CHRIST IN WINTER: Reflections on Faith & Life for the Years of Winter—SATISFACTION AND ROSES [F, 7-7-23]
Of course, I already knew the word “satisfaction” when I was 40. I’d been preaching for 20 years. But John Faust gave me a different slant on it. That understanding has been useful to me ever since.
John was a Poly Sci prof at EILU, and our across-the-street neighbor, and member of the church I pastored, and a champion rose grower.
Early in our days as
neighbors, he showed up at our door with a vase of magnificent roses and gave
them to Helen. “I’m getting ready for a show,” he said, “and these were left over.”
Meaning they weren’t good enough to show. But to our untrained eyes, they were
perfect! That’s the difference between experts and those of us who just enjoy
their work.
That became a matter of concern for me, because there was another member of our church who also grew roses, and exhibited them. and never won anything. I worried about him. He was old. He was fragile. He didn’t have much else going for him. I was young enough to think that winning was important.
So I talked to John about him. “You don’t grow roses for the competition,” John said. “You grow roses for the satisfaction. His roses give him a lot of satisfaction.”
As noted, I already knew the word, and the concept. But that was my teachable moment.
We don’t really choose those moments. They rise up when all the stars are in alignment. And anytime that insight appears again in your life, you remember where you were and who was with you when you said, Eureka!
When I see beautiful roses, I am satisfied. Whenever I think of satisfaction, I see roses. Thanks, John.
John Robert McFarland
I sometimes would help my father get ready for shows. He would transport his roses in plastic garbage cans, and I would help him move these. Sometimes my father would tweak the rose flowers with something to make them more symmetrical - I am not sure with what. Perhaps a letter opener would be a good tool. My father wasn't the best rose champion - that was John Findley. But I think they had a friendly rivalry. This reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode in which a pool shark endeavers to be the best pool player of all time. The moral of the pool shark story was that there is more to life than the relentless pursuit of being the best at something. Einstein might be the greatest scientist of all time, but even he had hobbies - sailing and playing the violin. Something similar is said about the wisdom of taking a break from the pursuit of perfection by the author of The Four Agreements.
ReplyDeleteThanks, David. Yes, there's more to life than perfection, which means I'm living life well!
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