Holy One, it’s just another ordinary day. My calendar is clear but my to-do list is long and getting more so every day. How do I rejoice and be glad in this day you have made? On Sunday we were reminded in a sermon on the book of Esther that we are made “for such a time as this?” (4:14) If I read those words in context I see that Esther is being called to engage in civil disobedience by confronting her husband the king. She is a biblical profile in courage and I admire her greatly for that. But as I read just two verses later I am not so bold any more. Esther says, “I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
How do I translate Esther’s call to my ordinary life and day? What am I created for in this time and place where our way of life is threatened by calls for civil war; where autocratic political leaders in Russia, China, Turkey, and our own nation continue to threaten our peace; where experts warn us of more brutal heat, fires, draught, and floods that will become the norm unless we take drastic measures to save our planet?
O Holy Parent, those macro measures make my puny to-do list look like someone rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Am I called to fiddle with daily chores while Rome burns? I know that “for everything there is a season,” (Eccl. 3:1) but sometimes I wonder how mowing the grass or taking out the trash fits into your purpose for my life. Yes, Lord, I know things are usually both/and, but where is the holy balance point between doing justice and doing the dishes?
At a young age Jesus had to tell his parents that he was called to be about your business. I don’t have a Messiah complex, but I answered my call to ministry many years ago. The pastoral duties I had structured my days for many years, but now in my retirement what does that call look like? I can rejoice in having a clear day on my calendar, but I know my biological clock is ticking; and every morning I wrestle with what I am supposed to write in that blank space to be a “good and faithful servant” in this final stage of my life. My spirit is willing, maybe, but my flesh not so much. I know I will never “retire” from your claim on my life, but I could use some guidance on how to live this ordinary Tuesday. I’ll be busy doing my chores, but please feel free to interrupt me with a text or a burning bush or whatever it takes to get my attention. Amen
Peacefully Harsh 
Steve, Your Prayer for an Ordinary Day really really hit close to home for me.
Thank you!
Sue
Sent from my iPad
Thank you for letting me know. Hope all is well with all of you and yours.