Today is the first day of Term III. The lunches have been made (Last night. Morning person I am not). Breakfast has been cooked. The boys are up. The first coffee is in. On these days I am on a tight and disciplined schedule.
That includes a few minutes for the lectionary. A few minutes to put some real music on the stereo. And a few minutes to walk, a few minutes to cook… and to inculcate the habits of discipline and contemplation. This is for a few reasons.
1″Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
As a quick note, the bridesmaids were held accountable, and them not having their oil was not their father’s fault. Or their mothers. It was theirs.
But back to habits for a second. Over the weekend I read Karen Bilton’s excellent book on food and rearing Kids. She learnt from the French that the art of discipline and schedule allowed for more time together. The French, she noted, did everything fast so they could sit down, together, and eat.
This may be taking the analogy too far, but the practice of the art of contemplation — of God, of beauty — and deliberately slowing down and spending time together needs to be engineered into our routine. It has to become automatic. A habit.
I’m good at this at work. I know to schedule the important, because it otherwise will be swamped by the urgent. But doing this at home — being deliberate — is something we have lost. We think home is about relaxing.
And as a guy, that includes a bit of being a slob. However, if I schedule activities, and we sit down together, we are more relaxed.
And time with God is even more important. If we do not contemplate, pray and meditate on him, we will have nothing left. If is frightening to appear at Kirk and realize that you are empty. The oil is not there. Because we need to daily attend to these things.