As some of you may know, for about nine months out of the year I am an educational facilitator of the acoustic arts...I'm a music teacher. When the summer hours arrive I usually turn into something completely different. I am kind of like Jarod from The Pretender (a great show from the late 90's). Okay, maybe not quite, but I have found the opportunity to try my hand at a number of skills and occupations over the years. This summer I have entered the realm of finish carpentry while helping to construct a pseudo log house. The last three weeks have been filled with minor electrical work, building a monstrous staircase, ceiling work, and most recently installing hard-wood floors. This house has more wood than a small forest. It's like you're living in a giant, splotchy tree.
I worked on the same house two summers ago (yes, this house has been in process for the last many summers. That's what happens when teachers are building gigantic tree houses). Two years go we were working on the exterior siding, finishing the roof, and framing the wrap-around porch. It was a lot of work, a lot of heavy lifting, and a lot of hot, summer days on that roof. Today, as I was driving past the construction site on my way to church, I was shocked to find that an entire section of the porch roof had been ripped off and blown away by the storm two nights prior. There in the midst of the great, green, tin, monstrosity was a gaping hole.
In that moment I was struck by two emotional thoughts:
My work has been ripped apart by the brutal and unfeeling savagery of the Montana wilderness. What is the point in all this work if it can be so easily undone in one evening?
and,
Now look at all the work we have to do. We are never going to finish this house. I don't want to go back up on that roof.
Yes, I can become a cynic and a whiner rather abruptly given the right circumstances. I arrived at church in a state of shock and suddenly did not feel like being there. A number of people commented on the destruction because they knew of my connection with the construction and it was a readily available topic for conversation. I don't blame them, but it wasn't exactly pleasant to repeatedly field the question, "So, you have a little extra work to do on the house now, eh?" Yes. Yes, there is more work now.
Everything was building up these feelings of frustration and concern over the completion of this mammoth project. Then I went to Sunday School.
The passage we were discussing this morning was Matthew 6:25-34. These are the words of Jesus in the middle of his sermon "on the mount" where he instructs us not to worry about what we will eat or what we will have to wear. Jesus tells us that God looks after the birds and the flowers, so of course he will look after us. Rather than worry, he tells us to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and the rest will be taken care of.
It was the most interactive Sunday school class I have ever witnessed since I have lived here. As the teacher opened up the discussion for the topic of worry I was surrounded by farmers who were dealing with all the crop damage that the storm caused. This storm wasn't the first to come our way this season either. It seems as though every two to four days we get another storm that drops hail on fields in the area. Here were all these people talking about faith in the midst of worry while dealing with great losses to their very livelihood. I, on the other hand, was worried about a summer project. I technically don't even need the money. It helps, but I could live on my teaching wages through the summer months.
It was as if God was grabbing hold of me and trying to snap me back into his reality.
Michael, this isn't even a matter of food or clothes for you. Why are you so worried by this? Don't you trust that I have this all in my hand and in my plan? Yes, God. I know you are right, and I know you are present in the midst of all these things. Help me to cast all my cares on you, knowing that you care for me.
So there is work to be done, and we will do it. And yes, all of our work, every bit of it, can be destroyed in a moment by any number disasters or calamities be they natural or otherwise. Even when we prepare for every contingency there is always one more that can undo everything that has been done. That is not our problem. Ours is to do the work of God; to seek his kingdom and his righteousness; to do everything to the glory of God and to have faith that he will take care of us as we need.
And so I echo the words of the man who sought Jesus to heal his demon possessed son, "I believe; help my unbelief."
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Sunday, June 19, 2016
You Are Not Alone
I survived my first 10K!
A part of me wants to say, "I survived my LAST 10K!" But while that could be true, and I have no intentions of running another, I do not have the power to predict the future. Considering all the variables that go into making crazy and sometimes life changing decisions, it is only fair to recognize that there are a few (very few but still existent) combinations of variables that would result in the repeated occurrence of me running a 10K...Just not any time soon.
It really wasn't a bad experience. The weather was perfect. I had trained sufficiently so that I was able to maintain confidence in my ability to finish all the way to the end. Running with other people also made it more interesting. Here are my observations.
Running with others is motivating. I spent the first two miles running along side a young guy I had just met on the shuttle ride to the starting line. I wasn't trying to race him, but I also didn't want to fall behind. Just keeping up was enough encouragement to push myself forward. After the two-mile mark he dropped back and I was left to run the next three mile loop on my own. No worries. In the words of Joe Banks, "some doors you just have to go through alone." That's life. And all my training had been solo runs anyway. So onward I went.
As I began to near the turnaround point of the loop, other runners started passing me going the other direction. Here I made a decision. I'm not in this for the win, so I might as well have fun and encourage others. I gave a thumbs-up to every runner I passed as a small way of saying, "we've made it this far. You can do this." Since every runner loops back on this mile-and-a-half stretch, I gave a thumbs-up to every single one of them...but not all of them noticed.
Most of the other runners saw my sign of encouragement and reciprocated the sentiment in some form. But there were still a few who probably didn't even know it was happening. I could have been offended--that seems to be a popular response in our society these days--but instead it just made me sad. I wasn't sad that they didn't notice me. I was sad that they missed out on a potentially encouraging and motivating moment in the midst of their trial.
How did that happen? Why did they miss it? The common factor in each instance was the intensity of their focus. Each and every one of them was so singularly focused on the road in front of them and the goal ahead (or the music in their headphones) that they missed out on the comradery and community around them. They could not be encouraged because all they could see was the trial. That is just what the enemy wants.
Don't get me wrong. Focus and perseverance are very important in both running and life. When we don't have focus we end up all over the place and we find ourselves giving up long before the race is done. If we are going to persevere--which we are called to do repeatedly in scripture--we must keep our focus on the goal. However, like all good things, our enemy has twisted that focus and caused us to believe that if we are to persevere, we must focus on our trial. As I recall, that didn't work out so well for Peter.
When Jesus came walking out to the boat in the middle of the lake during an intense storm Peter decided he was going to join Jesus. He said, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." And Jesus did. Peter steps out of the boat with the intention of walking to Jesus, and as a result Peter walked on water. "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, 'Lord, save me.'" Peter lost sight of the goal and focused on the trial. Those are the moments when fear and doubt slip in and we begin to sink.
We think that by focusing on the trial we will be able to navigate it and overcome it. We need to focus on the problem in order to find a solution. Yet in our attempts to find our own solutions we miss out on the solutions and comforts that God provides. We find ourselves floundering in the storms of life trying to convince Jesus that we will come to him just as soon as we get this situation all sorted out.
Often we look at this passage and think, "Peter blew it again. What a dunce. He just can't seem to figure this whole faith thing out." But I have to give Peter some credit. Yes, he lost sight of the goal and took his eyes off Jesus. Yes, he allowed himself to be distracted by the storm. Yet when he found himself sinking, he didn't try to swim for the boat. He didn't try to find his own way out. Peter's first response was turning to Jesus. "Lord, save me." It is a simple prayer, and one that we ought to use far more often instead of trying to find our own solutions. Peter sought Jesus in the midst of his trial, "Lord, save me." And what was Jesus' response? "I'm going to let you flop around for a while to make sure you learn your lesson, you dunce." NO! Matthew tells us, "Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him" (emphasis added). If you want to know how the story ends, you can find it in the gospel of Matthew in chapter 14.
Back to my run. When we focus on our trials we can miss out on God's provisions. One of the greatest ways God has provided for us is by giving us each other. We were not designed to run this race on our own. From the very beginning God knew that it was not good for man to be alone. And from the very beginning our enemy has been trying to separate us, divide us, and get us alone because we are easier to discourage, demoralize, and devour when we do not have the support of the body of Christ to remind us who we are and whose we are.
The race is long, and the race is hard. But yesterday I discovered that the race is more bearable, more enjoyable, and even more successful when we run it together. So let us look for ways to run with others, to encourage others in the race. And let us be open and ready to receive encouragement from others as we fix our eyes on the goal; a goal which includes community.
A part of me wants to say, "I survived my LAST 10K!" But while that could be true, and I have no intentions of running another, I do not have the power to predict the future. Considering all the variables that go into making crazy and sometimes life changing decisions, it is only fair to recognize that there are a few (very few but still existent) combinations of variables that would result in the repeated occurrence of me running a 10K...Just not any time soon.
It really wasn't a bad experience. The weather was perfect. I had trained sufficiently so that I was able to maintain confidence in my ability to finish all the way to the end. Running with other people also made it more interesting. Here are my observations.
Running with others is motivating. I spent the first two miles running along side a young guy I had just met on the shuttle ride to the starting line. I wasn't trying to race him, but I also didn't want to fall behind. Just keeping up was enough encouragement to push myself forward. After the two-mile mark he dropped back and I was left to run the next three mile loop on my own. No worries. In the words of Joe Banks, "some doors you just have to go through alone." That's life. And all my training had been solo runs anyway. So onward I went.
As I began to near the turnaround point of the loop, other runners started passing me going the other direction. Here I made a decision. I'm not in this for the win, so I might as well have fun and encourage others. I gave a thumbs-up to every runner I passed as a small way of saying, "we've made it this far. You can do this." Since every runner loops back on this mile-and-a-half stretch, I gave a thumbs-up to every single one of them...but not all of them noticed.
Most of the other runners saw my sign of encouragement and reciprocated the sentiment in some form. But there were still a few who probably didn't even know it was happening. I could have been offended--that seems to be a popular response in our society these days--but instead it just made me sad. I wasn't sad that they didn't notice me. I was sad that they missed out on a potentially encouraging and motivating moment in the midst of their trial.
How did that happen? Why did they miss it? The common factor in each instance was the intensity of their focus. Each and every one of them was so singularly focused on the road in front of them and the goal ahead (or the music in their headphones) that they missed out on the comradery and community around them. They could not be encouraged because all they could see was the trial. That is just what the enemy wants.
Don't get me wrong. Focus and perseverance are very important in both running and life. When we don't have focus we end up all over the place and we find ourselves giving up long before the race is done. If we are going to persevere--which we are called to do repeatedly in scripture--we must keep our focus on the goal. However, like all good things, our enemy has twisted that focus and caused us to believe that if we are to persevere, we must focus on our trial. As I recall, that didn't work out so well for Peter.
When Jesus came walking out to the boat in the middle of the lake during an intense storm Peter decided he was going to join Jesus. He said, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." And Jesus did. Peter steps out of the boat with the intention of walking to Jesus, and as a result Peter walked on water. "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, 'Lord, save me.'" Peter lost sight of the goal and focused on the trial. Those are the moments when fear and doubt slip in and we begin to sink.
We think that by focusing on the trial we will be able to navigate it and overcome it. We need to focus on the problem in order to find a solution. Yet in our attempts to find our own solutions we miss out on the solutions and comforts that God provides. We find ourselves floundering in the storms of life trying to convince Jesus that we will come to him just as soon as we get this situation all sorted out.
Often we look at this passage and think, "Peter blew it again. What a dunce. He just can't seem to figure this whole faith thing out." But I have to give Peter some credit. Yes, he lost sight of the goal and took his eyes off Jesus. Yes, he allowed himself to be distracted by the storm. Yet when he found himself sinking, he didn't try to swim for the boat. He didn't try to find his own way out. Peter's first response was turning to Jesus. "Lord, save me." It is a simple prayer, and one that we ought to use far more often instead of trying to find our own solutions. Peter sought Jesus in the midst of his trial, "Lord, save me." And what was Jesus' response? "I'm going to let you flop around for a while to make sure you learn your lesson, you dunce." NO! Matthew tells us, "Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him" (emphasis added). If you want to know how the story ends, you can find it in the gospel of Matthew in chapter 14.
Back to my run. When we focus on our trials we can miss out on God's provisions. One of the greatest ways God has provided for us is by giving us each other. We were not designed to run this race on our own. From the very beginning God knew that it was not good for man to be alone. And from the very beginning our enemy has been trying to separate us, divide us, and get us alone because we are easier to discourage, demoralize, and devour when we do not have the support of the body of Christ to remind us who we are and whose we are.
The race is long, and the race is hard. But yesterday I discovered that the race is more bearable, more enjoyable, and even more successful when we run it together. So let us look for ways to run with others, to encourage others in the race. And let us be open and ready to receive encouragement from others as we fix our eyes on the goal; a goal which includes community.
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Praising God in the Middle of the Race
The day is almost here, folks. I am one week out from running the local 10K. The only part I am looking forward to is the finish line. How magnificent will it feel to be done. I am not looking forward to all the running I am planning on doing in this next week, but no discipline seems pleasant at the time, right? Even the thought of the finish line brings forth a majestic chorus of "praise God from whom all blessings flow..."
Actually, as much as I haven't enjoyed my runs, they have produced a lot of praising God for all the little blessings. It goes a little something like this.
The far end of the road approaches, and you brace yourself for the apparent inevitability of losing even the faint whiff of air as you turn around to join the breeze in its southerly expedition. But wait. What's this? Is it possible you miscalculated the wind's trajectory? By what other means could this fresh and heavenly zephyr be explained? Your exhausted body tingles with delight and your weary soul rejoices as with a celestial choir. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow. Praise Him for breezes here below. Praise Him though you have blist'ry toes. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
But seriously, why is it that we must periodically be put through difficult, frustrating, and seemingly impossible circumstances before we will acknowledge the little blessings in life. We are told repeatedly in the Bible that we are to be thankful people. There are even some pretty serious consequences for people who will not give God his due in thankfulness for his blessings. The sun shines, the rains fall, and even the breezes blow on the righteous and the wicked alike. The righteous thank God for the warmth of the sun, the nourishment of the rain, and the refreshment of the wind. At the same time the wicked either act as if it is their due, or they grumble that it is too hot, too wet, and it is messing up their hair.
All too often I can find myself falling into the habit of complaining. I may be running the race and persevering in discipline, but I am not enjoying it and I will make my grievances known. Why does the sun have to be so hot? Why can't there be even a hopeful shady cloud in the sky? Why must there be a decided lack of wind? I even come to the point of cynicism wherein I assume that the next turn in the road will mean the end of all refreshment I might have experienced thus far. The worst part is that a small piece of my heart begins to blame God. "You knew I was going for a run. You knew it was going to be a long, arduous, and hot day. Why have YOU abandoned me to this windless misery?"
Truly, one of the greatest blessings of all is that God is still patient with me. When I think of how Job blamed God for afflicting a righteous man such as himself, and how God thoroughly put Job in his place as he responded to Job "out of the storm," I am amazed and humbled and baffled as to why God wouldn't just knock me upside the head for my petty complaints. Instead, he decided to give me a refreshing breeze. It's as if he was saying, "Michael, I know it is hard. I know you don't like it. I know that it seems as if everything is stacked against you. But I am not here to torment you. I may test you for a season, and I may permit the enemy to sift you for a time. But I am always with you. I may not bring you instantly and painlessly to the finish line, but I will give you what you need to make it to the end, and I will run the race with you."
And so, not simply for the refreshment, but especially for the encouragement and the promise, I lift my heart to God in praise.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise Him, you creatures here below.
Praise Him above, you heavenly host.
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
Actually, as much as I haven't enjoyed my runs, they have produced a lot of praising God for all the little blessings. It goes a little something like this.
It's the end of a full day of work. You just installed a massive log staircase in a massive log(-looking) house. It is 89.5ยบ F in the shade. For some reason--probably due to mental instability caused by being dropped on your head as an infant, because what else could it possibly be--you insist on running six miles in the glaring sun. And so you begin.
The sun is shining. The birds are singing. The gravel roads are searing hot. Even the roadkill you pass after the first mile-and-a-half smells like perfectly smoked southern BBQ (which makes me wonder where they get their meat for BBQ in the south). The rout isn't complicated. You're heading down a three-mile road and planning on an immediate return trip. By mile two you have taken stock of your surroundings and it feels as though the only circulation of air is an ever so faint northwesterly breeze, if it can even be called that. It is hot, you are tired, but you're insane, so you keep going with not a single hope of finding any relief in your journey.
But seriously, why is it that we must periodically be put through difficult, frustrating, and seemingly impossible circumstances before we will acknowledge the little blessings in life. We are told repeatedly in the Bible that we are to be thankful people. There are even some pretty serious consequences for people who will not give God his due in thankfulness for his blessings. The sun shines, the rains fall, and even the breezes blow on the righteous and the wicked alike. The righteous thank God for the warmth of the sun, the nourishment of the rain, and the refreshment of the wind. At the same time the wicked either act as if it is their due, or they grumble that it is too hot, too wet, and it is messing up their hair.
All too often I can find myself falling into the habit of complaining. I may be running the race and persevering in discipline, but I am not enjoying it and I will make my grievances known. Why does the sun have to be so hot? Why can't there be even a hopeful shady cloud in the sky? Why must there be a decided lack of wind? I even come to the point of cynicism wherein I assume that the next turn in the road will mean the end of all refreshment I might have experienced thus far. The worst part is that a small piece of my heart begins to blame God. "You knew I was going for a run. You knew it was going to be a long, arduous, and hot day. Why have YOU abandoned me to this windless misery?"
Truly, one of the greatest blessings of all is that God is still patient with me. When I think of how Job blamed God for afflicting a righteous man such as himself, and how God thoroughly put Job in his place as he responded to Job "out of the storm," I am amazed and humbled and baffled as to why God wouldn't just knock me upside the head for my petty complaints. Instead, he decided to give me a refreshing breeze. It's as if he was saying, "Michael, I know it is hard. I know you don't like it. I know that it seems as if everything is stacked against you. But I am not here to torment you. I may test you for a season, and I may permit the enemy to sift you for a time. But I am always with you. I may not bring you instantly and painlessly to the finish line, but I will give you what you need to make it to the end, and I will run the race with you."
And so, not simply for the refreshment, but especially for the encouragement and the promise, I lift my heart to God in praise.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise Him, you creatures here below.
Praise Him above, you heavenly host.
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
Saturday, June 04, 2016
What's Buggin' You?
It's that time of year again. The birds are singing. The flowers are blooming. The flies are pestering. Mosquitoes are the worst offenders. I seem to be one of those people whom mosquitoes find to be a delectable entree. This trait is not at all pleasant for me, but it is a marketable feature on the dating scene. "Want to go for a walk on this delightful summer evening? I promise the mosquitoes won't bother you a bit. They will be too busy feasting on my blood." How romantic.
But the mosquitoes aren't the only pests out there. The air is swarming with a plethora of winged beasts scouring the world over with their compound eyes seeking all whom they may devour. Just today I encountered a house fly in the window above the door to my apartment.
I was on my way out to enjoy a leisurely stroll in the summer sun when I heard the tell-tale buzz of an insect trying to fly through glass. You probably know the sound of which I speak. Zzzz......Zz...Zzzzzzzzzz. There is no doubt in my mind that I will encounter this aural oddity numerous times over the next five or six months.
As I said before, the fly was positioned on the window above my door. As a logical, problem-solving human, I would think that once the door was opened, the breeze was felt, and the unmistakable odors of the out-doors was perceived that the fly would quickly find his way to the opening and meet his freedom. As an experienced, pattern-observing human, I know that the chances of that fly dropping down into the doorway were slim to none. The fly is so focused on the image out the window that he cannot fathom another portal through which he might obtain such a dream. He is set and determined to achieve his vision by transport through that window. In the mean time he misses his chance at true freedom as I open the door to head out for my walk.
I don't know about you, but I can be an awful lot like a dumb fly.
We live in a world of counterfeits. Each and every one of us has been loaded up with dreams and desires. In and of themselves these desires are not at all bad. In fact they are meant to be quite good when they drive us to the appropriate source of satisfaction. But we are a microwave people. We want results, and we want them yesterday. When I'm hungry I want food. Even if I know that I have a lavish, three-course meal of all my favorite foods (yes, I only have three favorites...okay, maybe not) waiting for me at home, I still might eat a package of nutter butters, a snickers bar, and a dr. pepper from the vending machine because I am hungry NOW! Do I even think about the fact that this pseudo meal will ruin my appetite for the wonderful feast that awaits me? Maybe. Maybe not. If I were to think about it, I would probably just go for the snickers bar--because I'm not myself when I'm hungry (that's effective advertising right there).
Ultimately the problem is in me. I feel a desire and I see an immediate solution. Tunnel vision takes over. Yes, there might be better solutions, but this one is right in front of me. It looks so good. The job is perfect. My friends will think I'm cool. She is just so gorgeous. My parents will finally approve of me. I'll be able to do whatever I want. All we see is our desires being satisfied, and that is how the car-salesman gets us.
It's a classic bait-and-switch. He tells us everything we want to hear about how this is the car that will solve all our problems. These are the features that will make driving under any conditions seem like a trip to the Bahamas. It's a dream come true. Then, somewhere along the line, you find out that what you actual purchased was a trip to the Bermuda Triangle. We are promised so much, but we slowly find out that we are given very little.
The only reason we focus on and pursue those ideas and dreams and desires is to achieve some form of satisfaction. What we actually achieve is more emptiness. We find ourselves not satisfied, but even more hungry and hurting. But it did feel kinda good at the moment, right? So maybe if I try it again, that will be enough. And so we continue to buzz at the same window over and over, gazing into a dream world that we cannot reach.
But we can. It's not the world we see through the distorted window that we need. The world that we truly desire is found through the open door right next to us. As I said before, our desires and dreams are not bad. They are wired into us so that they will draw us to the true source of satisfaction. Often times finding true satisfaction means setting aside the opportunities for instant gratification so that we can focus and move forward in the path of righteousness that God has set before us; a path that leads to our most complete fulfillment. Sometimes it means laying down our dreams at the feet of God so that he can fill us with his dream.
If, however, we cannot offer our dreams and our desires to God for him to fulfill, if we will not pull our gaze away from the distorted window that never satisfies, we will end up like so many flies before us, a lifeless carapace in a dusty windowsill.
But the mosquitoes aren't the only pests out there. The air is swarming with a plethora of winged beasts scouring the world over with their compound eyes seeking all whom they may devour. Just today I encountered a house fly in the window above the door to my apartment.
I was on my way out to enjoy a leisurely stroll in the summer sun when I heard the tell-tale buzz of an insect trying to fly through glass. You probably know the sound of which I speak. Zzzz......Zz...Zzzzzzzzzz. There is no doubt in my mind that I will encounter this aural oddity numerous times over the next five or six months.
As I said before, the fly was positioned on the window above my door. As a logical, problem-solving human, I would think that once the door was opened, the breeze was felt, and the unmistakable odors of the out-doors was perceived that the fly would quickly find his way to the opening and meet his freedom. As an experienced, pattern-observing human, I know that the chances of that fly dropping down into the doorway were slim to none. The fly is so focused on the image out the window that he cannot fathom another portal through which he might obtain such a dream. He is set and determined to achieve his vision by transport through that window. In the mean time he misses his chance at true freedom as I open the door to head out for my walk.
I don't know about you, but I can be an awful lot like a dumb fly.
We live in a world of counterfeits. Each and every one of us has been loaded up with dreams and desires. In and of themselves these desires are not at all bad. In fact they are meant to be quite good when they drive us to the appropriate source of satisfaction. But we are a microwave people. We want results, and we want them yesterday. When I'm hungry I want food. Even if I know that I have a lavish, three-course meal of all my favorite foods (yes, I only have three favorites...okay, maybe not) waiting for me at home, I still might eat a package of nutter butters, a snickers bar, and a dr. pepper from the vending machine because I am hungry NOW! Do I even think about the fact that this pseudo meal will ruin my appetite for the wonderful feast that awaits me? Maybe. Maybe not. If I were to think about it, I would probably just go for the snickers bar--because I'm not myself when I'm hungry (that's effective advertising right there).
Ultimately the problem is in me. I feel a desire and I see an immediate solution. Tunnel vision takes over. Yes, there might be better solutions, but this one is right in front of me. It looks so good. The job is perfect. My friends will think I'm cool. She is just so gorgeous. My parents will finally approve of me. I'll be able to do whatever I want. All we see is our desires being satisfied, and that is how the car-salesman gets us.
It's a classic bait-and-switch. He tells us everything we want to hear about how this is the car that will solve all our problems. These are the features that will make driving under any conditions seem like a trip to the Bahamas. It's a dream come true. Then, somewhere along the line, you find out that what you actual purchased was a trip to the Bermuda Triangle. We are promised so much, but we slowly find out that we are given very little.
The only reason we focus on and pursue those ideas and dreams and desires is to achieve some form of satisfaction. What we actually achieve is more emptiness. We find ourselves not satisfied, but even more hungry and hurting. But it did feel kinda good at the moment, right? So maybe if I try it again, that will be enough. And so we continue to buzz at the same window over and over, gazing into a dream world that we cannot reach.
But we can. It's not the world we see through the distorted window that we need. The world that we truly desire is found through the open door right next to us. As I said before, our desires and dreams are not bad. They are wired into us so that they will draw us to the true source of satisfaction. Often times finding true satisfaction means setting aside the opportunities for instant gratification so that we can focus and move forward in the path of righteousness that God has set before us; a path that leads to our most complete fulfillment. Sometimes it means laying down our dreams at the feet of God so that he can fill us with his dream.
If, however, we cannot offer our dreams and our desires to God for him to fulfill, if we will not pull our gaze away from the distorted window that never satisfies, we will end up like so many flies before us, a lifeless carapace in a dusty windowsill.
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