I sat down to reflect and enter into my journal (I use Mel Robbins, 5-Second Journal as my template), and the thought dawned on me.
I am not sovereign, I can only control a few of the details coming my way, but I can decide how to face these next moments. I make my plans, but in reality, they are often subject to the flow of my day.
Trajectory, however, is in my control.
The trajectory is the point of the triangle, the ‘how’ I will look forward, the piece of the pie that I will consider, the attitude that I will choose, the angle of vision that I will allow myself to entertain.
The next 24 hours will happen. I get to decide the how.
The other morning I was listening to one of my favourite artists sing. She dug deep and punched out her lead line with a bit of a growl. I loved it the first time I heard it, and I loved it again this particular morning.
My mind instantly veered down a path of passion, and within moments I was thinking of the great company of witnesses in heaven. (Hebrews 12:1)
My thoughts went to Gideon, David, Elijah, and Ruth and Naomi all who lived fully human, just like us. Then my thoughts continued to the more recent; how about Martin Luther King, Billy Graham, and Mother Teresa? Then there are a couple of my favourite people who lived and sung with passion, Andre Crouch, and Dannibelle Hall. These people from ancient and recent past all stood with an, “I’ve got something I have to do!” attitude.
“Phil, you are going to be greeted and surrounded by a myriad of people that could literally be defined by their passion,” my thoughts injected. “Are these your people? Is this what you are known for? Are you living with passion? Is your passion for the right things?” (At times my inside conversation bothers me.)
Let me ask you. Right now I am asking where things are at. In the last twenty-four hours, has your passion shown through? Or, are you waiting for the weekend?
Oh, how I wish that I could have a do-over. Oh, how I wish that I didn’t have to go through what I just went through. Oh, how I wish that the first time were sufficient. Oh, how I wish that I could just learn by osmosis. I wish that when I blew out the candles that ease and tranquility would just be.
And then, life.
Life doesn’t behave according to how I wish or how you do for that matter.
In this last week, I’ve had a chance to see some of the results of the Fort McMurray Fire first hand. What impressed me the most was the indiscriminate nature of the fire. This morning I noticed a large patch of burnt grass, and right in the middle, there was about a 3 metre by a 3-metre section of non-burnt, totally exposed, portion of brush. The inverse is true as well. There was no indication of fire anywhere and then there is a severely scorched patch right in the middle of nowhere.
When life hits the way, this Beast hit Fort McMurray we are left stymied. The, “Oh, how I wish!” can impale us if we are not careful. Our strong desire for ease, our fatigued longing for the better and plan-able grow an angst inside that, like fire, can totally get away on us.
So, what do we do? How do we get our equilibrium back?
1) Recognize that stuff happens. In the context of love and perfection, Jesus lets us know through scripture that we are normal. “…He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45b, NIV)
2) Recognize that God means to do you good. Romans 8:28 say’s that God works in your life if you turn your thoughts toward him because He’s working out a plan for you.
3) Rest in the fact that God’s got it. (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Now is an opportunity for real change. Instead of wishing, then wishing and wishing some more, hoping for something eluding, place your hope in God’s words.
Then you can begin to say, “I just know that we’re going to be okay!”
