Month: August 2018

seeing

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.   Hebrews 11:1

It’s so easy to take for granted the ability to see with our eyes. It is a gift to perceive color, consistency, curvature of objects that are close. An opaque velvety red rose, a transparent crystal blue sea, a hazy burnt orange sunset.

At some point we begin to measure our observations, record the output, and add error bars to life.  If we think too much of it, the propagated uncertainty can leave us paralyzed – stuck in the status quo, lost in a sea of data, cowering to the variability inherent in a change of state.

But it is also possible to see with our mind. The brilliance of a vision not yet complete. The vividness of a dream not yet reality. The clarity of a perspective not yet understood. When we fix our eyes on what we cannot see, we learn to trust beyond our senses.

If we thought more of it, each step of faith builds confidence in the unseen. And since no one knows with certainty what will unfold in the next moment, why not boldly act with an assurance that as you leap into the future, you will land in a better place?

mystified

Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.  Habakkuk 1:5

To wonder is a peculiar prepositional phrase that morphs in meaning depending on its context. Awestruck wonder at the beauty of a mountain, curious wonder regarding its genesis, doubtful wonder about the assertion it could be moved with a little faith.

There are numerous unexpected twists in life that will tilt our head in question. The recovery time from the whiplash of confusion naturally depends on the impact of the turn. When a career with tenure presumed to be stable, becomes unstable; when a relationship promised to last ’til death do us part, falls apart; when you hold a loved one you’ve embraced a thousand times, one last time – you’ll be left with a lot to ponder.

This space that inhabits more ignorance than reason, more inquiry than answers, more incredulity than explanation is not the easiest place to reside. While I think I would have preferred a little warning, better notification, advanced insight – it appears such thoughts are futile. Because deep in my heart I know I agree, the greater the wonder, the harder to believe.

anniversaries

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  Lamentations 3:19-23 

It seems like I should have enough practice by now getting through a day I lived a year prior, and endured the previous year, and survived each year before that… but there are still certain dates I dread. No matter where I am, who I’m with, what I do – I’m still the common element.

There’s no escaping a pivotal moment that changed the course of history – setting off a chain reaction radically propagating each transformation until reaching steady state. Unlike events that are honored, esteemed, and cherished, some happenings may require a number of seasons to evolve towards bittersweet.

But as these days approach, it’s best to be proactive – creating a plan that impresses utility, imprints value, and inspires hope. This is because I’ve seen night fade into a thin strata of color, followed by the sun cresting the horizon. The next day acts like yesterday never existed. It marches in fearlessly, overtakes the darkness, and consumes the past.

The experience of the good that awaits makes the former appear untrue – as if it were a bad dream in contrast to the reality known when I awake. It is a welcome retreat, and I arise eager to experience the unexpected, the unexplainable, the unfathomable gift prepared for me that day. It is a day I will greet with arms lifted up, hands wide open, and a heart that is grateful.

meaning

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6 

Truth – firm as a rock and fleeting as the wind. Absolute, without compromise. No meddling, altering, blemishing that which is in its purest essence. More common, however, are our tainted thoughts, simpleton sayings, inaccurate interpretations, misguided misconceptions. What did Jesus say? What were his teachings? What are we suppose to get from the stories, the parables, the poetry expressed in words assumed to convey equivalent meanings in every native tongue unadulterated by the filter of a translator?

Many would find the sentiment “to each his own” uncomfortable, unscientific, unnerving in view of the bias implied. But the filters of genetics, environment, and experiences are impossible to negate. Thus the uniqueness of every line penned, the choice and placement of each word, the time, cultures, and technologies it spans, lends itself to misinterpretation, manipulation and sets itself up for mockery and mistreatment. And yet there is so much simplicity in the announcement “I am the way, the truth and the life” – and we are bidden simply to come.