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
Such is the nature of the universe that it is governed by certain laws. These laws do not require us to like them or agree with them, but we would do well to take heed of them. A true law can never really be broken. It can perhaps be counter-acted or resisted with a certain amount of pressure or force, but in the end, the law always wins. Why? Because the law expends no energy existing as it is. It can rest in that state infinitely. Any effort to resist it however, is eventually doomed to exhaustion, and to the subsequent consequences of standing in opposition to that law.
As it is with the universe, so it is with the human condition. We, too, are governed by laws. One such law, as I have heard it referred to, is the law of work. Simply put, the law of work states that nothing starved of attention and effort ever improves on its own. Never. Things that are left to neglect, are ultimately left to ruin or to loss. That's the problem with stagnation - things don't actually stop. They rot.
So, with today being my birthday, it's got me feeling a bit contemplative. You know, the kind of thoughts that deal with dreams and potential, purpose and destiny. I've been sensing a gentle nudge over the last few weeks - a reminder that there's something for me to do, and that it will require some dedication of me to do it. It's a sobering thought that I will never be the person I have the potential to be unless I commit passion and persistence to the endeavours that I believe matter to me.
Good day boys and girls. I hope everyone is fine and dandy this gorgeous Cape Town day, or wherever and whenever it is in the world as you are reading this. I'd like to direct your attention to a freshly published article of mine. If you've ever been curious about trying your hand at a freelance career of some kind, you may find the following read useful:
I was reminded today of my favourite artist, Michelangelo. I'm fascinated by his sculptures in particular. Sketching or painting something with convincing realism is hard enough to do, but carving insanely intricate lines out of a massive, solid chunk of marble just astounds me. It's all the more baffling when you consider he had no power tools, and that he consistently worked through the night with nothing but soft, flickering candlelight to guide him.
(Taken from an article I wrote some time back for CrossRhythms.co.uk. The topic has been on my mind again of late, so here you go. I hope you enjoy it.)
I've seen it said that regret for things done can be tempered by time, but regret for things not done is inconsolable. These words have stuck with me since the moment I read them. They have echoed a sentiment that I have long clung to. Better it is to take risks in life in pursuit of a wild adventure, even at the expense of bruising your head, than to wrestle with the bitterness of regret over chances never taken and paths never followed.
Isn't this what striving to do something significant or meaningful often feels like? We feel dwarfed by the immensity of the task even before we begin. We wallow in self-defeatism and procrastination while precious opportunities for growth and development slip through our fingers. There is a time for relaxation and leisure no doubt, but embracing the practice of habitually resting before we are tired is nothing short of laziness. Even times of leisure not intentionally and thoughtfully engaged in can degrade into a mere "killing of time"...a nice way of defining what really amounts to the robbing of life.
This is a state which we should resist...and this resistance is especially hard when the fight is new and the soldier is untested by the rigors of battle. Sometimes the most difficult part of the journey toward excellence and purpose is the psychological barrier we face before a single ounce of energy is spent on the activity or craft itself. That moment when the urge to postpone just once more is so attractive. This is the problem of inertia...a resistance to a change of course or action. Don't be deceived. Rewards aplenty await us on the other side of work and diligence. (Proverbs 14:23)
What is God calling you to do...both this moment and with your future? Open that Bible? Write that card of encouragement? Learn that instrument? Read that book? Make that call? Take that run? Just do it!
It's March 1st, 2007. It really is sobering to think about how fast time flies by. There's a subtlety to it that lulls me into a false sense of confidence with regards to how much time I think I have left to accomplish what I need to accomplish. As one moment flows into another, or even as I'm contemplating some future event or situation, it can easily appear as if the journey I'm on takes place at a snail's pace. I have all the time in the world. No need for all this rushing about and fretting over things undone. Yet somehow, when at any present moment I evaluate where I am, and the time it took to get here, it's apparent to me that the time has escaped me far faster than it seemed to pass in reaching this point. I've observed it time and time again. Christmas 2007 seems a significant ways off, and undoubtedly when it finally arrives I'll find myself wondering: "Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday when it was Christmas a year ago.".This reminds me of how precious the gift of life is...and how fragile. It challenges me to grasp the fact that the time to pursue my dreams is now! The time to seize my God-given destiny and become the man I am meant to be, is now! The time to live with purpose, savor each moment and take joy in the journey, is now! Diligence, stewardship, industriousness...these virtues demand my attention now. There are gifts and talents that I've been entrusted with that will never see the light of day unless I'm faithful and determined in drawing them out of me...now. Proverbs 6:9-11, Proverbs 14:23. Tomorrow...that is the realm of dreamers and sluggards. It is the language of loss and regret. It is only in embracing and fulfilling my responsibilities today that I find myself steadily reaping a significant purpose...one day at a time.
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