Obvious

I replay the past few days, weeks, months, and years, and I finally see the obvious.  It is odd that I missed so much during the first pass.  How did I not see that a lack of sleep was going to bring on that episode of sinusitis?  What was so important that I was willing to miss the opportunity to spend time with those close to my heart?  Why did I find myself so caught up in the moment that I missed the obvious?
 
When I look at my life, I find myself wondering aloud, talking about my walk in the third person.  “Doesn't it occur to them to say, ‘Half of this tree I used for firewood: I baked bread, roasted meat, and enjoyed a good meal.  And now I've used the rest to make an abominable no-god.  Here I am praying to a stick of wood!’”  (Isaiah 44.19)  Why was I so blind?  How could I be so dim-witted?  What was more important? 
 
There are two lessons I find myself holding to as a new day dawns.  First, the obvious is not always in the moment.  It is important to learn from the past.  Yet letting go is equally valuable.  Second, coming into the present rested, filled with hope, and emotionally ready to live, can and does make a difference.
 
As I look to the present, I find my heart hope filled.  I have no idea what is going to happen in the future, not even today.  I do know you and I hold part of the key; we can place ourselves in a position to live making a difference.  We can step into the present ready to act.  We can be in the moment, open to engage.  We can be real, to those around us and more importantly, to our soul.
 
There are many obvious things in your life and mine.  Yet the present is unwritten.  We, in this moment, can realize hope’s dream, compassion’s vision, and mercy’s passion.  It may not seem obvious now, but, with your commitment and mine, it will.