Mastering the Patterns

Gotta break out of the pattern
don't know where I learned it
but it follows me
wherever there is text
i follow the pattern
3 points in a sentence
this, that, and that
suddenly I find
I am so trapped by this pattern
it is everywhere.

gotta break out. gotta break out.
is it possible to break free?
maybe I'll only have two points
or seven
who cares!
just no more patterns!

i am finding in drumming that patterns provide basic rhythms.
These basic rhythms are great but what makes them so amazing
is that they leave room for a drummer to break OUT of the pattern
to create beauty or maybe a little bit of funk!
it becomes complexity from the simple
but first, you must learn the basics.

life seems a bit like that too. Traditionally I seek to be set free
f r o m
the p a t t e r n s of life.
I avoid schedules like the plague and routines as if they would hurt as opposed to help
only to realize that
cHAos iS No MOre UsEFul tHAN PATterNS! ! !

It seems to me if my lessons learned from drumming are correct,
we must master the patterns and the rhythms in order to
have the freedom to break out of the order and humdrum when needed
so that our lives too can be filled with beauty and a little bit of that funk!

Reflections

I visited a friend the other day. I wouldn't call her old, though some may. Old is a state of mind and she is active and engaged in her world each and every day. What I would call her is experienced, wise, and rich. Rich in experiences, love, and relationships, that is. She is a woman dearly loved by our Father and it shines about her countenance and noticeable no matter the length of conversation. Anyway, we were talking and I began to realize all the different seasons she has lived. This woman has seen so much, been with such a wide variety of people, and loved even more. Talking with her is always incredible. I pray someday I can have a memory like hers that can recall the places the Lord takes me. Though more than that, I pray that I can be obedient to the spirit of the Lord as He moves me in and out of various seasons.

Speaking with people who have a little more life experience than I do always makes me stop a minute to realize that I worry too much. I am far too concerned about where I am going to be in 5 years as opposed to where I am right now. People who have lived just a few more years than I have proven to me that change is natural and happens. Our lives will take different courses. God never leaves us in one place forever (whether it be literal or figurative) and thus the concern should not be "how do I get myself to the next point" all the time because like it or not we will move through different seasons.

If I live to be a ripe old age, I desire to look back on my life and see that it was well lived: full of love, grace, and the ever merciful hand of God. (Though technically...I never want to have time to look back - I want to live for Him until the very end.) I am convinced to have that sort of outcome in life we need to never be afraid of what is to come or what people think, spend time with our God, and love love love the people God has placed in our lives.

I have a long way to go, but with God helping me, I'll get there and if I don't - His grace is still enough.

Wherever you are right now, I pray that His peace would comfort you and as always thanks for sharing this journey with me.

And then there was a King

In 2 Chronicles 29-32 you can find the story of a young man named Hezekiah. At the age of 25 (younger than me!) he acquired a kingdom. Finding himself reigning king, I wonder how he felt or what he desired. Being a king surely allows one to impact the lives of people for better or worse. I'm sure in Hezekiah's time there were enough politics, wars, and social pressures to stress a man of his position. I'm certain he dealt with nay sayers and doubters of his decisions. After all, Hezekiah's father was a man who did not seek the will of God and instead led his kingdom into the worship of false gods. The kingdom he inherited was in ruins.

When reading the Old Testament, it is SOOO easy to take the humanity quotient out of the people we read about and just read about their actions and move on. But these people were just like us. There is so much to be learned from their lives. The first act that King Hezekiah performed was to begin to lead the community of the Israelites into worship by reopening the temple of the Lord. As you continue to read the story of Hezekiah, you find a community of people responding to his leadership finding peace and joy in service to their Lord. It's an INCREDIBLE story that I highly recommend to you to read. But when you read it, realize that he was simply a man that God was able to use in mighty ways because his heart was open to the Lord and he followed Him with his whole heart.

"And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.
(2 Chronicles 31:21 ESV)"

I am humbled to read of such a man. I desire to be a woman who follows after God with such a heart.