Seek That Which Is Essential

Today I am in New Jersey, thinking about that which is essential.

To be "essential" is to be "indispensable"--necessary. Requisite. Imperative. Vital.  Important. Having to do with the very nature of a thing, at its most basic.

As in--when all is said and done, what is it that you most need? Because nothing else should matter.

For instance, when in New Jersey--as I happen to be--it is essential to make a visit to the local bagel store the very first moment one has a chance.  Bagels are essential elements of life. (You think I'm kidding....)

(Ok, I am.  Sort of.)

So, this morning I picked up my New Jersey bagel on the way to visit a friend who is essential to my life.  A friend I would travel to New Jersey a day before I had to just to see. Ironically, the friend who taught me what it is to seek that which is essential.

This particular friend lives in Macau.  Google "Macau", and you will understand that she and I do not see each other frequently.  Her name is Deb, though I lovingly refer to her as "Deborah Ann" most of the time.  I met her at Camp-of-the-Woods, an eon ago, where she quickly embedded herself into my summer and into my heart.  Where she quickly became--essential.


Here is the thing about essential friends: They are a part of your heart, no matter what your circumstances.  For instance, I never talk to Deb on the phone.  On occasion we may exchange a one or two sentence email. We feel no need to maintain our friendship between her visits home.  We wait until we are at least a state away and then--we do not let anything get in the way of our picking up where we left off.

Because here is another thing about essential friends: You should drop everything to get to them.

Now, where we left off always has to do with "What is God doing?" because "What God is doing" is the essential. There is nothing else that matters.  And this is what Deb taught me, all those years ago.

It was Deb who showed me what it looks like to disregard what the world says is important, necessary. Requisite, imperative and all of that. It was Deb who provided a model of what it means to sit in a chair in the sunshine, seeking, dwelling in, loving the Presence of a Holy God. Seeking His Purpose--setting aside my self, the things that I want, all that the world dangles before my eyes as a truth I should buy into.

It was Deb who helped me see:
Give everything you've got to seek the Absolute Essential, and don't worry about the rest.