Disappointed?

“Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; 

it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it.” 
― Eliza Tabor Stephenson

Have you ever experienced disappointment? How about disappointment in yourself? Maybe you said something like, "I will never do that... again!" And then you did it. Again. Your promise flew out the window and you are left looking at yourself in the mirror with frustration. Or maybe even disgust.

Just give me a loonie for every time that I promised myself something that ended up unfulfilled. For any that have known this unpleasant experience you have my compassion. The moment after is the worst - where you realize that self-discipline flew out the window and you gave into - well, gave into whatever you had promised yourself that you would not. Got angry at someone - again. Indulged an addiction - again. Gave into fear - again. Contacted her or him - again. 

So what are we to do, us who break faith with our most intimate relationship - with ourselves? Give up on us? Cast judgment and walk the path of darkness? Could I suppose - tried this and found that it neither healed nor gave life for growth.

Or - we could trust that every misstep, every broken promise, every wound is nothing more serious than life teaching us, rubbing the rough spots off to polish and make pure the heart that God knows is within us. As my mentor said, "life is an experiment - a big playground." So, if you make mistakes, even lots of mistakes, that is okay. Learn from them, laugh at them, cry over them... and most importantly grow in and from them.

"'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.'" (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV) 

God is working on you, carefully walking with you, carrying you, loving you and offering you the freedom to make and break promises as you learn what it means to be love.

I leave you with Mark Twain's wisdom:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” 
― Mark Twain

Pastor Bill

Go look in the mirror

Right now - take a minute

find a bathroom

and look at your best friend

the heart and soul of YOU

and smile

and forgive

and experiment

and just

be the love

that you are!

Oh yeah - and breathe ;-)

(First published March 7, 2012)

The Foolish Children

I love the children in my life! 

"Many teachers think of children as immature adults. It might lead to better and more 'respectful' teaching, if we thought of adults as atrophied children." (Keith Johnstone)

Alexander (now 14) will still call out numerous times in a day, "hey Dad, come see this..." and he'll have some marvelous discovery to share with me, through eyes of playfulness and wonder. Or my grandson, just shy of two years, who upon seeing Anna and me immediately wants us to come down to his level and play (undoubtedly with cars).

We adults are sometimes so foolish that we forget to be Foolish (note - Foolish with a capital "F" indicating intentional playfulness, engaging imagination, laughing at humanity's adult silliness). How crazy is that? We get so serious about making money and running helter-skelter, holding grudges, feeling important, and a myriad of other silly adult obsessions, that we completely ignore the life-giving, renewing work of just simply playing.

Jesus did not forget though. Many of his stories can be told with a twinkle in the eye, the edge of a smile blooming on the storyteller's face. And there's that wonderful reminder from Jesus - unless we are like children we'll miss the Kingdom - we just won't understand it.

In fact, some of us have become so serious, have invested so much energy in frown-wrinkles that our playful heart is almost smothered. Almost... but not quite. 

Inside all of us is a child, full of smiles and twinkling eyes, hands that want to touch and explore, mouths that want to taste, imaginations waiting to burst open... I have found that we adults, when given a safe place and permission to do so, will indulge in being playful. That is one of the things that I love to bring to worship - playfulness. The spirit in the room changes completely when we laugh, when something unexpected and fun erupts. It is like a fresh breeze has just blown through, reviving us.

So, here's some homework - this week, before next Wednesday rolls around, be playful. With a friend, or on your own, do whatever it is that brings out the little boy or girl in you. And if possible, do it with your whole being, just dive in, and then call out to the Father, "hey Dad, come see this..."  

"Mix a little foolishness with your prudence: it's good to be silly at the right moment." (Horace)

Pastor Bill

Think about when

you laughed hard

tears rolling down

the heavens laughing with you

your whole being

in the moment

there is a smile on your face right now

just thinking about it

healing you

with love

surrounding you

filling you

laughing with you

so Breathe

and Breathe again

Amen

[First published February 29, 2012]