My daughter asked for some products from a company called "Lush" I love how this girl is tuned into the 'fresh and trendy' stuff. Anyway, while shopping there I happened upon a product called "The Lord of MisRule". It is a shower gel and it has a pine-pepper/patchouli scent. Anyway, the reason I am writing about this is because in researching the "12 Days of Christmas" I found out about Twelfth Night Traditions and the Lord of Misrule. (The finder of the 'prize' in the cake the night of January 5th).
Veronica and I have had lots of conversations about theater and story development and I asked her one day why she was such a fan of 'the bad guys' in the stories and plays. Her response provoked lots of thought. She explained that ..."without a good villain, you can't have an excellent hero".
Many conversations about that have spawned since then. Thoughts of "If God is a loving God, why would he allow evil in the world?" There is scripture that talks about allowing weeds in the garden and how the weeds are an important part to the harvest. My sister Kathy and I have talked about catastrophic events and why God allows them...I mentioned that even 9/11 illustrated the kindness that is possible from human to human.
The concept of the Lord of Misrule is about allowing oneself to let go of responsibility for a moment and abandon control...what does that bring to your mind? What would you do if you were not concerned about tomorrow?
One idea is that without 'opportunities' to 'choose the right' we are a Godless society. God knows the content of our hearts. God knows what "our best" really is. My best may be different than yours, but without adversity, I would not be able to demonstrate good deeds. Without the pain of loss, I cannot fully understand the depth of joy in being found. A savior has come to help light the path of joy when feeling lost.
All of these concepts help me accept the path before me this Christmas. The Lord of Misrule is the traditional permission to indulge and celebrate all the opportunities we have before us. I wish you all a moment to allow yourself to immerse in the simplest of joys. You are enough. You have enough. Rejoice!
