PAGES Spring 2002 Editorial
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Editorial, Spring 2002 issue of PAGES:
"Looking Around Me" — Divine Nudges
On a recent Sunday afternoon I spent three hours listening to young voices from thirteen Mennonite high schools singing as separate choirs and finally united in vibrant sound! My grandniece Katrina smiled as she sang, exuding delight. She did admit to me later her back had been hurting as she sang!
I met a long-out-of-touch friend the other day — looking "not a day older." She briskly mentioned the painful illness that has plagued her and then smiled a hearty "what else is new?" grin, adding lively details about her life in retirement.
I was impressed with this ability to inspire in the midst of pain. One Sunday our pastor, Maribeth, preached about the domino effect we can have with each other. The dominos can tip so easily either way, she told us, but God asks us to nudge each other toward wholeness and cohesive, peaceable living.
I was recently alerted to the story of Jonah as a brother-in-law reluctantly faced a new and huge challenge. He declared a bit wryly in a family e-mail that he "feels like Jonah and would like to turn back, but I am afraid of those whales." Within days another friend reflected on this same beguiling fish story, and saw Jonah as a pawn used by God to bring those awful Ninevites to repentance and rather quick forgiveness — with no joy or relief in it for Jonah — who after all, did obey God!
But surely we miss the humor in this story! Look at that word "spewed" in chapter 2, verse 10: The fish "spewed Jonah out upon the dry land!" Talk about a nudge — this one certainly inspired Jonah into a burst of effective preaching! Too bad he did not follow it up with a mighty guffaw of surprise, delight!
The God I serve — however unwillingly and even unwittingly at times — gives me plenty of these creative nudges — often using family and friends to tip my shaky dominoes with music, story, humor, prayer, an occasional scolding. I learn a lot when I pay attention!
The other day an older adult told me that his son once said to him, "Dad, don't ever become a self-centered old person!" This is a loving and wise son! I want to be God's nudger — toward personal wholeness and outward-directed living.
Back to the high school mass choir. What a powerful nudge to see and hear those 500 sons and daughters of God raise their 1000 hands to shake them in joyous salute singing "Alleluia!" Expect — look for — share these divine nudges — every day, every day.
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