I have been thinking a lot lately about life…and death…and everything in between. I am watching loved ones struggle with painful things like cancer, death, divorce, children with struggles…you name it and I’ve seen it more than I care to even admit to myself much less on a public forum like social media. With that said, here I am because I think it’s important to be real and to be as genuine as I can be. If for no other reason, to let people know it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to ask why even though the answers may not be forthcoming. God seems to be more than fine with my questions and my doubts and my fear…even my anger…all of it…everything…all of me. I’m tired, not gonna lie, but tired in a way that is forcing me to slow down and get quiet and still again…to learn to wait…and to rest…not on something or anything specific. I have to remind myself that I am human and therefore incredibly limited. We tend to put God in some kind of box and try to create Him in our own image instead or remembering that we are actually created in His own image. We aren’t capable of fully understand anything…ever…not here….Then I remember, again and again, I was never made for this place…it isn’t my home and I am simply passing through. Did I mention how incredibly limited I am? It’s kind of embarrassing to be totally honest….We all would like to at least seem like we’ve got it together and figured out. The older I get, I realize that nothing could be further from the truth. Life is EPIC…a story of stories with all sorts of underlying stories woven in between each other…everything is connected, even though we may not realize it. There is always a common thread though and it seems to present itself most during times of struggle. Truth be told, it’s in the struggles that we grow and change…not when things are easy. I think it’s during times of struggle and suffering that we get to choose…who we want to become and how we want to be in the midst and on the other side of things. It’s hard and it’s messy and it hurts like hell and then some…and we wonder what the heck is it for and what is it all about…simply put…WHY? I wanted to share an excerpt from one of my favorite books…actually entitled “EPIC”… And now? Now we are living somewhere toward the end of Act Three. We have a future, but this tale is not over yet— not by a long shot. We now live between the battle for Helm’s Deep and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Between the beaches of Normandy and the end of the war. Between the fall of the Republic and the fall of the Empire. Between Paradise lost and Paradise regained. We live in a far more dramatic, far more dangerous Story than we ever imagined. The reason we love The Chronicles of Narnia or Star Wars or The Matrix or The Lord of the Rings is because they are telling us something about our lives that we never, ever get on the evening news. Or from most pulpits. They are reminding us of the Epic we are created for. This is the sort of tale you’ve fallen into. How would you live differently if you believed it to be true? The final test of any belief or faith that claims to provide an answer to our lives is this: Does the one explain the other? Does the story bring into perspective the pages you were already holding, the days of your life? Does it take everything into account? Does it explain the longing in your heart for a life you haven’t yet found? Does it explain the evil cast around us? Most of all, does it give you back your heart, lead you to the Source of life? Something has been calling to you all the days of your life. You’ve heard it on the wind and in the music you love, in laughter and in tears, and most especially in the stories that have ever captured your heart. There is a secret written on your heart. A valiant Hero-Lover and his Beloved. An Evil One and a great battle to fight. A Journey and a Quest, more dangerous and more thrilling than you could imagine…. I think I need to spend some time re-reading the book this weekend. Because I have questions again…and I feel somewhat lost again…and I simply don’t understand…again. It’s not the first time and I am more than confident it won’t be the last….What I need to be reminded of is that I don’t know the whole story…there are pages that I am simply not privy to…but there is an Author who knows the beginning and the end and everything in between. And that is where my faith comes from…not in anything going on around me…and certainly not in anyone…but in the One who I believe in my heart of hearts loves me…and He loves my family and my friends…He even loves my enemies. Thank God, because I am limited, but You are not. That is what I will rest in…Who I choose to rest in…to lean into. It’s a great book…EPIC…by John and Stasi Eldredge. Good stuff…just sayin’….
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 03:43:40 +0000
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