Maundy.

Day 4.

Today was different. I found myself getting out of bed early, determined to catch the first sunrise of April. My efforts paid off. The scene was beautiful. Three words: Sea of clouds.

Coming back home, I thought I would be doing my usual thing but then I was feeling tired as I was going through what I was used to doing before working out. That’s around the time I thought it would be a good idea for me to take a nap. An hour and a half long nap, to be precise.

This cost me a lot of me time before I needed to drive Mom around. I was able to get my daily workout in, but I didn’t have time to do my 10000 steps. So on top of the workout I was only able to do lunch, if you even call that a task.

Anyway. I drove my Mom to where she needed to go, and I proceeded to church where I continued to work on church stuff which involved a lot of writing, and as I soon found out, a lot of coordination between social media and all sorts of other things. It was hard to keep putting this off.

A little background: I went ahead and made a new Facebook page for our group handling the afternoon service over at our church, and I thought it was important for me to present our Statement of Faith as a first post, just to ensure that we’re all on the same page regarding what we believe. This was especially important to me considering the nature and individual circumstances of the group I handle – at any time they could just stop showing up, so I just wanted to make sure they knew what to say whenever asked about what they believe in. Our Statement of Faith isn’t necessarily one to follow verbatim, but should get them started, no matter where they end up. It’s something they could build on.

So you see how I shouldn’t be procrastinating on something as important as this. Just for my consumption and for the record, I plan on posting an abridged version of our group’s Statement of Faith to make it more… portable.

I’m sorry, I was just rambling there. But really, I’m noticing deviations in the plots I made on the Excel sheet I prepared long before this week started – and it’s all because of the need to make sure I help my loved ones. I need to make time for them – To drive my Mom to the market. To drive the kids home – I know, they aren’t kids anymore, but there’s something about conversations in the car that get me all philosophical and not necessarily motivated to encourage these kids to commute.

Here I see another balance needed – between time for myself and time for others.

But really, if I was to see it from another perspective, it’s really time for others full time because even time for myself is used in preparation for dealing with others. I exercise to carry more, to run more, to perform more… not for myself, but for others, when the time comes. I make money, or I learn to make money – sure, for devices and anything I may desire, but not necessarily for complete personal consumption.

Not really sure I’m making any sense here, but I go back to what Paul said at one point – That he would rather be home with the Lord, absent in this body and free from this fallen world at last, but the reason why his heart still beats and his body still lives is no longer for himself, but for everyone he ministers to.

I’m no Paul, but I certainly understand the reason of our existing being to help others – as Jordan Peterson would say it, we’re helping others and ourselves in stepping away from hell, and closer to heaven.

We help ourselves when we help others. We honor ourselves when we honor others.

On the other hand, because we are shown love, and because no less than the Creator of the Universe and all seen and unseen went as far as washing our feet, we are able to step down from our own positions of power for the comfort and cleanliness of others, ahead of our own needs.

This is what we remember today. This is what I understand was taught during this time, during the many other Holy Week Thursdays I’ve witnessed in the past, but never really appreciated.

Maundy is derived from mandate, and Christ gives us a new command – to love one another, as He loves us.

And by this all would know that we are Christ’s, when we love one another.

Quite the fitting reminder, quite the command – to love, when the rest of the world would have us hate in the name of what we say we believe. No, nowadays to love and to love unconditionally, without expecting anything in return because we already have everything, through God’s everlasting love for us – that’s what’s considered revolutionary nowadays.

The world has us screaming, ‘every man for himself!’

Christ was God and man, for everyone.

We remember this, today.