Abandon: Alone on Main Street.
He stands in the middle of Main Street in a little place called Oakland, Oregon. A few souls are out and about on a Friday Morning. A retired cop-slash-lawn maintenance guy is already trimming and edging lawns so he can get off early for the long Memorial Weekend.
Along Main Street storekeepers put out the large “Open” signs, desperate to lure business from those curious enough to take the “Oakland Exit” and stop by for a look. Life isn’t easy on Main Street anymore. It used to be folks took the time to drive two miles off I-5 to see this one of a kind place that seems to be locked in time.
A kid on a Unicycle rides by. The only thing that proves he’s not from the 1920’s is the helmet he wears on his head for protection. Fifty years ago, his grand dad wouldn’t have known what a helmet was let alone could believe it would be the law to wear one.
As I stand alone in the middle of the street admiring the architecture and the old buildings a word swirls in my head. It’s a word God keeps bringing to my consciousness like a tide that ebbs and flows over the beach. It’s a word I thought I understood but realize its definition must become a way of life, not simply words in a dictionary or something that happened to me.
As a read the definition of Abandon something inside stirs with excitement to reveal a new man emerging inside this spirit of mine. This word that God keeps placing in my life through His word, the writings of others and the example in my life, is so powerful I can hardly sit still and write about it. As I read the definition of abandon I find myself rising to the surface. Abandon is one willing to leave, forsake and desert all that you are or have known. To abandon means to surrender one’s feelings or impulses to make room for God to do the unnatural or create something new. To abandon is a willingness to give up, to willfully violate one’s obligations and be open to the possibilities. And best of all, abandon creates unrestrained freedom of activity.
As I stand on Main Street in Oakland, Oregon the emptiness brings no fear but creates a warmth and peace. As I look at the empty buildings and deserted sidewalks I hear God whisper in my ear “Rick, put away the open sign, you are no longer open to try and lure business. It is I who will bring business into your life.” For so long fear of abandoning my life has guided my every move. Now the word alone describes who I’m becoming and who I want to be.
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I have been to Oakland many times. Mostly now I think about my colleague and senior advisor who lived there for many years until he died prematurely at 57. I cannot separate Oakland from Steve and his family and our 15 years of association.
I have never thought of the word abandon in these terms. It is very thought provoking. Thank you for sharing this it opens up my mind to the fact that abandoning our lives as we know them needs to be done to be able open ourselves up totally to God. It is actually a beautiful thought.