2.6.25 ~ Under My Nose

Good morning!

I want to continue our thoughts on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, but before I went to bed last night, I felt impressed to share some thoughts on this week's Torah portion, Beshalach/he went (Ex. 13:17-17:16)...an amazing portion of Scripture!

After crossing the Sea and leaving their enemies behind (Ex. 14:21-30) the Israelites for the first time, feared the Lord, believed in Him and in Moses (Ex. 14:31). So much to share on those thoughts, but...

After the celebration with the prophetic song of Moses and Miriam (Ex. 15: 1-21), the people faced their 2nd crisis; the bitter waters of Marah (Ex. 15:22-26).

Most of you know that I'm an outdoor enthusiast. I love the beach, the mountains, the rain, the snow, the sun...whatever the Lord God provides, I love to be outside in God's creation. Here at the clinic, there is a 18 hole disc (frisbee) golf course that I play on a regular basis, which leads me to my commentary on the bitter waters of Marah.

All of us have bitter/marah experiences in life. And all of us wish we had solutions for those bitter experiences; whether it's finances, relationships, physical health, emotional health,  spiritual challenges and for many, plain ole boredom...we all want solutions.

The big question for the day is: "where do I find the answers to my bitter situations"? Well, according to our Torah text, it’s likely right beneath your nose. Could there be a groundbreaking idea hidden within Your daily routines, waiting just beneath the surface of the bitterness and mundane? If you only looked at these moments through a different lens we might see the stick right on the edge of our dilemma (Ex. 15:25)?

Let's time travel back to Bridgeport Connecticut, 1870; more than a century ago. In that bustling little town there was a bakery that baked pies. The company drivers used to drive horse drawn wagons to deliver their products back in the day. One day during the driver‘s lunch break, they were all standing around at the back of the shop, a bit bored, and one of the drivers got an idea. He reached into the back of the wagon And pulled out one of the company's pie tins off a stack and flung it at another driver with a direct hit to the back of his head. The rest of the drivers thought it was funny. Before anybody knew what was happening, all the drivers were hurling, the companies pie tins at each other. As far as we know, nothing like that had ever happened before. But the pie company drivers decided it was an ideal way to relieve boredom and blow off some steam on those days where life was a little too challenging.

So, beginning that day it became a regular noon time recreation. And over many months of practice, the drivers develop this pie tin throwing into a real art. They discovered, for example, that the accuracy of the throw, depending on a special way of holding the pie tin and a certain forward wrist action right before the release. And, as you might’ve guessed that one day around noon, the pie company president just happened to pass by and when he saw his workers engaged in this particular pastime, he was rather annoyed. After all this was company property that drivers were tossing about so recklessly. But you know, the sheer exhilaration that came from this odd recreation was irrepressible.

And pretty soon Yale university students picked up on it and it became a craze. Then Harvard, never far behind, joined in. Then college fans started doing it on campuses all across the country. Some irreverent students even called it a sport. And all the while the Bridgeport pie companies' products were the only ones used in honor of the company drivers who invented the pastime.  And yes, it all started in Bridgeport, Connecticut in the early 1870s when the employees of a local pie company discovered The activity of letting off some steam.

In fact right this minute, one of those original pie tents is on display at the Smithsonian Institute because of its life altering significance. And of course, the name of the Bridgeport pie company embossed on that pie is the frisbie pie company named after the owner William Russell Frisbee. To date, more than 300 million frisbees have been sold worldwide totaling over 3 billion in revenue and of course, it endures as a household name more than 150 years later.

Our story, for this morning, is a testament to the power of creativity and innovation that lies within each of us, specially when it seems least expected. Revolutionary ideas can emerge from the most unexpected places if we keep a mindset of openness, curiosity, and playfulness in the pursuit of achievement...I love to have fun! And it’s a reminder that sometimes the key to unlocking the next big thing in your bitter and boring world, is not in searching for the extraordinary, but reimagining the ordinary.

As with the Isralites, when the journey was filled with ups and downs, victories, fearful situations, slave mentality, 'are we there yet' thinking, bitter situations that produce grumbling...through prayer and a fresh perspective our bitter situation, that the Lord tested us with, becomes sweet (Ex. 15:25). The 'Frisbee' was right under their noses.

"So He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them."
(Ex. 15:25)

Have an amazing 5th day of the week!

Passover's coming!

Shalom

P.S. Thank you for your prayer support for our friend Mariah who passed away a couple days ago from her 19 year battle with cancer.

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