Perspective

Wisdom and change come in time.  We may know them as friends, yet, until we walk with them for a while and then some more, struggling together, we will not know them as family.
I often find myself wondering about myself when I was younger.  How did I really look at life?  Do my choices and decisions fully reflect my thinking of that time?  How caught in the chaos of the time at hand was I?
The question has merit if you and I are to avoid making the same mistake in a forever repeating cycle.  Frequently, communities and organizations struggle with a similar problem.  In order to learn, one must be willing to see and understand the past with a candid openness.  In order to make informed decisions, one must see today's picture in context of the priorities and values we hold closest to our hearts.  If we want to grow (avoid the repeating mistakes), one needs a combination of yesterday (openness), today (understanding), and a firm grasp of Hope.  The combination gives one the strength to move into new territory.  The combination allows one to act differently.  The strength of this trinity can make the difference work.
When “David said it all: 'I saw God before me for all time.  Nothing can shake me; he's right by my side,'”  (Acts 2.27a) he had a full sense of who he was and where his heart lay.  Today you and I have the same opportunity.  The freedom to seize the moment with an honesty, presence, and strength is always with us.  Nobody can take it from us, even though we can give it away.  Nothing can stand in its way, even though it may come with a great cost.  It is God given.
With time and the trinity, we have the opportunity for wisdom.  Yesterday has already left us but the present is here.  Everything from this moment rests on the now.  With the dawn, I will seize the day. I see others as well as myself with new light.  The colors and textures are wonderful.