It was a simple thought, but it
held within
it answers I've been searching for most of
my life.
I knew it to be true. You see, I say it all
the time.
Not in the same way. Not using the same
words. Not in the same tone of voice. Yet,
when I said it last night I felt like I was
screaming at the top of my lungs.
I was talking with my wife about issues in
my life. Yes, like you, I have issues.
Right now, I have five things written on a small
tablet in front of me. Each were meant to be a
separate story. But just this very second I saw
them all come together.
Why? Because of what I said last night.
"Most people walk to the edge of the ocean
and are overwhelmed by the enormity of it.
All they see is this massive thing before them.
It is wonderful, breathing taking and awe
inspiring.
What they miss are the details. The ocean is
made of tiny drops of water. Together they make
an ocean, but without each drop there would be
nothing at all."
I have been blessed and burdened with the gift of
seeing life's details. Blessed because it makes
me
feel alive, fulfilled and one of God's "interpreters
of
life."
Burdened, for the very same reasons. It is an
obligation
I feel strongly about. That's where the first item on
my list
came from. I'm now "screaming at the top of my
lungs."
To some, life is like the ocean, big, overwhelming,
breathtaking and awe inspiring. They stand on
the
edge and fail to see the details. Life is made up of
tiny moments and elements created by God. Each
one is so important that, like the drops of
water in
the ocean, without them there would be no life.
Which brings me to another thing on my list.
You can drown in the ocean. You can drown in
life, too. Life is full of hurts, pain and
disappointment.
But it is the hurt that comes before the healing that
makes us feel like we are truly alive.
Next..."Who knows where the time goes?"
I wrote that on the list one day because on my last
birthday I tried to step off the train that was
going 60
and discovered that I couldn't. The number is more
than your age. It is a measure of how fast you
appear
to be traveling.
Finally, the last thing on my list was scribbled
recently.
My cherished friend and spiritual counselor, Nathaniel
Bronner,
wrote this message to me:
"As I was reading "One More Day"
(note: he is referring to a recent story I sent
everyone)
I heard the Holy Spirit speak,
"Within 30 days I am going to bless him
beyond."
I thought, "Beyond? Beyond what?" But that's all that
I received. Perhaps in 30 days you will
understand."
I was humbled by that thought. I am already blessed
beyond.
Being human I immediately thought of good fortune,
like
a million gazillion dollars I've been asking God for
so I
could help more people. I want to pay their bills and
mine
so I don't leave my wife in debt. Buy more meals for
strangers, deliver more flowers anonymously to
people who no longer get flowers, and pay for a
few haircuts
for a family that my barber knows is struggling
financially.
Also being human, I realized that there was no further
explanation of what the Holy Spirit meant by
"Beyond."
In today's terms, that was like being on the phone
with
God and the call was dropped..."Can you hear me now?"
I worried that God was calling me home. That's where
the last note on my list came from. He would
"Bless me beyond."
I love life so much I thought I'd live forever. The
last note says,
"This is my forever."
No, I'm not dying. But I am dying to know what
"Beyond"
means. God blesses me so much already, I can't imagine
"beyond."
You see, we all live forever. Our forever is measured
not in
where our time goes, but in how much we lived,
how much we noticed, how we interpreted life
for
others to appreciate, how much we hurt, and when
called upon found it necessary to, "scream at
the
top of our lungs..."
Today face the ocean, stand on the edge of life and
scream...
"LIFE IS IN THE DETAILS!"
Bob Perks
2believe@comcast.net
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.