In the Goethe’s fairy tale, “The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily”:The green snake is questioned by the king: “How did you get here?” he asks her, and she replies, “Out of the clefts where the gold dwells.” The question is posed: “What is more glorious than gold?” and the answer is “Light.” Then they ask her, “What is more quickening than light?” and she answers, “Conversation.”
In the farm we had many times wandered to our neighbor's dwellings, it is so much interesting to be there and work with them than at any other place including our own. Our children have also wandered away, and even our guests sense the pulling force of the neighbors, and prefer to be around them. Why is this so? Is it because their farm is better? No. is it because their faith?No. is it because their work? No, it is because of Conversation. they have mastered the art of putting away self and really listening to the other, they continually work through their daily chores with this in mind and open their lifes to what is around them. As one of our guests says: " Well, they are just more optimistic." Now how can you be for ever optimistic?, that is with God in your heart and your neighbor in your heart as well. That is with trained speech, that is with the art of Conversation. always using to encourage one another in one's Christian path.
The children do not mind working alongside us for three hours at a time, if they have our attention, that is our conversation. but the minute we start thinking about ourselves, about our agenda, or our troubles, just our natural mind...then they get tired. It happens the same to me too, and to all of us, working together practicing the art of Conversation is what keeps things alive, and children then learn how it is to be trained in love, and not to be idle, or not to work in fear or compulsion, but to work out of love, the love that God pours in our hearts as spouses and parents. We love going to our neighbor's house, because they know how to love, and I would like to see more examples around of families that share this way of life, that give a priority to the Art of Conversation.
Finally regarding our schedule discussion, we are still in the midst of it. It seems that it carries ramifications to all the other areas of our lifes. Is the husband to lead the raising up of the household, or is the wife? Lately I had been looking at two couples that are very dear and close to me. Both of them had a wife that had to step up to the directing of jobs and directing money matters, one was because of lack of concern and physical inabilty of the husband, and the other was because of the husband's gambling problems and other differences in views. Well, both marriages were also in the same area and with the same culture background, but the difference in them was astonishing! as much as blue and red are different, as much as fire and ice are different. The first home was a welcoming home, you could see the warmth, and the amicability of their inhabitants. Love abounded and was poured out to us too. The other home was cold, sharp, and there was animosity in the air any way you looked at.
The point I discovered recently with these two examples is that it may not matter so much what you do, but how and why you do it. I can wake up early and direct the household waiting for my husband to wake up, in a spirit of servanthood and love, or I could wake up early and lead in a resentful way. God give me the strength to follow your commandments and love my neighbor as myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment