UNTETHERED

UNTETHERED

There are three kinds of tethers. One is a line of rope or chain that restricts movement.  One is a line to which one is attached for security. One is a virtual line, by which we are attached to someone or something, usually voluntarily, but not always. 

In 1984 two astronauts made an untethered spacewalk outside their ship. Imagine being in outer space where there is virtually nowhere to go and depend on a contraption (jet pack) for your safety. When I read that, I thought, “Who would be so crazy as to do that? “

Still, these astronauts made more than one of those spacewalks during the duration of their journey.  This means they trusted absolutely, not just their equipment, but also the people who supplied it.  No one who has ever had any machinery in life is under the impression that everything works perfectly all the time.  I had a snow blower that even had an electric starter and it still didn’t start 50% of the time! 

I get anxious if I have to travel more than an hour from home.  As a child I was terrified of getting lost.  As a mom, I took every possible precaution to keep my children from getting lost.  

If my relationship to God is a tether, I am glad of it.  Knowing that God is always and I repeat, always, present in my life gives me the greatest security of all.  On the three worst days of my life – the day my mother died, the day my husband died and the day my son died, I held on to that tether for dear life.  When I am plagued with those what ifmoments we all have, I remind myself that I am not alone and will get through whatever comes.  

The reason Jesus is so important to the world is because, among other things, He revealed to us the ever-present loving Father.  The ancient peoples knew of God but often misunderstood his true nature, which, by the way, is still an issue today.  Jesus, by his life, his acceptance of his fate and his unswerving obedience to the will of God, was the reflection of the love between them.  This love is available to all and it is that love, which is the material of the tether.  I love that tether.

Blessings,

Carol Lemelin, OPA

MINISTRY NOTE:  

I often preside at wake services and I’m often troubled by the people sitting there.

They don’t seem to be listening so much as waiting for me to finish.  Last week as I ended the reflection, I was wishing they had shown more interest, when I opened what I thought was the exit and walked into a closet! That got a huge laugh and I believe I heard God say, “Careful what you wish for.”