Take up your chair and walk ...

Blog #40

Take up your chair and walk …

Driving to church, I was struck by a familiar Kenyan sight – people walking with chairs on their heads. (I guess I hadn’t noticed this particular exercise for a while.)  Two young children were strolling along nonchalantly, each with a chair lifted high, as if quite routine.  A mile later, a woman was carrying two chairs on her head, probably on her way to worship.  Having a chair or pew to sit on may not be dependable (I think) so she brings her own. In both cases, I had no idea how long their walk would be but likely a bit of a distance. Before we reach the Corps where we were headed, I see a group of students also carrying chairs on their heads, crossing the road between their school and a church. Perhaps they shared chairs between both buildings.   

A few thoughts emerged. Starting with - don’t let small obstacles stop you from pursuing what you need to do; take nothing for granted; accept your limitations and adjust; don’t sweat every inconvenience.  It’s life. Be thankful for the littlest of things.   

Okay, carrying a chair may not be that difficult for most of us but, let’s face it, when was the last time we needed to do that to ensure we had something to sit on?

Much greater challenges and struggles exist I know. This week, Japan experiences torrential rainfalls – worst weather disaster in a decade, millions flee their homes. A Thai soccer team are trapped in a cave for more than two weeks, one man dies in the rescue effort.  An hour from where we live, six students are charged with burning two school dormitories. 

It isn’t always the major crisis though that affects us every day. What about our personal situations?  Most of our private problems don’t make the news or show up on social media.  Yet, the battles we face are real and can wear us down. Not all our predicaments are solved as easily as ‘taking up your chair and walk’.  Sometimes the problems have no perfect answers. The ‘walk’ might be impossible or the ‘chair’ just too heavy. The sickness isn’t healed. The marriage dissolves. The work issues remain. And more often than we would like, we have to ‘dig deep’ for every day courage. I actually learned the Swahili word for courage yesterday – ushujaa (pronounces: ooshu – jaw).  Perhaps there are days when many of us need an extra portion of ushujaa.

For me, when life isn’t always what I want it to be, I turn to my faith. I pray. I confess my need. I confirm my belief in a greater power than human ability or simply resilience. I seek to trust this Power for my life and others. I also reach out to a friend – a confidant, a sounding board.  I take a walk or read a book. I hug my husband extra tight. I listen to the birds or I video chat with some pretty cute kids I know.  And through all of this, I find that inner strength to literally or figuratively ‘take up my chair and walk’.

Just a few thoughts on a Sunday morning …