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February 2006 |
Body, Mind & Spirit
Playing horseshoes in the dark
By Todd Outcalt
Last spring I went nostalgic and created a couple of horseshoe pits in the back yard. I pounded stakes, fashioned back stops, brought in 200 pounds of sand and manicured the lawn until it looked like a putting green. My 12-year-old son asked me what I was doing.
"Horseshoes," I said.
He stared at me as if I had just introduced him to a lizard. "And why?" was the only question he could muster.
The recreational area didn't come full circle, however, until a few weeks later, when we hosted our extended families over the Memorial Day weekend. The - horseshoes were a big hit. Even my son wanted to play. He enjoyed trying to hit his sister.
As day began to wane, however, horseshoe fever was still running high. We continued to play into the twilight - a dangerous excursion if ever there was one. I mean, it's tough to throw at a stake ten yards away when you can't even see your own toes. Every now and again, we'd hear a "clank," but usually our efforts were followed by the hasty shuffle of feet or the sound of someone fleeing into the trees for cover. We eventually came to our senses and saved the horseshoes for the light of day.
Since then, I've thought a great deal about tossing horseshoes in the dark, and it seems to me that we often find ourselves in similar predicament. We can make decisions based on a little knowledge (world leaders and theologians notwithstanding) without the greater light of truth or justice. Likewise in the dark, we usually do more harm that good - and even our horrible acts can be hidden under camouflage of darkness. Instead of waiting for wisdom or seeking God's will, we often make snap decisions that have terrible consequences further down the pathway of life.
That is why light is such a powerful image for our faith. "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light," Isaiah once proclaimed. "You are the light of the world," Jesus told His disciples. "Let your light shine."
Not much can be accomplished in darkness. We need the light of faith, hope and love to keep our direction sound, to assure that our actions are true and to provide the wisdom needed in difficult days. Light is provided as we seek God together, pray for direction, study the Scriptures with open eyes and ear, and listen to one another in love. Let us pray that the church reflects the light of God and that we are not just going through the motions, tossing horseshoes in the dark.
Todd Outcalt serves as senior pastor of Calvary United Methodist Church in Brownsburg, Ind.
Last updated on 25 Apr 2008