Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.
I've heard it said
"too close for comfort"
now I know what that means.
Cozy..... petitte.....
might be words you would use to describe these seats.
Arena seating,
where they jam as many people into a confined area as possible.
In an age of burgeoning obesity,
it's ironic that public seating at sporting events is getting smaller,
18 inches to be exact.
Yup, 18 inches.
Now I am not in the practice of measuing my derriere,
but I can tell you that 18 inches doesn't allow for much
let's say "overflow."
I had just settled into seat C12 next to a couple of buddies
to watch the hockey game.
I was hoping upon hope
that the two vacant seats to my right would stay that way.
No such luck.
Five minutes before faceoff,
I saw them lumbering down row C,
forcing everyone in row C to squeeze as they passed.
Bruno and Barney,
making their way to become my next door neighbors.
I don't want to appear to be judgmental,
but there is a distinct difference
in the crowd that attends hockey games
as opposed to the crowd that comes to figure skating.
I would say a difference of 48 pounds per person.
I new nothing about Bruno and Barney,
but I was pretty sure that they weren't vegetarians.
I was also sure that when they went for refreshments,
they were waiting for cheesesteaks rather than cotton candy.
They had more facial hair than the cast of Duck Dynasty
and enough body mass to put most airline flights at risk.
I had no doubts that the last time either of them
measured 18 inches wide,
they were being punished by not being allowed to go outside for recess.
There is a curious thing that happens
when you try to put a square peg into a round hole,
usually the hole next door gets traumatized as well.
I braced for the onslaught,
like an islander waiting for the tsunami.
Bruno wedged into C11.
There was a sound, not unlike the girders of the Titanic,
groaning under the unintended pressure of a sinking ship.
Like the Titanic,
Bruno was going down and there was no stopping him.
Immediately Bruno was a resident of C11 and one half of C12.
Now I am not blaming Bruno,
he just didn't have anywhere else to put Bruno,
particularly when Barney had just overwhelmed C10.
Row C was a row of dominos, and I was simply the next piece to go down.
Bruno and I were one.......
If I had been wearing camoflauge as was Bruno,
I would have disappeared from sight.
His beer spill was my beer spill.
His sneeze was my.....
Well, let's just say I held my breath for 15 seconds thereafter.
I did what any victim of personal space invasion would do.......
I invaded the space of my buddy in C13.
This was not well received,
even though I discretely pointed to the two behemoths who were avalanching me.
I offered my popcorn to my buddy as a peace giving measure.
It was going to take more than popcorn to make peace
in this personal space crisis.
There are many facets to personal space,
physical space is only one.
As the hockey game began,
I realized that another part of my world was being invaded......
the audio world.
You see, Bruno was a cheerleader.
Mind you, the largest cheerleader I have ever seen.
Oh, he liked to cheer.
Every time the organ ratcheted up a chant,
Bruno was there in fine voice, leading the team onward, LOUDLY.
Oddly enough, for a man of his girth, he was a tenor.
I would never have guessed......
He knew every player on the team,
and he knew what to tell them to do.
He also seemed to know what to tell every opposing player.
While I was tempted to remind Bruno
that although he was much bigger than any of the players,
that they had sticks.....
I held my tongue and prayed that one half inch
of plexiglas would be enough protection from a hockey riot.
By the end of period one,
I did what any undersized, overwhelmed, invaded little man would do......
I ran and hid,
specifically to Row A,
where I found empty seats right in front of the plexiglass,
There I was able to enjoy the game and find the rest I was looking for.
Sometimes, you need to find a quiet place to rest, to re-group.
Life is filled with enough Brunos that invade on our
space, our time, our energy,
that we end up tired and ineffective.
We are instructed to take time away.
Jesus demonstrated that throughout His ministry.
The Father exampled so on day seven of Creation.
We are commanded the importance of Sabbath.
Sometimes it is good to run and hide from life temporarily,
so that we can come back renewed.
I had had a Bruno filled week,
I didn't need another one when all I wanted to do was relax.
So in this winter season when storms, snow plows, and power outages
start to get the best of you,
find a place to go to rest and renew.
Maybe it's a book in front of the fire,
or a day filled with naps'
a hot bath,
or just 15 minutes with coffee and quiet before the kids wake up.......
Run and hide for a while, and don't feel guilty in doing so.
You will be honoring God's instruction for how to care for yourself.
Listen to how Jesus responded to a Bruno filled week......
Then, because so many people were coming and going
that they did not even have a chance to eat, Jesus said to them,
"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place
and get some rest. (Mark 6:31)
You'll feel better.
Who knows,
maybe because you rested,
the next Bruno won't seem so big.......
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28a
Yes, my soul, find rest in God. My hope comes from Him.
Psalm 62:5
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