A WELCOME NOTE:

Greetings, and a very warm welcome to you. Thank you for taking some time to share in my philosophical foibles. It's my hope that within these entries you might find encouragement, challenge, laughter, counsel and companionship for the journey ahead. Carpe Diem!

Check out www.grantcyster.com for more details. Catch me on Twitter at: GACyster

Wednesday 21 January 2009

COME HOME, CHILD.


The compassion of the Lord is new every morning. The imposing grip of night cannot restrain the glimmer of the unveiled dawn. The sweet Spirit of God makes all things new and breathes upon all things the breath of life. Let us inhale. For sorrow may be with us for the present, but joy will surely come in the morning. There is hope. Resilient, tenacious, unwavering hope. There is a divine gaze that must be met...a security and freedom from striving and storms to be found in the eyes of him who has turned his eyes toward us. To direct our stare anywhere else is folly. To rest our attention any place else, madness...a self suffocation of our souls that can lead only to despair and dismay. I've felt yet again his tap on my shoulder. Yet again have I sensed his invitation...a call to lose myself forever in him that I may inevitably be thoroughly found. I have heard his call home...and for now at least, at this time, I will say: "Speak Lord. Your servant is listening.".

Thursday 8 January 2009

THANK YOU!


The past few weeks have ushered in significant changes. I find myself facing a home on a different continent, the pursuit of different vocational opportunities, the dawning of a new and different year and the beginning of a different chapter in life along with all the hurdles and joys that it may bring. Most of these changes have occurred contrary to my hopes and preferences, but they stare me in the face, real as can be, just the same. Finding things to whine and complain about is no difficult task. I've been perfecting that skill for some time now unfortunately...though learning to discard it is thankfully not impossible.

Rather than stick to the form that comes naturally though, I'll aim to embrace a different tack. In the midst of all these changes and fluctuations in circumstances, one thing has remained constant. I'd like to take this brief moment to acknowledge the goodness and faithfulness of God that continues to be the foundation and bedrock in my life that is unshaken by the unpredictable winds of change. I'd like to acknowledge his constant love and kindness which are never far from me...never beyond my reach. I'd like to express my gratitude to him for the precious gift of life, and for his dealings with me that continue to be infinitely better than I could ever deserve. I'd like to lay at his feet this new year that lies at mine, and commit to him every dream, hope and aspiration that my heart might find itself drawn to. I'd like to honor him with the surrender of my free will, which will never find me free unless freely submitted to his will. I'd like to thank him, simply and humbly, for everything he is and does.

EMBARRASSED MUCH?


It was a lovely, sunny afternoon. A good friend of mine in high school was playing in a provincial tennis tournament. This guy was good. I took my place in the stands among a multitude of others looking forward to enjoying a competitive game on a gorgeous day. My friend was down on the tennis court practising some of his strokes before the big match. Suddenly, he notices me in the stands and motions for me to make my way down to him to exchange a few rallies before his official opponent arrives. Pretty neat stuff I say! Forget about pathetic name dropping and vague associations. Now this whole crowd of people was going to see that I was close friends with this tennis prodigy. Most excellent! I eagerly made my way down to the court and happily started enjoying some rallies with my popular friend. Nevermind that my tennis skills weren't worth blowing your nose with. I cared not. What mattered was that everyone was watching me being all casual and cozy with this provincial tennis star. Ah yes...life was indeed so good.

After a few minutes my friend suggests we change sides. No problem. At this point I found myself faced with a simple choice: To either walk around the net like a normal person and uneventfully make my way to the opposite end of the tennis court, or to take this opportunity to dazzle my friend and not to mention this significant crowd, by gracefully leaping over the aforementioned net to the sound of enthusiastic applause. The choice sold itself of course. A graceful leap was the only option. I poised myself as I watched my friend making his way around the tennis net like a clumsy neanderthal. I took a deep breath and bolted full speed toward it. I remember that landmark moment as if it was yesterday. A powerful leap commences, as does the smug smirk that accompanies it. A crowd watches enthralled as time slows to a crawl. Athleticism is showcased as... Hmmm, what's this? A slight hindrance imposes itself upon my elegantly trailing back foot? The very same back foot that entirely succeeds in getting itself tagged on the net line, catapulting this optimistic showman face first onto a tennis court. Just as he imagined, a roaring sound does erupt from a friend and a crowd. This sound is however unmistakably unlike the kind he was keen on invoking. And so there the disgraced little showman lies, intimately acquainted with the taste of dirt while hundreds of people belly-laugh at the top of their lungs...their jubilant exclamations filling the heavens for what felt like an eternity.

The recollection of that infamous exploit of mine always reminds me of what an exceptionally wise man said a few millenia ago. Something about how pride comes before a fall. And how fortunate I am to have such a vivid and personal image to remind me of those prudent words. Pride it turns out, is one subtle, sneaky and ever-present gremlin. Just when you've thought yourself to have conquered it, you find yourself feeling smug and proud about how humble you've become. It is perhaps the chief among all transgressions. It is the absolute polar opposite of who and what God Almighty has revealed Himself to be...love. Pride has no place in the presence of God, just as it should have no place in the hearts of those who seek and hope to be found in His presence. When the God-man Jesus Christ invaded time and space some 2000 years ago He turned the world on it's head, it's priorities upside down, and He showed the human heart the right side up. He displayed an eternal, unlimited and unchallenged power under the control of an unassuming and gentle force even more impressive and enchanting...a selfless, humble and Godly character. Humility it turns out, is not something self-deprecating or cowardly. It is not timid or weak. It is the recognition of the utter futility of having to prove oneself to anything or anyone, and the serene calm and confidence that comes from resting in the mighty arms of God. This God who Himself thought nothing of casting that might aside in order to reconcile the hearts of the broken and lowly to the heart of their Creator. We are not without a worthy example to follow.