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Living it Up
Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been? I've been to London to look at the queen.
Pussy cat, pussy cat what did you there?
I frightened A little mouse under her chair.
Stupid cat. She had the chance of a lifetime. All of London stretched out before her. Westminster Abbey. The British Museum. Ten Downing Street. Trafalgar Square. The House Parliament. The Marble Arch in Hyde Park. She could’ve heard the London Philharmonic or scrambled up an old wooden lamp post to watch the changing of the guard. I doubt that she even cared she was within walking distance of Saint Paul's Cathedral. She probably didn't even realize it was the historic Thames rushing by beneath that big rusty bridge she scampered across chasing more mice.
After all, she didn't even scope out the queen as Her Majesty stood before her. Not this cat. She is such a mouseaholic, she can't stop the same old grind even when she's in London. What a bore!
Can you imagine the scene as her husband met her at the plane at LAX international?
“Hi, Fluff. How was it? What did ya’ see? Tell me all about it.”
“Well, Tom, it all started when I saw this little mouse under the Queen's throne. From then on it was just like here. I chased mice all over London. Do you realize how many mice there are in that city?”
“You what? You mean to tell me you spent ten days in London and all you can say for it is this stuff about mice?
There is an old Greek motto that says:
YOU WILL BREAK THE BOW IF YOU KEEP IT ALWAYS BENT.
Which, being translated loosely from the original, means. “There’s more to being a cat than tracking mice.” Or, “There’s more to life than hard work.” Listening the strings on our bow means when we have some leisure, we live it up. We deliberately erase from our minds that that we are a cop or engineer or a lawyer or preacher or a salesman or a prof. We back off the strings and blow it. We break the uptight mold and do stuff that helps us stay sane. And fun to be with. And whole people. We consciously decide against playing everything safe… at least for a little while... as we gain some perspective that our rat normally keeps us from seeing.
Which means if we spend a week in Hawaii, we don't pinch pennies. We don't even talk about it. Or think about it. The same applies to an evening at a classy restaurant or a night at the Hollywood Bowl for a weekend at Aspen.
Or if we take a cruise, we don't focus on dieting. We refused to be like the woman on the Titanic who, as she climbed into the lifeboat, facing an uncertain future, sobbed and anguish, “If I had no this was going to happen, I'd have had the chocolate mousse for dessert!
Or if we go to the slopes, we don't chop firewood or change our oil or worry about the paper stacking in our driveway star. We get out there in all that snow and fun! And and when we are too doggone tired to take one more ride on the left, we crawl back on the shuttle, stop down in the seat and laugh out loud.
Or if we shoot the rapids, we attack those babies! Full bore! We scream and spit and gag on a raft full of water as we forget all about being responsible, sensible, professional, and proper. The aches and pains, we’ll worry about later. Right now it’s “let ‘er rip!” That applies to an afternoon at Dodger Stadium or an evening with the Chiefs.
Maybe has that's what Jim Elliott meant when he wrote, “Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” That’s another way of putting the familiar line out of Paul's letter:
“And whatever you do in Word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to him to God the father” (Colossians 3:17).
Ever followed that to its logical conclusion? Unless I miss the point entirely, it takes the galling guilt out of living it up. It means we are free to enjoy to full measure our leisure. Even if it is really expensive. Even if it is wild ‘n’ wooly. Even if it is fattening or crazy or completely out of character.
But one word of advice… better keep it to yourself. A lot of folks never go anywhere without a thermometer, a raincoat, a full tank of gas, a gargle, a hot water bottle, aspirin, a change of socks, plenty of Hairspray, and a parachute. Oh, yeah, they're also the ones who keep asking, “What time is it?” And, “How much does this cost?” And, “Are you sure everybody will understand?”
They’re the same ones who would command fluff for “behaving herself” in London.
Deepening Your Roots: Deuteronomy 6:1,2; 1 Chronicles 15:25-29; 1 Chronicles 29:6-28
Branching Out: 1. Do something that is totally out of character for you, and causes others to laugh.
- Blow it today! Be extravagant; don't pinch pennies. And don't you dare feel guilty about it afterwards.
- Block out some leisure time in your calendar to ensure you'll take some days off for refreshment.
