“First of all, then,
I ask that requests, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be made for all people.” 1 Timothy 2:1 CEB
This recently happened along 158 in Camden County. The billboard provided a fun conversation for Jackie and I, as we did a double-take when we saw the message. We even turned around to go back and see if our eyes were not playing tricks on us. Was it on purpose? Could it be a new way of marketing? An honest mistake?
What we did agree on was sometimes life does feel like it’s upside down. There are moments when no matter how much effort we give a task, no matter how much energy we bring to a project, or no matter how many times we try to accomplish something, life can get messy.
In my weekly attempts to knock out some yard work, the weed eater would not cooperate as the line was not feeding correctly and the hedge trimmers decided to freeze up. It became quickly obvious that trimming was not going to happen the way I had intended. Power cords, tools used in an attempt to repair the faulty equipment, with grass and shrub clippings littering the front yard, all added to a pathetic scene of an epic fail for this weekend warrior. I. Was. Done.
After stepping away and getting a cold glass of water, I finished the remaining two bushes with my hand held clippers. Jackie had completed her work mowing the lawn and helped me clear up all the grass and hedge clippings. Then I verbally chastised the weed eater and hedge trimmer for not working, as I took them back to the garage, placing them on top of the power cords I had wound back up. Jackie then suggested we take our trash and recyclables to the county center. This was a classic move by Jackie (who totally knows me after 29+ years of marriage), who recognized a task that could be accomplished would serve to recalibrate myself for whatever might come next in the day.
Jackie’s accountability helped me move away from one activity to another, where I could regroup and reinvest my energies on the next tasks waiting for me when we got back home.
Sometimes we need guidance, a chance to restart, or a do-over. In Paul’s instructions to Timothy, he begins with, “First of all, then, I ask that requests, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be made for all people” (2:1). Start with prayer. Lift up the needs of those within your community, taking them to the Lord in prayer, seeking out the guiding, healing, and redeeming work of the Holy Spirit upon all those names shared in prayer. Praying for all people helps us shift away from ourselves and focus on others. Praying for all people reminds us of our place in community among others. Praying for all people is what disciples of Jesus Christ do.
I have been so thankful for Bishop Desmond Tutu’s African Prayer Book, which has been part of my morning devotion the past couple of weeks. I share this prayer entitled, “You have prepared in peace the path” (page 119);
O God, you have prepared in peace the path I must follow today.
Help me to walk straight on that path. If I speak, remove lies from my lips.
If I am hungry, take away from me all complaint. If I have plenty, destroy pride in me.
May I go through the day calling on you, you,
O Lord, who knows no other Lord.
–
Galla, Ethiopia
Blessings, 
David