In 1940, the Bayer corporation introduced its One-A-Day family of multivitamins. One of the most popular over the years has been the Women’s One-A-Day multivitamin, which claims to have everything a woman needs to live a healthy and happy life. All she has  to do is take the recommended dosage, once a day, and she has met the daily requirements for all her vitamins and minerals.

I like this idea because it’s simple. Sometimes we make healthy living way too complicated.

I think our spiritual life would benefit from this One-A-Day approach as well because sometimes we put so many demands on ourselves in our pursuit of a stronger spiritual life that trying to meet them all becomes just another stressor.

I am not talking about reading the Bible once a day or praying once a day, though both of those would definitely improve our spiritual life.

No, I am talking about actively looking for a way to impact one person each day––just one and just once. I think if we looked for a way to improve or bless one other person’s life each day, then our spiritual and emotional lives would be happier and healthier. The “offering” could be small or large and the person could be someone we know or a stranger.

We could …
    Pick up something they had dropped.
    Offer to get them a glass of water.
    Smile and say hello.
    Take time to visit or call them.
    Encourage or compliment them.
    Make them laugh.
    Listen to them.
    Take them some place they had to go.

Let’s try this for one week. Each day let’s actively look for a way to serve or bless someone. It will take our mind and focus off of ourselves––our problems or concerns, our desires or wants––and, as a result, I truly believe we will be happier and healthier in the long run.
   

I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts recently when the celebrity being interviewed made the comment that she liked to be surrounded by people because it was too quiet when she was alone. The silence bothered her. It gave her too much time to think. I smiled at the comment until I realized three modern truths.

One, we live in a world that is rarely silent.
Two, most of us are uncomfortable with silence.
And three, we desperately need silence.

Think about it. We are surrounded by constant noise––man-made noise. Outside, we rarely escape the sound of cars, lawnmowers, or others’ voices. Inside we can hear the whir of the air conditioner and fans or the hum of the refrigerator.

Should we find ourself without any of these artificially created sounds, we get a bit itchy. During class when everyone had settled into their work and the room fell silent, many students would look around nervously and then begin tapping a pencil or whispering to a neighbor. For many of us, if it is too quiet at home, we feel the need to turn on the TV or radio just to have some background noise. Some of us can’t even fall asleep if it is too quiet. And then, like the above mentioned celebrity, some of us surround ourselves with people so that we are not left alone in the quiet with our own thoughts.

But silence is necessary. Without silence everything else loses intensity. Take music, for instance. The rests in a musical composition are just as important as the notes played. Without that break, the next note or musical phrase is not as impactful. Comedic timing is all about the placement of silence––that pregnant pause before the punchline.

Finally, without silence we wouldn’t be able to hear the voices of nature or, more importantly, the whisper or God.

We truly do need to carve out some quiet time for ourselves each day, both figuratively and literally. We need to be alone with our own thoughts for a while so that God can speak to us through His Word, through the Holy Spirit, and through His Creation.

Silence truly is golden.

I recently took a cross-country trip (well half cross-country trip) to Iowa to watch the Solheim Cup, an international women’s golf event. I took I-80. All. The. Way. One of the states I drove through was Wyoming––a state I hadn’t driven through in over twenty years.

Wyoming has a lot to offer. It is home to the Grand Tetons and to the first national park––Yellowstone. It has unique and intriguing rock formations like Devils Tower and Heart Mountain. And its state motto is “Equal Rights” as it was the first state to grant the right to vote to women in 1869. Of course, the State Symbols USA website claims they allowed women to vote so that they would have enough “voting citizens to meet the population requirement for statehood.” Though this might seem a bit more self-serving than altruistic, I can see the wisdom in it as the latest census reports Wyoming having the smallest population of all the US states.

Wyoming is also one the few states that has an 80mph speed limit, which is a wonderful perk when you have miles and miles and hours and hours of the exact same scenery to look at, which is basically lots of brown grassland. This landscape is dotted with disconnected fences along the freeway, almost always always on just one side of the road. To the ignorant these bits of fences would seem laughable for what animals would be deterred by 25 yards of fence followed by a ten yard gap? But to those in the know, these fences are not to keep animals out but to keep snow off the highway––which means there’s a lot of snow and it comes in sideways!

What struck me most was that after more than 20 years, the I-80 section in Wyoming was STILL under construction! It was under construction the last time I drove through Wyoming. But then I realized that with the harsh winters Wyoming experiences, the roads must be maintained and repaired annually in order to keep them in good condition and provide a smooth and safe ride for travelers.

Wyoming’s roadworks, just like the roadworks I can see in every other state, reminds me that God too conducts “annual” maintenance on us. We often experience harsh winters and searing summers in our lives, which can take a toll on us spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Our faith can be shaken; our nerves, frayed; and our bodies, weakened. Sometimes that maintenance is filling in some holes and sometimes it requires a redirection of the road, but in His mercy and grace, God lovingly takes the time to care for each one of us––every day, every month, every year.

See that picture there on the left? Just for the record, that’s not what I saw. I was in the only part of the United States totality zone (Kansas) that was under cloud cover—make that rain.

Okay, let’s make one more thing clear. I did not drive all the way to Kansas from California just to be in a totality area. There were places in Oregon I could have gone.  But I was already in Iowa so the three hour drive down to Atchison, Kansas, offered me two wonderful experiences: to see the total solar eclipse and to spend time with some of my Kansas cousins whom I rarely have the opportunity to see.

That Monday wasn’t promising to begin with. I left Des Moines in a thunderstorm. But by the time I crossed the Missouri border, the clouds were clearing—or maybe just moving—to Kansas. I found the park where everyone was to meet an hour before TE-time and parked. I heard thunder and stayed in my car. Four people were sitting out in lawn chairs under this huge tree. They didn’t move. I marveled at their bravery. Maybe native Kansans knew something this Californian didn’t. Then the rain started, and I rolled up my windows. The four Kansans stayed put. I wondered at their stupidity.

Then the rain and thunder stopped and my cousins, a few members of their church, and my brother and sister-in-law (who had driven from Colorado) arrived, and began doing what everyone in the Midwest does at major events. They set up the picnic lunch. We checked our watches, consulted the Weather Channel App, and determined that there was still time for the clouds to move on––or at least part––so that we could see the totality.

Then the rains came––twice––and we ran to the shelter of the cars. (The previous four had left completely by this time.) We prayed for the clouds to part just in time for us to see totality. But they didn’t. Though the rain had stopped and we could catch glimpses of the sun through the clouds, we didn’t need our special glasses, and I could also see the disappointment on my brother’s face. (He is a science guy and this was big stuff.) But even with the cloud cover, the air grew still, the birds stopped singing, and the darkness enveloped us. We, too, could see the glow of the 360 horizon. It was eerie and surreal.

Almost immediately after the totality, the clouds began to move out of the way, and we pulled out our glasses and watched the waning of the eclipse, and wondered about God’s timing. Why didn’t He move the clouds just a few minutes sooner? This seemed like kind of a cruel joke.

But then something unexpected happened. Even though we didn’t see the sun’s corona or Baily’s beads or the diamond ring effect, we found ourselves talking about how neat our experience was and how different it was from anyone else in the entire US. It was something unique that only we (and the others in this part of Kansas) experienced, and so now we saw our experience as special––and something we could laugh about for years to come.

Yes, sometimes we wonder about God’s timing, how it might prevent us from having those experiences everyone else gets to have. But if we don’t continue our pity party and instead look at the experience He has allowed us to participate in and enjoy, we might find that it is unique and perhaps in some ways even better.

As for me and my total eclipse experience?

Fortunately this “once in a lifetime” experience will happen again April 8, 2024 only I will have to drive a bit further—or not.

Every two years the professional American women golfers compete against the professional European women golfers in what is known as the Solheim Cup. It is the women’s version of the Ryder Cup. I have been to the last three that were held in the US and I have to admit that, for me, this year’s competition was the best yet . . . and all because of four players.

The Sacrificial Veteran: Europe started as the underdogs and within two days plummeted even lower with the loss of one top player for a day and another for the entire competition, both due to injury. That left one seasoned veteran, Anna Nordqvist, to lead the team both in experience and, hopefully, wins. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in top health either as she was still fighting the lagging remains of mononucleosis. However, to watch her play you would never know it. She was a stalwart and, despite being physically exhausted, she continued to put herself out there to play rather than rest. As a result, she energized her team and ended the competition with three wins, one tie, and the admiration and respect of every American fan.

The Unflappable Rookie: Though she was the top money earner on the Ladies European Tour (LET), it is doubtful that anyone in the US had ever heard of Georgia Hall before the weekend and just chalked her up as being another of Europe’s untested and vulnerable rookies. But rest assured, by the end of the competition EVERYONE knew who she was. Quiet and unassuming, Georgia won the hearts of the American audience by both her laser-like shot-making and her gracious manner. Though a couple of errant shots early in her first round hinted at some nervousness, by the third hole she was back in control and playing flawless golf.

The Tenacious Leader: I would bet the one player the Europeans did not want to have to play against was Christie Kerr. The oldest player on the American team, Kerr went after each shot like a bulldog to a bone. She was the epitome of a fighter and because of that she was sinking putts and holing out from bunkers. She never gave up or let up, and her fierce determination fueled an American team.

The Comeback Kid: Lexi Thompson is 2nd in the world, but you couldn’t tell that by the way she started her singles match against Anna Nordqvist. She looked nervous and out of sorts as she missed short putts and shanked easy approaches. She was four down after nine holes and in match play that is a lot. Many players would have just ridden out the disaster and then made some inane comments to reporters about having a bad day. But Lexi didn’t. After an encouraging hug and word from her coach about not being afraid to fail, from somewhere deep within she found both her resolve and her game, and she came back to go 8 under par in 7 holes, a phenomenal feat, to halve the match with Anna.

True the Solheim Cup is just a sporting event, but what each of these players faced in the microcosm of a golf match can parallel circumstances in our life as people and as Christians.

Sometimes life and circumstances force us to make a decision: protect ourself and our interests or sacrifice for the greater good.

Sometimes we find ourselves a rookie on a big stage (for us), and while others may underestimate us or question our ability because of age or experience, we must remain confident in our abilities and our God who placed us in that situation.

Sometimes we must summon up the strength and resolve to keep our focus, be tenacious, fight for each point, and never give up.

And sometimes when we have made a disaster of the first half of a situation, or a day, or maybe even a life, we have a very important decision to make—give up and count it all a loss––or take comfort in our Father's loving arms and encouraging promises and dig deep and turn it around.