History

Lessons of history are frequently lost before they are even captured.  It is as if we refuse to learn the lessons of the present as we are forever caught chasing the future.  The very facts of the present which reach out to nurture our steps are often discarded even as they are given birth.  The terror of yesterday is already forgotten.  The relationships shaping our lives continue to fade into the midst.  We waste one of life’s most precious gifts. 
 
Ironically we are not alone.  Walk through any story and you will find at least one character ignoring the lessons found throughout the story.  They are not difficult to find.  Even in the midst of stories with Jesus as the lead character the supporting cast loses the plot.  In a scene with six hundred soldiers coming to arrest one person, given a history of non-violence, compassion, and mercy, one character lost the plot!  The correction was swift and direct.  “Jesus ordered Peter, ‘Put back your sword.  Do you think for a minute I'm not going to drink this cup the Father gave me?’” (John 18.11)
 
I wonder how often I lose the plot.  As I reflect on recent events the answer is far more often than I care to admit or acknowledge.  Yet as I write I can see the lessons reaching out to teach, guide, and nurture.  Their effectiveness is dependant on my willingness to accept, grabble with, and use.  Ironically this is the same process which determines your ability and mine to learn any lesson. 
 
Am I willing to learn?  Am I willing to change?  Am I willing to see?
 
Usually I like to see through colored glasses.  I want to filter the events to shape them in a way that makes me feel good.  I want to feel good.  I hope things reinforce what I already believe to be true.
 
In short, I rarely want to learn.
 
Life is full of opportunity to grow.  Growing involves change.  Successful change leverages life’s lessons.  Today is a window full of opportunity to grow, our window.