Daily Devotions - Week of 10.01.07

MONDAY:
"He asked, 'Who is my neighbor?"
-A question posed to Jesus (Luke 10:29)

"To deny ourselves the knowledge even of a single person is to lose the central piece of the jigsaw puzzle."
Leo Buscaglia (The Way of the Bull), p. 35

A number of years ago Mr. Buscaglia took a wonderful journey through Asia assimilating Asian traditions into his understanding about the mystery of life. In Asia the bull symbolically represents life. So, another way to title the book could be The Way of Life. Throughout the week we are going to travel with Leo to learn some lessons about life.

Leo tells stories of two people, Mack and Pricha, from his experiences in Thailand to illustrate today's point. Shortly after arriving at his "culturally acceptable, but quite unacceptable accommodations," he met a man named Mack who was in Thailand on business. Mack was tied to his Western ways and didn't really want to understand the Thai culture as much as to exploit the people of the culture. He learned a method of survival from Mack. The next week, Leo met Pricha who was a native Thai. During his week with Pricha, he grew to understand and appreciate the people, the customs and the cuisine of Thailand. He learned hospitality increases one's awareness of things that are truly valuable.

Everyone helps us with the puzzle. Doing our job (like Mack) may only help us and our patients survive. Practicing the way of hospitality (like Pricha) may open new opportunities that we never dreamed of. May you have a good week, enriched by the people who grace your life as you work.

A prayer: As I work on my puzzle, guide me to the people I need to encounter. Amen.

--Ben Keckler 10.01.07



TUESDAY:
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified for the Lord your God goes with you and will never leave or forsake you.'
-Moses to the people of Israel (Deuteronomy 31:6)

"We must learn to let go as easily as we grasp or we will find our hands full and our minds empty. Though every hello is the beginning of a goodbye, do not lose heart; for every goodbye may also be the beginning of another hello."
Leo Buscaglia (The Way of the Bull), p. 63

Today's scripture verse finds Moses giving a "goodbye speech." He is turning over the torch of leadership to Joshua. Today we find Leo Buscaglia in Saigon growing in his understanding of the "hello-goodbye-hello" saga that is so much a part of life.

As Buscaglia free-lanced throughout Asia, he met Lat, a tour guide, who invited him to be a part of her tour group. Lat was very personable and welcoming. He returned her kindness by inviting her to dinner that night. He learned a great deal about Vietnamese culture (after dinner they went to an opera) and they made plans to meet again the next day for additional touring. She didn't show the next day at the appointed time, but as he writes, "I returned to my hotel to find a note that read, 'Work did not permit me any free time to see you again. Continue to have a good trip. Return to Saigon after the war.'"

Today as caregivers we will again discover the "hello-goodbye-hello" saga. Enjoy gaining all you can from every encounter with another person of God's creation.

A prayer: God, keep me receptive. Amen.

-Ben Keckler 10.02.07



WEDNESDAY:
"If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you,
then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...
but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
-Joshua to the people of Israel (Joshua 24:15)

"Don't spend your precious time asking 'Why isn 't the world a better place?'
It will only be time wasted,
A better question to ask is 'How can I make it better?' To that question there is an answer."
Leo Buscaglia (The Way of the Bull), p. 125

From time to time we encounter things that can really have an impact on our lives. We may encounter the tough times that Joshua and the people of Israel experienced on the wilderness journey before Joshua issued the statement printed above. We may journey to Calcutta like Buscaglia did and find the poverty and living conditions to be almost overwhelming. We may walk into the room of a patient and find a devastated family. We may vacation in some part of our great land and see some deplorable sights that make a memorable impression.

The way we respond to such encounters is important. Joshua and Leo Buscaglia give us some valuable insights.

A prayer: God, guide my life and fill me with appropriate responses. Amen.

-Ben Keckler 10.03.07



THURSDAY:
"...They broke bread in their homes
and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. "
-An insight about the lifestyle of early Christians (Acts 2:46, 47)

"We need not climb the mountain to see into the valley. All things to be seen can be found in a simple shared bowl of rice. "
Leo Buscaglia (The Way of the Bull), p. 159

When Buscaglia reached the mountains of Nepal he saw splendid views of valleys below. A few years ago, I was privileged to climb a glacier in Norway and gaze across the farms in the valley. I agree with Leo that the really important aspects of a wonderful trip are the times spent with fellow travelers enjoying a cup of coffee or a nice dinner, listening to the stories about their journey through the mountains and valleys of life. Fellowship with another allows us to travel through life feeling the strength of companionship.

At our home we have a little saying we practice in all our relationships. It goes like this: "The purpose in life is not to see through each other, but to see each other through." Enjoy sharing life with others today.

Ben Keckler 10.04.07



FRIDAY:
"Don't worry about tomorrow,
tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own."
-A teaching from Jesus as remembered by Matthew (6:34)

"I was never told that man 'possesses' nothing. I have learned, most importantly, that a WAY will only have reality as it relates to living in the now. Life isn 't the goal; it's the voyage,
and the only reality seems to lie in allowing life to unfold. "
Leo Buscaglia (The Way of the Bull)

When we live with folks unaccustomed to Western culture, we discover people of faith whose values are very different. Leo Buscaglia learned this on his trip to the Orient. The above quote is part of his summary statements. In many ways he echoes the words from the Sermon on the Mount (see the Scripture quote). It would be good to meditate on these quotes this weekend.
As we live our life together it is good to remember that we only have the moment we are in. Obviously, we probably will have more than just this moment but it isn't guaranteed. So, let's take good care of each moment we have and let's take good care of ourselves and each other!

--Ben Keckler 10.05.07