Wondering Wanderings

By

July 21, 2011

I had an interesting day and a nice drive this week. I went to visit someone at the Cleveland Clinic who had been held several days past what had been anticipated. I called ahead of time and left a message on their cell phone but I figured it was probably off by hospital regulations. When I called to check if they were still there the information desk said yes and transferred me to their room but no one answered. I decided to go even with the possibility that they might be discharged…it was supposed to be hot and sunny so it seemed like a good day for a drive in the convertible!

Well I missed my exit off of I-90 and had to turn around and wander through Cleveland. My cell phone kept shutting off from the heat and I was using it as my GPS! Long story short we got there a bit later than I had intended and sure enough they had just left… “OK let’s see what else we can do here in Cleveland?” We drove up MLK Drive through a park that had little gardens for the many nationalities that made up Cleveland. Irish, Greek, and Italian didn’t surprise me much…but then came, Latvian, Estonian, Ukrainian and a whole host of others. It really got me thinking about the history of the city and how it had changed. The campus of the Cleveland Clinic was completely different from just the mid 90’s when I used to work there…I didn’t even recognize the place! It seemed a bit surreal; everything was quite modern and even futuristic. Even the mass transit on Euclid Avenue was updated with double length busses connected by an accordion like middle…

Those clean modern high-rise buildings of glass surrounded several old churches, kind of stuck in the middle of it all. Big grand old churches…and not just one, but at least three! Just around the corner of it all were a couple more churches, again not just little things but huge grand stone and brick structures that I’m sure were full just 50 years ago! Now I wonder how many attend? Just around the corner from those we passed a huge United Methodist Church. I did a little checking on it this morning and it apparently just merged with another church because of the cost of maintaining such large facilities. According to their website they just had ten new members join this last year so there is still hope!

We decided to just try and drive along the lakeshore but that is a bit difficult. For some reason almost the entire lakefront is taken up with industrial facilities! Once we finally got west of Cleveland we came upon a little suburb called Edgewater. From there on there were lake front homes for miles and miles! Some were quite grand and one in particular early on you could see right through a huge foyer to the lake. Karma must have been looking at the same thing and said, “What a tough way to live!”

I share all of this I guess because it brought out all kinds of thoughts and emotions for me as we drove along. It caused a longing in my heart for a place where the things of God don’t fall into disrepair. It caused me to desire a time when those who call themselves Christ Followers will not fall away and find other places to go. It caused me to desire to experience the beauty of God’s Creation without being surrounded with industrial waste, urban decay and the smell of garbage! Cleveland Browns stadium is now right on the lake front with a distinctive sour smell of trash…not sure if it was the stadium itself or the Port Authority right next to it but the place stunk!

This little trip along the lakeshore with home after home looking out over the water caused me to long for a time and a place where I might have a home with a beautiful view. One where I wouldn’t have to worry about mortgage payments on top of through the roof property taxes! A place of beauty and rest…not a money pit demanding things of me…

Romans 8:26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

The ride brought out all sorts of conflicting emotions, things I can’t even put words to: joy at the beauty, sadness at the mess, frustration with the potential that has been squandered. Too many things to even describe were brought to mind. Like how this week’s Epistle Reading contains that famous verse:

Romans 8:28  And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 

I wonder how many interpret this verse to mean that God will cause all things to work in ways that I understand, in ways that I desire, in ways that will prosper me according to my understanding of prosperity. I get the sense that, that interpretation is out there…but experience has shown it not to be true!

I’ve heard many people say things like, “It’ll all work out” and “You’ve just got to have faith” but I wonder just who they think is working it out, and who or what they are placing their faith in? Luck, the fates, some mixed up view of karma? I wonder how the young man who asked me for money so he can get something to eat will view and use the five dollars I gave him? Did he really buy himself lunch? Did he really mean the God bless you he kept saying? How will God work that out? I guess I’ve got more questions than answers right now…but I trust God is working that out as well, according to His plan, according to His definition of good for me and you and this world...

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Comments (4) - Post a Comment
Yeah I have alot of questions about alot of things right now also.The whole Burger King thing was AWESOME but really made me wonder if the changes I have been considering are the right ones. I hate it when that happens!! I thought my plans were Gods plans for me... Romans 8:28 What does it mean for me? And how do I distinguish my good intentions/plans and God's plans? I look around and see other people and things they have and try to tell myself that the things of this world are just that "of this world." I seem to be getting lost without even driving a car!!
carol reisner at 10:44pm EDT - July 21, 2011
Glad you are back on here!!!
Ginny at 2:00pm EDT - July 26, 2011
I enjoy reading your wise thoughts here. I am glad I've found your blog. Have you heard about these paper writing services?
Josh at 5:13pm EDT - August 20, 2017
To visit any place it is necessary thing that we have money enough for tour because tours are so expensive. In that situation paper cheap this website guide us about different tours and are no more expensive.
David Neitenstein at 1:02am EST - February 2, 2018


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