TO FILL A LITTLE SPACE

Many years ago I was challenged with a most meaningful question: “Where will you be  when you get to where you’re going?”Since then that question has helped me to stay on course, and to know precisely where I’m heading.

It doesn’t take a genius to recognize that the road to tomorrow passes through many yesterdays. Some of the experiences may be unforgettable and exhilarating. Others may be challenging but not paralyzing. Still a few may be disastrous, and should never be repeated again.

No matter what happens along the way, life must go on and we need to be proactive in taking control, with divine help, of all our steps and actions leading us to where we need to be.

An elderly friend of mine, who lost his wife of many years, while struggling with his loneliness and grief, used to comfort himself by repeating the phrase: “The show must go on!” Because he had been in show business for much of his adult life, this phrase connoted something he was used to, and now he was applying it to his life as a whole.

Indeed, in all situations, in spite of whatever barriers one may face, “the show must go on.” Yet, most often it goes on under a new script, and those participating in it must learn and adapt themselves to new realities, new circumstances, namely, a new script. In the words of Christoph Blumhardt, “we cannot be swallowed up by the present, for we are bound to the future.”

Some people, unfortunately, only have a peep-hole view of reality. They seldom know where they are and, much less, where they are going. They need a new way of looking at self and at the world around. For this, they require “critical inspection” as a necessary device in their day-by-day living.

To make progress, to get somewhere, we need to have a clear understanding of where we are going, but also of where we are coming from. Both dimensions shall influence our arrival at a certain, specific destination. Avoid short-cuts, follow any by-pass with caution, and strive to stay on the road. The purposes of God shall beautifully unfold for the sake of those who walk with Him, in the paths He Himself has delineated for one’s own good and ultimate satisfaction! Just re-examine your steps and be sure they are leading you where you need to go!

At the close of a few delightful hours of dreaming, strategizing, and just having wonderful fellowship, my dearest friend and colleague in ministry, Jameson Reeder, said farewell with these words: “The road lies ahead! The turns we choose are the adventures we live!” And for the child of God, there is no fear in faith, there is no fear in hope, there is no fear in love. Thus, strive to arrive, and may both the journey and the reached destination be a delight!

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 5th, 2006 at 10:11 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.