Automatic Pilot

This morning I groggily got up at 4:18, shut off the alarm which had already been "snoozed" twice, and walked into the kitchen. It had been 4 very short hours since I had gone to bed, and I was still craving more sleep. I opened the refrigerator, got out the eggs and sausage, and automatically began making breakfast for my husband before he left for work. (No breakfast for me this early, my appetite will kick in about 9:30 or 10:00) I was standing at the stove cooking eggs when I finally woke up. "You need to go to the bathroom!", my bladder politely reminded me. I realized I hadn't even done that yet, rather just automatically gone into the kitchen to start breakfast. Before I could take care of the eggs and the call of nature, another call screamed through my brain. "Coffee!" I hadn't made coffee yet, that was still left undone. I quickly tied my legs in a knot and hopped over to get a coffee filter. Soon the coffee was brewing, the eggs and sausage were sitting on a plate, and my bladder was happy. But now my brain was fully awake, and it had seized upon an idea...automatic pilot.

How much of what I do everyday is just done on "automatic pilot"? I have caught myself driving to the post office or some other routine destination, and before I realize it I have somehow manuevered a monstrous 4WD Dodge Ram long-bed extended cab from point A to point B without even thinking about it. That's a little scary. Then when I get to the post office and someone says "Hi, how are you?" that automatic pilot kicks in again. "Just fine!" What is 'just fine', anyway? I'm 'just fine' and everyone I meet is 'just fine', too. (Our nation's motto shouldn't be "In God We Trust", it should be "We're All Just Fine!") How much of my day is just spent on automatic pilot, without much thought for or appreciation of the what, where, why, how and who?

And of course, that carries over into the spiritual. How much of what we do for God is just done on automatic pilot? Do we get up and get ready for church with an attitude of appreciation for all that worship entails, or is it just another part of our routine? Do we put any real thought into our prayers, our giving, our devotions, our study, or is it just another part of our routine that is checked off the list when done? And like the "just fine" at the post office, do we deal with others on automatic pilot, or do we really stop to listen to our brothers and sisters in Christ?

Sometimes that automatic pilot can be a good thing. Automatic pilot gets the eggs and sausage ready when I'm still asleep, and sometimes it gets me to the post office. I hope that some part of me is always "on automatic pilot" as far as God is concerned, that I will live and think and react in a way that pleases Him. The obvious cliched answer is to let God be our automatic pilot, and in a way that is true, we should be led by the Spirit of God. But God doesn't call us to live out cliches, nor to waste our time without thinking about what we're doing. Life and the people around us are much too precious for us to live that way.

The Message says it this way in Ephesians 5: " Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light! So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!
Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants."

The Laughing Chicken

What does a laughing chicken have to do with anything? Well, my mother didn't teach me how to cook, but she did teach me how to laugh. When I was growing up we had a rubber chicken hanging in the kitchen, and I still keep one in my kitchen today. It is a reminder to look for the humor and fun in everyday living.

Proverbs 15 contains some wisdom for everyday living, and one of my favorite verses. "For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast." (NLT) A continual feast! I like the way that sounds. And this just seems to say that "it's all in the attitude." If you look for the fun in life you will find it. Life is going to have both good times and bad, but one thing that will help get you through both is a sense of humor. One way to translate this verse might be: "If you have the right attitude, life is one big buffet!"

Not everything we feast on in this "buffet of life" is calorie-laden. Friendships, family, love, beauty, a smile, laughter, forgiving and being forgiven, a job well done, a good chocolate sundae...oh, wait...all of these things are part of the continual feast.

I am thankful that as I was growing up, the laughing chicken was there. The sense of humor that developed in my childhood has made the difficult times in life a little easier to get through. Today my laughing chicken sits on my refrigerator, and plays an occasional bit part in a skit at church. Even when I can't see the chicken, that "laughing chicken attitude" is still there, giving me a happy heart. And making life, both the good and the bad, into a continual feast.