buds on the tips of the hardwoods casting a slight maroon shading across the grey undulating ridges. It was a blessed respite from the huge transition Patti and I were knee-deep in back in Marietta.

Chaos

Nothing can strain a relationship more than an event that jolts you out of your familiar surroundings and constant routine. For Patti it was leaving the well-known home of her residence for the past thirty years. We are talking here of the nuking of one’s comfort zone! The pattern of our world is where everything has its place and there is a place for everything. This world was completely disassembled in short order. As anyone who is familiar with the process knows, the experience is an emotional Niagara Falls. It is a willful journey that can separate us from God's will but not His love. I cannot hold a candle to the faith my wife Patti possesses. Her reliance on her relationship with her risen Lord is like a tide that lifts all boats. It is a river of Living Water carrying me along with her. Even so the disagreements began escalating along with quibbling: what to keep, what to throw away, where to put this and where to put that.

Reassembling Pattern

Our soul yearns for constancy and consistency. Permanence is comforting. The world offers little that is steady and fixed. The more we become attached to the fragile nature of the material pattern of the world the greater potential of our lives shattering into tiny pieces. Our salvation is found in the eternal. It can be found in the not yet but almost blooming hardwoods. The miss-located book still packed away in lord knows what box. Black stain from the ashes of the cross on brand new white sheet bed linens. At the pinnacle of Patti’s and my discomfort and bickering we decided together not to conform to the pattern of the world and fix our eyes on the reason for the season.

Completion

We moved a dining room table and wine rack with surfaces comprised of individual stone tiles which ended up in various boxes. The misappropriated boxes needed to be sought out. During a moment of need we decided to center ourselves in the Good News of the Cross. We completely reassembled and reset the tiles in the tabletop. Our petty disagreements vanished, and peace replaced chaos. The individual tile squares found their exact right position and place. Our new abode became a home more abiding in the Light of the World, a hopeful haven nestled in His will for us! The dining room is one now conforming to the message of the open table. It reminds this couple of a pattern that does not conform to the world we live in.

Love Pattern!

Father, may we constantly be reminded to fix our eyes on your Son and His model for our lives in this world. Amen

Bradford Bosworth

March 2019