Note from Plunge: Sorry, I forgot to post this blog entry from the Chief:

Thursday, February 12, 2004

Each stop along the way

In the course of our daily lives, we establish expectations regarding how things should transpire and complain when things don't go according to those vary expectations. We fuss and fight against change in our lives and become frustrated to the point of complaining when life takes detours or veers off the path, paved by our own anticipation.

With our own limited knowledge and definite inability to foresee the future, we establish what we think should be our course through life. We predict, anticipate, plan, and build expectations based on our own lack of foresight to see what might lie ahead and where a certain course might take us.

But yet we say we will do what the Lord wants us to do, but fail to understand what his will is, or fail to prepare ourselves for where his will might take us. At any given point in time when we find ourselves complaining about a certain outcome of events that has placed us where we lie, have we thought to ask ourselves if this is where the Lord wants us to be? Is this where he wants me to be at this point, in these circumstances, with these decisions, with these predicaments?

Or do we instead complain about the ineptness of the people around us, blaming and accusing others of putting us in these situations, as if to think that in fact our life is more at the will of others we come in contact with. Finding ourselves in life's quagmire, do we spend our time endlessly complaining about the people that got us into the dilemma, as if to conclude that others are to blame for our life's direction? Are we to waste the opportunity for growth, while we conjure up ideas about how others are responsible for our predicament or, hoping, as if through our negative pessimistic efforts, to cancel out the current predicament. Do we deceive ourselves by wishing to be somewhere else, focusing on better times gone by or future hopeful positions, perhaps to negate any possible positive outcome of our current situation?  

For me the question that begs to be asked is "so who is really in charge of my life that brings me to a certain place under these circumstances, perhaps far off the beaten path of my expectations? Is the Lord really in charge of my life, all of it?

Who is at the helm?

I have concluded that the Lord is actually in charge of all of my life, every turn and off road experience, not just the ones I recognize or by chance give him credit for. He has a hold of my hand and is guiding me through all the ups and downs and storms of life, as I am tossed to and fro along this path, as he attempts to teach me through each and every situation.

Whether I know the reasons or not, whether I understand the purpose or not, there is a reason and a purpose that is divinely inspired that has brought us to a certain point in time. Whether I saw the road signs or not, a sequence of connected events has proceeded my arrival at my stops along the way, that have put a stream of events in motion propelling me further towards my goal.

The real question then is will I see the signs, learn the lessons, pay attention long enough to understand and be open for enlightenment to see what he would have me see? Will I be ready and prepared to hear the wind chimes of life, as they ring out the lessons I must learn. Or will I be required to pass through this stop again further down the road, as I am forced to revisit lessons unlearned.

I hope that once is enough.

Through the events and experiences of the past year I have learned that there is a divinely inspired sequence to life, each step preceding another for a reason, all intertwined and connected. Each step of life seems to be preparatory for the next step along a continuum of lessons to be learned. Many times the preparation began sometime ago, as an interconnected string of dominoes one affecting another, one being the force to bring about the movement or the possibilities of the next. 

All too often we pass through the stations of life not knowing what we were supposed to have learned or why we even made a stop. It is only later that in our very limited wisdom we begin to see the reason for the detour.  Maybe perhaps we are too often caught up in complaining about the steps we are forced to take along the journey that we fail to listen to the wind chimes calling our attention to the winds of lessons to be learned.

Who would of thought that the simple enlistment of an eighteen-year-old young man, some 34 years ago, would have brought him to this point in time, in Iraq. Who would have thought that one soldier's decision to bring a certain book back with him from leave, would have been the right answer for someone who just happened to stop at his station long enough to read the book.

Tears of hope

Life is in many ways like the movie Groundhog's Day, as we travel round and round, failing to learn or prepare ourselves sufficiently enough to move to the next station. It is sad that we seem to be forced to repeat life's difficult experiences only to continue to make the same mistakes over and over, not having learned the requisite lessons that would have moved us further along to the next station. Life's lessons seem to be learned only through much sweat and tears, as we humble ourselves enough to be taught by the Master's unconditional love and patience.

The abundance of life awaits us around each turn, if we are prepared to receive it, by magnifying the person within, our authentic self. All too often we deceive ourselves, choosing rather to focus our attention on what we think others should be learning or how they should be changing or being bogged down by our own weaknesses and imperfections. But, we are the ones who must change in order to be teachable, to be able to take in the benefits of new experiences.

We can only hope that at each station we will be open to the promptings of the spirit as it opens our eyes and enlarges our understanding. It is through our humble tears of desire to increase our knowledge that we will ultimately learn life's essential lessons.

Having said all of this, please don't misunderstand me. I do know that we each have our own free agency to make choices along the way, which will ultimately change our course, bringing us a different set of variables to deal with. That is exactly the plan, for us to have the ability to choose our own path. We are expected to use this God-given-ability to make decisions affecting every aspect of our life and to make these decisions with his help and guidance. But, still with our choices he uses us as a tool to accomplish his desires and guides us along our chosen path to mold us into the person he knows we can become.

Have a great day.

Chief wiggles.
Doing it the wiggles way.