Several local highways are lit up with signage highlighting the fighting championships underway. Given I do not watch TV or listen to the radio, the signage at night is the form of communication that is reaching me. My first thought was a Rocky-type character, fighting against the odds, overcoming everything in his way, to win at a price. The focus on the excitement and joy of winning often masks the difficulties and pain that happen to everyone on the journey to the outcome.
As I consider the day ahead, I find myself identifying with the character. He is willing to face the battles ahead, knowing it will be painful. He is willing to put in the work, believing the journey will lead to an outcome that is worth everything. I realise it is never about the crowds and the adulation that follows. This is personal. He feels called. He believes it is his opportunity. He knows his adversary. It is tangible, personal, and intimate.
Living is personal and intimate. The challenge is being intimate with yourself as this requires transparency and honesty. It is easy to generalise things, externally and internally. Getting behind the superficial requires courage and work. Life warns me that I will find things I do not like to admit exist. There will be darkness and ugly discoveries. The story does not end there, it never does.
Divinity is personal and intimate. I have spent many a day thinking of Divinity as an idea or set of values. Life reminds me that Divinity is so much more. As love-filled, beautiful, and awesome as Divinity is, there is more. You and I have been chosen by Divinity. It is personal and intimate. “Isaiah maintained this same emphasis: If each grain of sand on the seashore were numbered and the sum labeled ‘chosen of God,’ they’d be numbers still, not names; salvation comes by personal selection.” (Romans 9.27)
Living and Divinity go together. In seeing the day ahead through Divine eyes, I rediscover my opportunity to make my life and others better. Step by step.
