As another year draws to a close, I have been reflecting on a lot of things the past few weeks, namely the current status of my life and how I am accepting (or not accepting) certain facts about the prevailing state of affairs in a godly manner. After a wonderful long Thanksgiving weekend in Kentucky, I was flying back to NYC early last Sunday and thinking about how God's plans for me must be so much more expansive than anything I could possibly imagine for myself at this point. There are certain blessings that I pray for all the time. And I don't think it's wrong to want something more than what is on the table right now. After all, the Bible tells us that God delights in giving good gifts to his kids and overanswering our prayers. But at the same time, His Word commands us to seek Him first, and I know that I really need to spend more time being grateful for all that is already mine and less time determining what I think should naturally manifest during each stage of my journey. Looking toward 2014, I want to live more in the present moment and relax into the peace that comes with true gratitude and being continually led by the Spirit as opposed to my own inclinations and reasonings.
As my plane descended over Queens to make its landing at LaGuardia, I was treated to a particularly magnificent aerial view of Manhattan, and it struck me that no matter how many times over the past seven years that I've visually experienced this same approach back to my home away from home, it never gets old. I think it's because I really do love New York and so each time, I am looking down at the city expectantly, actively anticipating being struck by some new thing that I'm always sure I'll see in the now-familiar topographical jumble of buildings, bridges and waterways. This particular time didn't disappoint, and it was the Freedom Tower that caught my eye, in all its gleaming, newly constructed glory, towering over everything in sight - a reminder that as long as there is life, there is hope and the possibility of restoration and beauty for ashes. Sincere love is totally hopeful. It always believes the best of its object of affection. If God is love (which He is) and I love God, shouldn't I be doing likewise when beholding the heaps of provision that flow from His merciful hand, as numerous and diverse as the structures boldly peppering the city's skyline? Having that same kind of vision that looks for and always finds the treasure pouring forth from its source...in this case, the source of all things - and believing the best is still yet to be discovered?
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| The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. - Marcel Proust |
As my plane descended over Queens to make its landing at LaGuardia, I was treated to a particularly magnificent aerial view of Manhattan, and it struck me that no matter how many times over the past seven years that I've visually experienced this same approach back to my home away from home, it never gets old. I think it's because I really do love New York and so each time, I am looking down at the city expectantly, actively anticipating being struck by some new thing that I'm always sure I'll see in the now-familiar topographical jumble of buildings, bridges and waterways. This particular time didn't disappoint, and it was the Freedom Tower that caught my eye, in all its gleaming, newly constructed glory, towering over everything in sight - a reminder that as long as there is life, there is hope and the possibility of restoration and beauty for ashes. Sincere love is totally hopeful. It always believes the best of its object of affection. If God is love (which He is) and I love God, shouldn't I be doing likewise when beholding the heaps of provision that flow from His merciful hand, as numerous and diverse as the structures boldly peppering the city's skyline? Having that same kind of vision that looks for and always finds the treasure pouring forth from its source...in this case, the source of all things - and believing the best is still yet to be discovered?
I think the mystery of a satisfying relationship with God lies in the embracing and acceptance of the unknown and living with childlike expectation even if nothing appears to be changing. In the same vein as my seemingly endless stream of "final" descents back into NY, sometimes we may be experiencing what only seems to be the same view over and over for an extended period of time. Yet, we are only really "stuck" with it if we allow our vision and perspective to grow dull. I'm starting to learn that change and discovery comes not so much at the expense of constantly surrounding myself with new people, places and things as it does in learning to look at my life with new eyes, the spiritual eyes that only God can provide. Our Creator is always doing something new to advance His kingdom, thus there is always something uniquely fresh to observe in the midst of the "same old, same old." During these times of status quo, maybe we just need to be thankful that God is allowing us to be still long enough to take a closer look so that we may be captivated by something that has, perhaps, been there all along but we failed to see because we were too busy looking for what we thought we wanted to find.
