When we wake, no matter how we wake (instantly bolt upright or groping toward consciousness), we begin our day beloved by God, and the staggering truth is that nothing we do in the course of each day will either magnify or diminish that standing. Proverbs 4:18 likens a righteous life to that first gleam of dawn, declaring that it shines “ever brighter till the full light of day.”
Having reached the age when it takes twice as long in front of a mirror to look half as good, this is a joyful thing to me, but some days it’s hard to envision a growing radiance instead of a sputtering candle flame. However, when I read Luci Shaw’s work and bear witness to her continuing productivity past her 90th birthday, I’m a believer!
When we wake, we begin our day beloved by God, and the staggering truth is that nothing we do in the course of each day will either magnify or diminish that standing.
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Without glossing over the realities of living in an aging body, Luci Shaw celebrates the simple beauty of forest, field, and water, reminding her readers that our bodies and our souls are always entwined. Her poetry is still inventing fresh metaphors for welcoming spring and for acknowledging loss. As a fellow gardener, I read “Let the blessing of the garden enter you,” and suddenly I am energized for the “diligent digging, the forming of furrow, the patient sowing of seeds, the covering, then, with damp soil. The waiting.”
I first encountered Shaw’s poetry as a young mother. Her nest was emptying, yet she still wrote as a “poet sorting socks.” More crucially for me, she was sorting out her faith, and her honest questions ambushed me, pushed me to settle my own doubts, and gave me some beautiful words for the strong bones of my belief.
Annie Dillard has (famously) said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” This is a cautionary saying for those of us who live our days as the sandwich-makers, the sock sorters, and the finders of misplaced library books. This new collection of poems in An Incremental Life points to the wisdom of trusting God with our “sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life” (Romans 12:1, 2 MSG).
Shaw defines an incremental life as “one of small gains, or victories, of growth achieved gradually, of actions occurring one at a time, in a more measured sequence than what is experienced earlier, when energy and motivation are at their peak.”
The indignities of aging, the never-ending duties, and even the diligent editing that comes with Luci Shaw’s poetry-writing have become, after all, the way she has spent and is now spending her life. With lyrical wisdom, she pushes back against the dualism that differentiates between answering emails and writing sermons, between talking theology over coffee and talking science fair project over milk and cookies because, for believers, faith and everyday life are intrinsically part of one another.
Like beads on a string, our minutes slide by. Meditation on our own mortality need not be morbid—even facing the certainty of decline, for we live in hope. Incremental growth and maturity are ageless gifts from a good God who meets us with enduring patience and new grace every morning of our lives.
Holding You in the Light,
Without glossing over the realities of living in an aging body, Luci Shaw celebrates the simple beauty of forest, field, and water, reminding her readers that our bodies and souls are always entwined. @paracletepress #AnIncrementalLife
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Living Our Days 
‘twice as long in front of a mirror to look half as good.’
yeah. for sure. thankfully we’re not defined by our mirrors, but by our Savior …
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Isn’t it GREAT that we come to our mirrors equipped with that truth!
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I’ve not read any of her books–I think you’re the only person I have ever seen mention her. But you make me want to find her writing.
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I’m inspired by her perseverance in the writing life. She sees the world through a uniquely poetic lens that shows up even in her prose.
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Loved this statement, Michele: “For believers, faith and everyday life are intrinsically part of one another.” Praise God that is so! We don’t have to wait until we’re in the chair/pew at church to enjoy the expression of our faith. And our joy increases as faith-in-action impacts our everyday lives. Just two examples of the abundant life that Jesus offers!
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It’s wonderful that God is present in the high and holy moments—and he was with me in the garden yesterday when I was planting tomato plants on my knees in the dirt.
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I am usually not one to read poetry books. But you have me intrigued. Any writing that focuses on how to be with God in our “everyday faith”, and in “the simple beauty of forest, field, and water,” I am drawn to (and drawn to write about it as well). Thanks for introducing me to Luci Shaw!
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She’s been an important voice in my faith walk for a lot of years!
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I appreciate the thoughts you share. So much of life is made up of the everyday routines, especially if you’re tending children. I love your sentence, “Having reached the age when it takes twice as long in front of a mirror to look half as good.” Yes. And the days I don’t, it shows!
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I’m having a refresher course on the routines that accompany young children and it’s making me wonder how I managed with 4 every single day !
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I love that Lucy is still productive in her 90’s. Gives me hope.
Also, I cracked up at “Having reached the age when it takes twice as long in front of a mirror to look half as good.” So, I’m not the only one?
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I think we’re part of a growing club!
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