I am resting on a 16 plus hour flight between Los Angeles and Singapore. We are somewhere over the Pacific. I have no idea what day it is as I think we recently pass through the International Date Line. It could be Monday, it may still be Sunday, or it could even be Tuesday!
I have just left the comforts of home to start a new job. I have an idea of what I am getting into, however the challenges are beyond my ability to see. I sit quietly, dozing off and on, deep in meditation, and writing. I find myself remembering old conversations that were filled with wisdom. I did not always see them that way when I heard them the first time. In my reflection state, the faces blur into a single conversation. It is as if I am listening to Truth.
Life has always been teaching you, are you willing to listen and learn?
Each experience is a window. Will you look with an open heart?
Remember, “I taught you out in public and I taught you in your homes, urging Jews and Greeks alike to a radical life-change before God and an equally radical trust in our Master Jesus.” (Acts 20.21)
Each teacher was an instrument of Divinity. Across many faith traditions, their words were relevant to me in a specific place and time. Yet, within me what they gave continues to live. I am walking into an extended period of challenges, unknowns, and doubts. I will need to remember the lessons of yesterday, applying them in new ways. I will need to embrace the gifts of others, even if I did not understand their meaning then. I will need to let the strength of others mingle with what is within.
The wonder of a long flight rests in the one thing you cannot avoid. You will listen to your mind. On this flight, I am alone and yet I am in the company of friends. I did not understand their gifts the first time. Today and tomorrow can be different.
