Thy Kingdom Come

I have a couple of funny little habits. (Some might call them hang-ups, even borderline OCD.) I noticed one this morning getting my coffee. I use two Splendas, which of course have to be grabbed at one end and whipped back and forth to drive all the Splenda to the other end. The thing is they have to be lined up exactly the same for this process. It doesn’t matter which end I grab or which way they’re facing, as long as it’s the same. I’m the same way with money. All the Washingtons and Lincolns (I don’t see any of the others often enough to remember who they are) have to be facing the same way.

I got some cash out of my savings at the Credit Union some time back and the dead presidents faced every which way. “Aha!” I thought “This is WHY you can afford to pay higher interest rates. No one's taking the time to keep those guys in line!”

At the restroom at work after I’ve washed, I use the paper towels to tidy up excess water on the sink and faucet before throwing them away. An observer once noted, “I’ll bet your house is spotless!” Wrong. So wrong. My house is pretty much out of control most of the time. It’s just LITTLE things I CAN control that I’m strange about.

In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Just think about that. There is a battle raging in our world that’s already won in Heaven. Perfect order. And perfect freedom. I don’t think the Lord has everyone lined up with their heads facing the same way in heaven. Everyone’s facing any which way they want. That just happens to be towards the Lord. Looking deep in to the Face of perfect beauty, peace and harmony.

What does it look like in our world when Heaven moves in? I think there is perfect liberty and harmony. Not the harmony of sameness (which is an oxymoron anyway), but the harmony of diversity and freedom. And not the freedom to do whatever we think we want to do (from the world’s perspective), but sometimes freedom NOT to. Not to give in to that destructive habit. Not to lose my temper with my spouse. No road rage on the way to work. Not taking that shortcut at work at my employer’s expense that no one will ever know about. Little things. Big things. To be who we were meant to be.

What will it take for us to make God’s Kingdom a reality our lives? In our community? Will it take all of me? All of you? Define "all."