dailydatewithgod

I have never been what one would describe as the rugged type.  When I travel I like to stay in nice places that have all the little essentials so you don’t have to worry about bringing it all with you. It is nice to feel taken care of, not having to worry about making your bed , and getting added comfort.  While that is my default, I have also voluntarily opted to experience what one might call roughing it. Camping, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, mountain climbing, snorkeling, and the like. The kind of trips where you go without a shower for several days and carry your own pooper-scooper because there are no portable toilets.  My experience of the essentials is completely different in those situations.  I am extremely grateful for the whole gamut.  It has given me an inkling of how one uses terminology that we think is defined a specific way and yet with a different context makes no sense.  An essential in a hotel room would be a bed with soft pillows, while an essential in a tent is a sleeping bag or at least a blanket.  An essential in a hotel room is the hot water in the shower.  An essential while rock climbing in Joshua Tree is something to wipe the dust off your hands so you aren’t ingesting the dirt with your lunch.  There is however, enough of a similarity that we cannot call these essentials completely different.  God is constantly reminding us in all areas of life that where we see differences, there are similarities.  Where we see separateness there is no union. While we may not agree on the content we can agree on the process.  While we may not want the same things, are interests may be the same. If we change our focus to the essential similarities between ourselves and others, we open the door for our heart to guide our vision.  Our hearts send the blood throughout our body to keep it functioning as a whole.  While the gut or the brain might get more from time to time, it does not mean they are both not an essential part of our lives. Their ability to survive is dependent upon the same system of the heart.