Starting Again From Scratch
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. The Spirit of God is gifting you great joys in little things. Take a couple deep breaths, grab yourself a cup of coffee, light a candle, do something that brings you comfort. May your eyes and your body soften for a few moments to receive the wonders of being fully present.
The orb web spider spins a masterful web, yet dismantles it to build anew each day.
I've conquered my past
The future is here at last
I stand at the entrance to a new world I can see.
The ruins to the right of me
Will soon have lost sight of me.
Love, rescue me.
- U2, Love Rescue Me
Hebrews 3:4
For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.
Food for Thought
When I was a kid, I used to love my etch-a-sketch. With the simple turning of a knob, I could make a silly face, a cityscape, or abstract squiggly art that rivaled the likes of Picasso or Pollock. I could make a masterpiece! And then, once I was satisfied with my magnetic art, all I had to do was give the etch-a-sketch a little shake and – voila! – a blank canvas.
But of course, that very feature, which on one hand was so convenient, was also the toy’s downfall. All it took was a little shake – a clumsy bump or an accidental drop – and all that hard work, that masterpiece, could get messed up or be erased completely.
One time, I spent what felt like hours designing an etch-a-sketch portrait of our dog. I had focused so hard, formulating the perfect zig-zag pattern to mimic the angles of his face. When it was complete, I could not have been prouder of my work. Then, I turned to show it off to my family, not knowing that our dog was right behind me. My etch-a-sketch went crashing to the ground, and my masterpiece went with it.
I was heartbroken – all that work, all that time – and just like that, it was gone. I think it was months before I picked up my etch-a-sketch again.
Sometimes life can feel a bit like playing with an etch-a-sketch. It can be fun and exciting as we design what we want our lives to look like, turning the dials as we choose what paths we want to take – sometimes spending years creating a specific picture we have in mind, and sometimes closing our eyes and turning at random just to see what happens.
But then, one quick bump – one phone call, one diagnosis, one bad day, one bad decision – and suddenly our masterpiece doesn’t look quite like it once did. It’s all so incredibly fragile.
Those moments can be fraught with such hopelessness, loneliness, fear, anger; we can feel so out of control and powerless, like the wheel has been ripped completely out of our hands – like something came along and bumped into us, throwing us off course, sending our masterpiece crashing to the ground.
Hebrews reminds us that God is the builder of all things. That – while we may build houses, careers, families…our masterpieces – we, and everything around us, are God’s masterpiece.
I believe God cares deeply for creation. I believe God sees us in our triumphs, and God sees us through our trials. And I believe that in the moments when we feel out of control, we can find rest and reassurance in the fact that control was never ours to begin with. The same God who held us and walked with us as we designed our first masterpiece will be there still as we gather the courage to start again from scratch.
In those moments when anything of love seems a world away, may we remember that God has never left our side – that where our power ends, God’s persists; where our strength fails, God’s prevails.
My friend, if you feel like your masterpiece has been erased, though it cannot be replaced, may you have the courage to turn the dials – to design, to play, to rebuild – and create something new.
Have fun doodling on an etch-a-sketch, or another device or surface – just make sure you can erase and begin again. You can also play a game where you begin a picture, and allow someone else, or multiple others, to take turns completing it. How did the image change or progress in ways you had not imagined at the start?
Our “Starting Again From Scratch” Journaling Page provides seven daily thoughts of reflection and journaling prompts that tie back into this week’s story. You can print it, forward it to a friend, use it as inspiration for your own journaling practice (or group conversations), or maybe just use it as food for thought in your own quiet time!
For a printable version of today's reflection Click Here!
Blessing
God of new beginnings,
Accompany us as we navigate the interruptions and changes in our lives.
Reassure us that your steady hand and faithful love are guiding all things toward goodness.
When the shift is particularly difficult,
help us find building blocks of goodness in reimagined possibility,
and to rest in your abiding presence through it all. Amen.
A little Table Talk for your table...
Has anything that you have built or created ever changed in a way that was unexpected or upsetting to you? Where did you find reassurance in that difficult moment?
What do you find unnerving or unsettling about starting over on a project or aspect of life? What is helpful for you in navigating that process?
What are three things you would change if you could? Why?
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Ask the kiddos if they have ever had something broken or knocked down that they worked hard to make or build. How did that make them feel? What made them feel better about it? Did they rebuild/remake it?
Talk about courage – what does it mean to have courage, to be brave? Discuss how it takes courage to start over.
Remind your children that you are proud of them for the ways they create and dream, and also for the ways they keep doing that even when sometimes they are disappointed, sad, or angry, or when their projects don’t go as planned.
Meet Our Welcoming Voice!
June Dare Bunce is a native North Carolinian and one of the founders of The Welcome Table. Outside of TWT, she’s been a professional actor for the past fourteen years and has had the honor and pleasure of working as a drama instructor for various organizations and non-profits. When she’s not working on a script or at the office, you can either find her at the gym or on the yoga mat, walking around her adorable hometown, or working on the art of relaxing at home (it really is a skill).
To hear more from June throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!
Here are Five Things to Remember When Setting Your Own Welcome Table!