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!
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A few days ago, along with hundreds of millions of people around the world, I watched the final day of the London 2012 Paralympic athletics programme. I witnessed individuals with some of the most severe disabilities known, push themselves to the limit of their physical capability.
A typical response to this kind of display is often pity. Sometimes, it's ridicule or insult. As I watched these athletes compete, I couldn't help but think that if any pity was called for, it ought to rest squarely on the shoulders of us 'normal' people spectating, before it could ever rightfully be directed towards any Paralympian.
How does one measure success in life? What does it look like? What are its trademarks? How much of our lives have been needlessly squandered in pursuit of a definition of it that is neither worthwhile nor accurate? There is seemingly no end to the ways in which a materialistic and self-absorbed culture would seek to impose its interpretation of success upon us. Suffocating notions of it are so pervasive in our everyday experience that few people actually stop for a moment to question the trajectory of their own life in practically mindless allegiance to them. We are all guilty of this to some degree or another. A sweeping statement perhaps, but one that is true nonetheless in light of human temperament that is self-centered and self-serving by nature outside of the redemptive influence of God.
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.".
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.
