But the Day Came when Kate’s Copacetic Vista Vanished.

The day came, as it comes in some part of the day to all, when Kate’s copacetic vista vanished like a vapor. That was the problem. Too often the substance of her copaceticity consisted of nothing more than vapor. This is not the stuff of stability. This is not the stuff of a truly copacetic nature (note previous post). A nature is faithful to itself, though weathered through the seasons.  In contrast, a vista exists only when one peers from a particular pinnacle. A nature is one’s innate inner grid — a way of interpreting all points from the pit to the peak.  (Excuse the alliteration. It just comes. But I’m in control . . . at least I’m responsible.  Thankfully, I did not include “vamoose” in describing the vanishing vapor. Gag.)

Copaceticity is a quality of the affective domain within a human being, our emotions and feelings. Ah, but is this exclusively true? The affective domain coexists with the cognitive and volitional domains. They synergize. None dances alone. The mind, emotion, and will, with all their nuances, shape our nature, temperament, personality, and personhood. Shape us. We do have some control with them, like the lady walking three pet pups on three ropes. You can imagine the confusion and noise. Our hearts typically take such walks.

The hardest part of being a human being, to me, is being just that — a human being. Ha! I remember sitting at a table of women at a church function where the ladies had been describing various catastrophes in their lives. I simply interjected, “Being alive is dangerous.” There was a pause, and then the ladies burst out laughing. Laughing and laughing. T’was the needed comic relief, based simply upon the most obvious of observations.

Is copaceticity possible to cultivate and maintain in such lives as ours? In an irregular and disturbed cosmos?*

I’m sure a number of your minds jump right to many of Jesus’ audacious (to us, not to Him) claims: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27).  Or, “Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). And, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full (John 15:11). “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). Remember, “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. . . (John 14:1).

These verses popped into my mind just like that (although I had to check some references and wordings). This is part of my heart’s control panel: “Thy Word have I treasured in my heart . . .” (Psalm 119:11); “. . . be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:3).

My heart — mind, emotion, and will. Let’s put that in third person, referencing Kate’s heart. Maybe Karl, for you guys. I just googled “boy names beginning with K.” No wonder folks name their kids such unusual names today! What a list!  By the way, according to this source, Karl, from Scandinavian or German origins, means “a free man.” So, I like it. Karl and Kate. (Avoiding Ken and Barbie.) Now you want to know what Kate means. Okay. I already know, because it’s a form of my own name, Karen. Sigh.

Kate, Karen, Kathleen, and Catherine mean “pure one” (Greek and Russian origins).  Maybe another time I’ll share the etymology, which is another rabbit trail in itself.  To complete the first trail, I did check out “Kate” on the site I found “Karl.” It’s called Momswhothink.com. Wow. I hope I’m one of those. Afraid of those who don’t. Hmm.  I do like our fictional characters which we can now use as our third person, “everyman” characters: Kate and Karl.

Kate, as we began our post, illustrates that copaceticity must be cultivated in order to be maintained, and the enduring seeds to be cultivated are Scriptural words of wisdom sown in our hearts, transforming our mindsets and our “selves.” Synergistically, the Scriptures re-shape us. Our nature? “We recognize no one according to the flesh [the old nature; who we used to be; note context]. Therefore is anyone is in Christ, he/she is a new creature or new creation; the old has passed away and the new has come. Now all this is from God who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. . . . (II Corinthians 5: 16 -18). “God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ (verse 21).

This sounds pretty copacetic to me, but it is not automatic. Kate and Karl can choose to “dance with God,” if I may put it this way. God knows the brokenness, sin, and confusion of our hearts. He knows the tumbling of the pet pups within. He gives us, if we are willing, a new heart and nature that surrender the restless pups for a spirit of order — love, joy, peace and rest in God (Galatians 5:22-23). This describes the truly copacetic nature, secure and becoming more stable. When we wander with the old pups (they never grow up), Christ within us always wills our return as the Holy Spirit woos us back to the only place called Home. “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations” (Psalm 90:1).

*Lovely rabbit trail: Cosmos, you know, means order. Cosmetology (arranging and adorning) is related to cosmos. Beauty is first a result of order, from which creativity becomes possible. The musical scale, so well ordered (and susceptible to scientific scrutiny), provides the infrastructure for beautiful melodies, harmonies, and rhythms.  Even in a fallen cosmos — irregular and disturbed — the resilient echo of the original order of perfection holds all together (Colossians 1:16 -17). The distant sirens call us to sanity. The present disturbances do not deny, demolish, nor completely mask a pre-existing design, foretelling a coming cosmos — the Kingdom of God. It is here in infancy. It is coming in maturity. “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.”