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Perspective

Pastoral Messages | January 10, 2019

I recently came across the tale of Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut and the first person to travel into space. Though the ship that launched Gagarin up into Earth’s atmosphere was quite large, his quarters were quite small – coat closest small. The saving grace was that there was a portal window that allowed him to see the curvature of the earth.

In the midst of beholding the beauty, he heard a mysterious ticking noise coming from the dashboard. Tick. Tick. Tick.

The story goes that Gagarin took out his tools and tried to find the source of this sound. But he couldn’t find it.  It just kept going. Tick. Tick. Tick.

He was afraid that this small sound would break him. He decided the only thing he could do is to fall in love with this tick. So Gagarin closed his eyes and went into his imagination. When he opened his eyes he no longer heard the tick, but he instead heard music. He spent the rest of his time sailing through space in peace.

This was a story that I needed to hear this week, because I needed a reminder about perspective. What ticking do you hear right now?  The pile of laundry that never seems to get any shorter…tick…the dishes that never seem to do themselves…tick…the drivers that don’t seem to understand the left lane is for passing…tick…the water heater that needs replaced…tick…the family member you just can’t seem to please…tick.

Practicing gratitude is a simple way to change the way we hear the ticking. Being thankful for food to eat makes the dishes seem not so bad. Or, thinking about the eighth commandment and trying to see the best in people, allows me to consider if the person who cut me off on Brady Street was having a really bad day.

We may never be able to make the ticking stop, and or hear all of the ticking differently. But in taking time to recognize God’s presence in the world, in our lives, and in others, we may just start to hear the music a little more often.

-Kelsey Fitting-Snyder, pastor in residency

8 Comments on “Perspective”

  • Frank Claudy

    January 13, 2019 at 3:19 pm

    Well done and timely for me, Kelsey, as we work on relieving clutter in our lives.

  • Dave Chester

    January 13, 2019 at 7:36 am

    This reminder came at Just the right time. Thank you.

  • Gary Maiden

    January 11, 2019 at 7:36 am

    I often pay too much attention to the ticking. Thanks for this.

  • Karen Rohlf

    January 10, 2019 at 8:27 pm

    Wonderful message! A daily reminder!

  • Char Monical

    January 10, 2019 at 4:14 pm

    Thank you Kelsey. This is a great reminder to listen to the “ticking” in a totally different way. I will rejoice that I have so much to be grateful for and let the “stuff” go that I have no control over.

  • Ronda Bird

    January 10, 2019 at 3:11 pm

    Boy oh boy! This message is timely! Thank you!!!

  • Bonnie Fox

    January 10, 2019 at 2:02 pm

    Thank you, Kelsey. What a refreshing reminder to “not sweat the small stuff”! I will remember your message as I make my almost daily trip up Brady Street.

  • Deanna Hessling

    January 10, 2019 at 1:46 pm

    Thanks Kelsey for this message in the midst of a hectic week.

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