Last week, I went to Rachel Held Evans’ workshop: How To Turn Hate Mail Into Origami. She confessed to giving more time and emotional weight to the few negative comments than the many positive ones that come her way. This isn’t surprising because the brain is hardwired to notice threats – a life-saving tactic when dealing with lions, tigers, and bears without getting eaten, but not so good for coping with blog rants. So she prints out the hurtful comments and folds them up, making flowers and foxes out of scathing Amazon book reviews and hurtful tweets. Reviews come and go, she said. Spend at least as much time on the positive comments as the negative, apologize when what you write is wrong. Focus on the writing rather than the reaction. Stay grounded in what’s real: family, friends, the life you live and love. Develop a tough hide, but don’t lose your tender heart. Fold the bad into origami boats and trees.

When I saw Rachel’s origami, I couldn’t see the criticisms and insults. The words weren’t in any kind of readable order, and much of the writing was folded inward, invisible to the eye. Not gone, just not the focus or the final creation. It takes time and attention to create origami out of insult and hurt, but it takes almost as much time and attention to create origami out of blank paper. Since most of us are no longer blank pages, and nearly all of us have some hurt inked on our lives, folding these into something beautiful isn’t just a good coping mechanism: It’s a symbol of how even imperfect and damaged lives are made new and beautiful when held in loving, wise hands.

[Rachel Held Evans is a blog writer (rachelheldevans.com) and the author of Faith Unraveled: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions, Searching For Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church, and A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband ‘Master’.]

The word of the Lord came a second time to Jonah, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh…Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth…

When news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he made a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water…they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.”

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind…but this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. And now, O Lord, pleas take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Then Jonah went out of the city…and made a booth for himself there…waiting to see what would become of the city. The Lord appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than ti live.”

But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” Then the Lord said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”  (Jonah 3-4, excerpts, NRSV)

The fish had barely spit him up when he started complaining about his lot in life. And what is he angry about? God’s mercy toward a city full of people. He’d rather die in the desert outside the city than rejoice for the thousands of people and animals who thought better of their ways and promised to change. He’s more concerned with the shrub. Jonah: a rescued prophet with little compassion and an amazing lack of perspective.

I think God was trying hard not to laugh at Jonah and his tantrum. Like a mother, God gives a bigger view of reality than Jonah wishes to have, perhaps hoping that Jonah will find mercy in his heart without the help of another three day fish retreat.

Of course, it’s easy for me to see the humor in this, sitting on my sofa, typing on my laptop. I have nothing at stake. But I suspect this story is sacred because it’s a lot harder to laugh and let go of pettiness when it’s my little self throwing the fit…

Yankee Candle Label

It’s not the first time I’ve read them, and it’s not the only place I’ve seen them. They can be found at swimming pools and public beaches (add children), library signs (add personal items), and parks (add pet). But today I’m giving them more than a passing consideration. Words found in so many places deserve a second glance.

I’m reliably responsible. I don’t leave home before blowing out the candles, I understand the beauty and danger of water, I keep my belongings with me, and I don’t let dogs run loose in public spaces. But these words carry more than a warning- they carry wisdom:

Attend. Pay attention. A flame started and deserted can go from warmth to conflagration. A child neglected breaks, inside and out. Seeking knowledge while ignoring the rest of life leads to loss, not wisdom. Cleaning up messes comes with every living thing.

These words apply to me, too. If I leave my life unattended, my days and years go up in smoke, my spirit drowns in worry, I get lost in the stacks, and the mess I make will be a burden to others. Lucky for me, these words can be found almost anywhere.

Lord, Make me an instrument of Your peace…

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord of all pots and pans and things… make me a saint by getting meals and washing up plates…

Brother Lawrence

It sounds like you’re dealing with the blessing of answered prayer.

Brother Clark Berge

Today has gone from a quiet writing and baking day to a “squeeze writing and baking in between morning and afternoon carpool duties, a grant writing session, doing laundry so everyone can get dressed tomorrow, roasting the chicken early so dinner can be on the table in time to get my son to an evening activity, and (finally!) baking bread for tomorrow’s sandwiches” day. As I write, my dishwasher is humming and my clothes are spinning in the washer downstairs. The chicken is in the oven, apples and canning supplies are on the sideboard, and I am on my couch typing away. It’s not my typical Tuesday because a couple of things had to be rescheduled and a couple of evening activities arose. I’ll spend an extra two hours in the car and I’ll be up an extra hour as the bread bakes and cools.

Unexpectedly busy days bear truths about my life:

First: most of the activities come from the blessings of marriage, children, education, and plenty of food. Today is busy because heartfelt prayers were answered.

Second: today’s schedule isn’t written in stone. I could buy bread instead of baking it – or use the multitude of crackers in my cupboard! I could postpone writing this piece. And my local market sells a tasty rotisserie chicken, already prepared. I am choosing to have a busy day.

Third: I can choose to enjoy each activity, living my faith and finding contentment as I work. The Spirit is present when I remain present in my day’s adventures.

Fourth: I can be an instrument of peace on busy days and calm ones, or I can be an instrument of unrest and agitation. When I rely on God’s presence for my internal state and my external actions, peace will finds its way. When I don’t, no amount of quiet time will grant me peace.

Today I choose to quiet life’s noise by roasting the chicken, and savoring its aroma as I write. I choose to hang clean clothes on the line, taking time from writing to enjoy sun and leaves, pumpkins and birds. I’ll bake tonight, ending my day with the scent of fresh bread. Tomorrow, I’ll wake to a calmer schedule and the lingering scent of bread. And I’ll be thankful once again for today.