Context

Life unfolds in ways we cannot anticipate.  It is easy to lose one’s focus and frame of reference.  The foundations we trust may not be there when we need them.  The relationships we think we know may not be the ones we have.  Even basic assumptions we have held in trust may have come from a single moment of ignorance.  I wonder if I have come back to the foundations of my life as often as I need.  Do I understand the context of my life?  Have I consciously made the decisions that shape my life?  Is there a focus and purpose driving the moments at hand?  Are my responses to life simply random plays of emotions?
 
During the last few days, I operated within a singular focus.  I wanted to give two people a collection of memories that they will treasure for years to come.  Nothing else was contextually important.  I enjoyed myself, but that was not the focus.  The center of the actions, choices, and decisions reflected someone else.  Even as I look back at the success, there is a context to it.
 
Far too often, I lose my contextual reference.  I find myself reacting to the criticisms of the moment.  I catch myself defending where I should be embracing.  I see evil squaring itself off against evil, wishing that there would be a way good could confront the reality in which we live.  Even in the moments of beauty, I catch myself musing over the flaw in the corner of my eye.  As wonder unfolds, I see the potential uncertainty.  With awe travels doubt.
 
You and I would do well to remember a simple alternative.  In the busyness of life, God is here.  In the chaos we think is normal, Divinity words remain; “I, I'm the One comforting you.  What are you afraid of—or who?  Some man or woman who'll soon be dead?  Some poor wretch destined for dust?”  (Isaiah 51.12) 
 
Today dawns and everything is wide open.  With God’s grasp, we can touch the world.  With Hope, we can change everything.