11-25-25

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 25, 2025
I buy some smoothies every month from a place called Daily Harvest. I like the healthiness of the ingredients, and there is one in particular that I was looking forward to having this month. It is a chocolate mint, with spinach and banana. I made that smoothie yesterday with coconut milk, and I couldn’t wait to enjoying every drop. The problem is that I didn’t enjoy a single drop because I dropped it on the kitchen floor, and when that big plastic glass hit the floor, it exploded all over the kitchen. Green smoothie everywhere! It splattered all over the cabinets, the refrigerator, the walls, dripping into drawers, and into corners of the kitchen that didn’t seem in a direct shot of the original impact area. An hour later, I finished cleaning the kitchen. Sadly, I will probably find a clump of solidified green smoothie goo at some point in the next couple of weeks.

That smoothie cost me $8, plus shipping. I did a little pouting, but then I had a realization of how fortunate and privileged I am. Not to be overly dramatic, but there have been moments in human history when any food spilled on the ground was immediately gathered up, dirt and all, and then consumed. I am not a wasteful person, and I even have a good five-second rule when it comes to most dropped food, but a smoothie that hits the floor is going to be written off as a loss. 

Of course, as I think about the mess, the waste, and the disappointment, I realize that things got cleaned up, there was still food for breakfast, and I can order more next month. Things happen in life, including things that are not our choice, and in the moment, we can sort of feel overwhelmed and frustrated. And even though it can appear disastrous, it’s amazing how one can gain some perspective by simply picking up a mop and getting to work. It doesn’t solve everything, but it did leave us with a very clean kitchen. Which is not necessarily a bad thing.

When I’m frustrated and overwhelmed by the mess that is before me, you invite me to pause and breathe and then to get to work. Even if it does not solve every aspect of the problem, it is good to find purpose and believe in a new day that is to come. Thank you, Gracious God. Amen.