I have a twenty-something want-to-be-something friend who is long on intent and short on results. I love his intentions. I wish I had the clarity of vision when I was his age. Perhaps I did. If so, the sadness I often find myself in when I reflect on the potential is shaped by lost opportunities. There are so many that I have long lost count. Windows and doors come and go. He was able to see a few while totally missing others. Regardless, few were actually seized! Knowing what I do now, I could only imagine what I would do with each.
Even as I write and reflect on my commentary I realize that I could just as easily be writing about myself. As sad, wonderful, or whatever it is, the harsh reality is that I often only see opportunities when they are beyond my reach. I seem to be caught in a David echo; “Show the world I’m innocent – in your heart you know I am.” (Psalm 17.2) I want to believe it, yet in my heart I know I cannot.
It is easy to reflect and spiral into a pool of darkness when reality and wishful thinking collide. I am coming to realize that most wishful thinking is, in truth, twisted thinking. As bad as I think I am, I am neither as bad or as good as I realize. There are several truths I easily forget.
You and I are children of God. We did not earn this standing. It is not a privilege or a gift. It is a fact. We are members of God’s family.
You and I are human. God knows this in more way than we can imagine. In this fact, God states that we are “beloved”.
In our humanness we have and will fail. Acts of failure are not the end of your story or mine. Every step we take creates an opportunity to learn, grow, and reach for God. In our reaching we are embracing the best of what it means to be alive.
