Someone once said to me, “If I’d known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” I chuckled in agreement. Later I remembered that during one of those seasons when I did take better care of myself and even trained for a marathon, the week before the race I got a stress fracture in my foot and my wife had emergency surgery. I did not get to run that marathon.
Much of my life has been spent overlooking the right now. For too many years I kept my focus upon an imagined future. I say “imagined future” because the future does not exist outside of the imagination. Absolutely nothing I do today guarantees that tomorrow will come or turn out a certain way. The future is not a thing that stands in line waiting for its turn like when we wait for our number to be drawn at the driver’s license renewal station. It is entirely a figment of our imagination—a phantom. There is only now—this fleeting moment, a beat of the heart and a drawn breath. Where I am, who I’m with and what I’m doing right now is all that is certain, though fleeting.
While there may be some steps I can take today that may bring positive results tomorrow, there are no certainties. I could, for example, eat better and exercise today in the hope of being healthier tomorrow; but that doesn’t guarantee that I won’t slip in the shower and break my neck today. That’s why right now is so all important.
Persons afflicted with Alzheimer’s sometimes revert to reliving the past while being disconnected from the present. It is painful to watch and sorrowful to loved ones who are no longer recognized. However, because they understand that the person is ill and can’t help it, family and friends valiantly and loyally continue to love and care.
One who lives in the future and, in effect, is disconnected from the present is also difficult to deal with. Lacking the excuse of a medical condition, this person has chosen to devalue the immediate affections and presence of loved ones and friends by living in his or her future fantasy. The smiles, nods, tears, gestures, sounds and experiences of today's moments are overlooked in the rush to the future. Both the Alzheimer’s patient and the future chaser are denied the full benefit of right now; as are those forced to deal with him or her. Patience and sympathy from loved ones can wear thin.
This is why Jesus cautioned us to “take no thought for tomorrow... because tomorrow will take care of itself” (Matthew 6:25-34). Instead, he said we should focus upon living in God’s domain right now. God’s domain is loving relationships. Folks who don’t take this to heart wake up one day to discover their kids have grown up, graduated and moved away and now they’re left wondering where all those years went. What happened to those times that should have been given to laughter, hugs and memory making? They were lost to the priority of chasing the mirage of the future.
Will you join me in pulling out of someday and zeroing in on right now? We can do it if we’ll focus upon loving those around us, cherish the sound of their voice, listen to their thoughts and feelings and savor this present moment before it evaporates into yesterday.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
BEACHES & THANKSGIVING
Gratitude is like my first trip to an ocean beach. What a different world it was from the corn fields, prairies and timberlands of Iowa where I grew up. Standing in awe of the rolling surf as the warm sand squeezed between my toes, I was speechless. The salt air was invigorating. Everywhere there were seashells of many sizes and colors and other flotsam and driftwood shapes to examine. Gulls glided and squawked close by making me think I could catch them in my bare hands, but never did. It was a world of discovery and fascination to a young boy experiencing it for the first time.
Each time I travel from my everyday existence to the shores of gratitude I find myself similarly overtaken. So many things to look at and discover, so much to ponder and learn, and such big new horizons to take in; it is breathtaking.
Today I am grateful for adversity because it makes me flex muscles of faith and hope. I am grateful for mystery because it makes me seek truth. I am grateful for transition because it keeps me fresh. I am grateful for every reminder I am not in control because it forces me to press into God.
I am grateful for true friends and loved ones who won’t let me pretend I’m not who I am. I am grateful for survival from my past which allows me to have the gift of today. I am grateful for every material blessing I enjoy along with the knowledge it all could vanish in the next storm.
I am grateful for love and grace given through Jesus Christ. Today, I join the anthem of the ages that shouts in the face of all that is troubling, strange and difficult, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!”
Oh, and I’m thankful for the corn fields, prairies and timberlands of Iowa and the beautiful wildlife I’ve enjoyed while sitting silently in a deer stand this Fall. God has joined me there.
Each time I travel from my everyday existence to the shores of gratitude I find myself similarly overtaken. So many things to look at and discover, so much to ponder and learn, and such big new horizons to take in; it is breathtaking.
Today I am grateful for adversity because it makes me flex muscles of faith and hope. I am grateful for mystery because it makes me seek truth. I am grateful for transition because it keeps me fresh. I am grateful for every reminder I am not in control because it forces me to press into God.
I am grateful for true friends and loved ones who won’t let me pretend I’m not who I am. I am grateful for survival from my past which allows me to have the gift of today. I am grateful for every material blessing I enjoy along with the knowledge it all could vanish in the next storm.
I am grateful for love and grace given through Jesus Christ. Today, I join the anthem of the ages that shouts in the face of all that is troubling, strange and difficult, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!”
Oh, and I’m thankful for the corn fields, prairies and timberlands of Iowa and the beautiful wildlife I’ve enjoyed while sitting silently in a deer stand this Fall. God has joined me there.
Friday, November 09, 2007
CHARITY OR JUSTICE
At the OFF THE MAP (http://www.offthemap.com/live/) conference I recently attended, Richard Twiss, a Lakota Sioux writer, speaker and Christian leader, told a poignant parable that underscores the challenges of justice and reconcilliation.
Suppose I stole your luxury SUV and several years later came to you feeling guilty about it and said, "I'm really sorry I did that and I want to ask your forgiveness." You might say in return, "OK, I forgive you. I see you feel bad about it and want us to be friends. Can I have my vehicle back?" If I then say to you, "Return the vehicle! I can't do that! I put a bunch of miles on it then traded it for a new one. I don't have it anymore. I want you to forgive me, but I can't return the vehicle because the only one I have is my own and I need it."
I'm sure you would agree that I'd be guilty of a grave injustice. If you were gracious enough, we might still be able to reconcile. That is, if you were able to forget the loss and move on we could have a friendship. But it would be built upon unmerited favor granted to me by you and not upon justice. Justice would require me to make some kind of reparation for your loss. If we wanted to restore justice to the relationship, I would owe you a bunch--more than the actual value of the SUV I stole considering all it put it you through as a result of my theft.
Many of the ills that we face globally can be traced back to periods of colonialism and conquest that have left entire people groups disenfranchised, ripped off and powerless. Poverty and AIDS in Africa, Islamic extremism, racial inequality in the U.S.A., immigration controversies and more are fruits of an earlier injustice done by a dominating power. And while it is true in most of these cases that none of us today are in a position to return the original "stolen SUV" since it is long gone, we should want to address in meaningful ways the injustices that still haunt the cultures and psyches of the oppressed. Apologizing isn't enough. Good will isn't enough. Charity isn't enough. Me saying to you, "Get over it, that was then this is now," is a cop out and an insult.
Going back to our parable. If I decide that to try and make you and myself feel better, I'm going to send you a nice Christmas gift every year, that would be charity. It's a nice thing to do but it really doesn't fix the greater injustice. That requires a much more proactive and sacrificial effort over a long period of time.
Many of us have already begun to receive the annual holiday appeals for charity contributions from all the organizations we may have supported in the past. We give to several of them as I'm sure you do. This year, however, when I sit down to write my checks, I'm asking myself if there is more I can do toward the cause of justice? Is my giving motivated by a need to salve my conscience, or to make sure I'm doing my part to make sure there is liberty and justice for all? Charity is a good thing as far as it goes. But, it doesn't excuse us from getting informed and doing the hard work necessary to restore justice wherever we find lingering, unresolved injustice.
A good place to start in learning how Jesus intended for us to address injustice and find ways we can get involved is to read Brian McLaren's Everything Must Change, Thomas Nelson, 2007. This may be one of the most important books you will ever read.
Suppose I stole your luxury SUV and several years later came to you feeling guilty about it and said, "I'm really sorry I did that and I want to ask your forgiveness." You might say in return, "OK, I forgive you. I see you feel bad about it and want us to be friends. Can I have my vehicle back?" If I then say to you, "Return the vehicle! I can't do that! I put a bunch of miles on it then traded it for a new one. I don't have it anymore. I want you to forgive me, but I can't return the vehicle because the only one I have is my own and I need it."
I'm sure you would agree that I'd be guilty of a grave injustice. If you were gracious enough, we might still be able to reconcile. That is, if you were able to forget the loss and move on we could have a friendship. But it would be built upon unmerited favor granted to me by you and not upon justice. Justice would require me to make some kind of reparation for your loss. If we wanted to restore justice to the relationship, I would owe you a bunch--more than the actual value of the SUV I stole considering all it put it you through as a result of my theft.
Many of the ills that we face globally can be traced back to periods of colonialism and conquest that have left entire people groups disenfranchised, ripped off and powerless. Poverty and AIDS in Africa, Islamic extremism, racial inequality in the U.S.A., immigration controversies and more are fruits of an earlier injustice done by a dominating power. And while it is true in most of these cases that none of us today are in a position to return the original "stolen SUV" since it is long gone, we should want to address in meaningful ways the injustices that still haunt the cultures and psyches of the oppressed. Apologizing isn't enough. Good will isn't enough. Charity isn't enough. Me saying to you, "Get over it, that was then this is now," is a cop out and an insult.
Going back to our parable. If I decide that to try and make you and myself feel better, I'm going to send you a nice Christmas gift every year, that would be charity. It's a nice thing to do but it really doesn't fix the greater injustice. That requires a much more proactive and sacrificial effort over a long period of time.
Many of us have already begun to receive the annual holiday appeals for charity contributions from all the organizations we may have supported in the past. We give to several of them as I'm sure you do. This year, however, when I sit down to write my checks, I'm asking myself if there is more I can do toward the cause of justice? Is my giving motivated by a need to salve my conscience, or to make sure I'm doing my part to make sure there is liberty and justice for all? Charity is a good thing as far as it goes. But, it doesn't excuse us from getting informed and doing the hard work necessary to restore justice wherever we find lingering, unresolved injustice.
A good place to start in learning how Jesus intended for us to address injustice and find ways we can get involved is to read Brian McLaren's Everything Must Change, Thomas Nelson, 2007. This may be one of the most important books you will ever read.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)