While writing last week, I bumped into a character I wanted to know, a man I wanted a conversation with. That’s how I met Rainie.
The conversation took shape from bits I’ve gleaned from other characters, real flesh-and-blood types. In several places recently, I’ve been reminded of our very powerful fear of failure, of making such a mess of things that nothing (or no one) could ever pull the shattered bits back together again. I see this in myself, my fear that I’m going to screw something up or squander something or get something or other irretrievably wrong. I see this obsession in others as well: on the back side of life, it can be an unrelenting regret that murders the soul and on the front side of life, it can be an unyielding drivenness that, well, murders the soul.
We are convinced that if anything is to happen with our life, we are to make it happen. We are convinced that mistakes are the grand enemy, those dementors of our best laid plans. I believe these bewitching notions are as lecherous as they are common.
However, if Scripture tells us anything, it tells us this: God, ever the creator, makes much of little. Sometimes God makes much of almost nothing. We can live foolishly by flittering our life away. We can also live foolishly by always fearing how we might be flittering our life away. I’m tempted to provide the expected caveats to this line of thinking, but I won’t. Not here. Sometimes, words need to stand alone. Sometimes we need to fret less about how we’re living and get on with actually living.
I believe this: with God, nothing is wasted or ultimately ruined. Nothing.
Great words Winn! Whatever the path of our lives, whatever . . . we have the amazing and incredible opportunity and blessing to gain more of God (and less of us)! Gaining more of God ~ a gift that comes much like the caterpillar that struggles to shed the old garment so that it will be able to fly as butterflies are made to do. Reminds me of Lazurus too, as the graveclothes come off the focus isn't on the loss, but that we gain more of God.
I really enjoyed meeting Raine. I recognized him as you described him. I saw myself in him.
Today I'm really living in the awareness that God is not the one that wastes anything. I am the one who wastes time,ideas,and moments.I collect beautiful things and engaging thoughts and I fail to act on them. But that is not who I want to live as. The God-nature in me should cause me to be beyond the ability to waste.I just read a post on John Mark McMillan's blog which reinforced this idea. It seems like everywhere I turn I'm getting push to do something,everything I can,NOW.
My buddy Jason Windsor just tweeted this and I loved it so much I decided to make it a blog:
"You're addicted to inspiration. You consume it but do nothing. You've been inspired enough for a lifetime; it's time to go make something." Jason Windsor
The world starts making sense when you stop dreaming and start swinging the hammer. Weather it's with your drinking buddies at the Thirsty Beaver or at family church on Sunday morning, nothing you talk about means anything if you aren't willing actually do something. Stop high fiving and go do something. It's scary but it's what you were born for." John Mark McMillan