I look out on the horizon and I can see the storm clouds gathering. Rain is already falling on the north side of the island. The breeze is picking up and the temperature is dropping. As much as I want to do something about what I know will follow, the storm reminds me how little control we have over what will flood our lives.
Even as I shut my eyes and imagine a calm sunny day, I can see others in trouble. Someone has just lost the job that paid the bills. The change had nothing to do with individual performance. Sometimes external events overwhelm anything one might do. Another has discovered that the tumor continues to grow without restraint. Despite a sense of hope that treatment brings, the awareness of life’s uncertainty is overwhelming. A third is dealing with the death of family and friends. While I struggle with the emotions that come from looking with open eyes, I know that I am potentially missing a call from Divinity. You and I have an open invitation to make compassion real. We can be God’s hand and voice in the lives around us. We can be the difference.
I peak and discover that the storm has moved closer. I desperately hope that it will pass.
I close my eyes again. In my mind’s sight, I can see others hard at work. It seems that shopping has no limits. Spending, acquiring, and seeking are the priorities of the day. David’s question haunts my view; “Why is everyone hungry for more? ‘More, more,’ they say. ‘More, more.’ I have God’s more-than-enough, more joy in one ordinary day than they get in all their shopping sprees.” (Psalm 4.6, 7)
Evan as I go to share, I realized that the question was never pointed at others. It is one that I am being asked to answer. As the words form on my lips, I hear the simple instruction. ‘I am not interested in words. Your thoughts are a whisper of what might be. Your voice is found in your action.’
